White ready to unwrap city WiFi plan http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4548696.html By ALEXIS GRANT Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle A wireless Internet system would blanket Houston in two years, providing high-speed access at greatly reduced prices, under a contract proposal the city will unveil today, Mayor Bill White said Monday. While the agreement still needs City Council approval, its terms put Houston in line to have the largest such network in North America, covering nearly all of the city's 600 square miles by spring of 2009, White told the Chronicle. Some low-income residents could get subsidized access for as little as $10 a month, and most customers would pay less than they do now. White did not disclose which of two finalists received the contract for the $60 million project, saving that for a news conference scheduled for this afternoon. But his emphasis on the need for the contractor to have experience in the field suggested that Atlanta-based EarthLink Municipal Networks got the edge over a local consortium. "It was important that the company have scale and the experience of dealing with multiple markets, and be likely to stay in the business for the longer run," White said. Ever since the competition was narrowed to two companies several months ago, industry observers have said contracting with EarthLink would be less risky for the city. Working under its parent company, Internet service provider EarthLink, the vendor already has taken on several similar projects in other cities, though all cover much smaller geographical areas than Houston. "If it indeed is EarthLink, EarthLink has the track record," said Craig Settles, a municipal wireless consultant. "They are a very competent business and provider, and I think that given the size of Houston, this is a good choice." The other finalist, Convergent Broadband, is a local consortium that was created recently by former Reliant Energy CEO Don Jordan, mainly to bid on the Houston project. A spokesman for EarthLink, Jerry Grasso, had no comment. Jordan said he had not been notified by the city one way or the other. The City Council could consider the agreement later this month, but the panel often delays votes on significant city contracts. Some cities have used tax money to install wireless networks, but under the city's plan the contractor would pay to build the network, earning a return on its investment by selling access and advertising. What it will cost The agreement sets a wholesale rate of $12 per subscriber per month, which the builder of the network would sell to various Internet service providers, White said. Those ISPs would add a profit margin to the base price and sell access to residents and businesses. White has said previously that he hoped to cut average cost of high-speed Internet access in half, though he did not state a specific figure. High-speed cable connections now cost about $45 a month, while DSL ranges from $15 to $35 depending upon its speed. Access would be even cheaper for about 40,000 low-income residents, perhaps including students and the elderly, whose price would be based on a $10-per-month wholesale rate, White said. The contract calls for the city eventually to receive a 3 percent cut of the revenue from the wireless system, and some of that would be used to provide reduced rates for low-income residents, White said. Public opinion sought White has touted that as a way to bridge the divide between the technology haves and have-nots. Exactly who would be eligible has not been determined, White said. He plans to seek public opinion on that topic and on how low-income residents can get computers and other hardware necessary to use the network. The agreement calls for free access in some public places, including parks and libraries, and a discounted rate to the city for its government facilities, White said. Some limited government advocates say the development of wireless Internet should be left entirely to private enterprise. White argues, however, that a public-private partnership gives vendors incentive to invest in the project and ensures the service is extended to all parts of town. "We will require that no neighborhood be left behind for income reasons," White said. Some areas might not have access for technical reasons, he said. Networks in other cities have been criticized for spotty coverage and weak signals. Because wireless beams often can't transmit signals through buildings, customers accessing networks indoors sometimes need transmitters inside their residence or business. Another drawback to citywide networks is that they can provide cover for online criminals, because there's no way to track their activity to specific locations.
I have a relative I visit in Houston 3 or 4 times a year. Sometimes more. It's an internet black hole. If I could pay a small amount per visit to get WiFi while I'm there, I'd be all for it, but not on a month by month basis. They should make it free!
This is pretty cool...it should be free in some areas I don't know if I would use it as my primary since I don't know how fast it would be
I think the technology right now isn't good enough to have a city-wide Wi-Fi system. Setup an access point every half mile is just simply too expensive, and very hard to maintain. They should wait a while for other technology like 3G and EDGE be become more mature before they consider their options.
FYI : there are other cities starting to do this. Google and Earthlink already won a contract to do this in San Francisco.
The last I heard, the one in San Francisco was supposed to be 1 meg down and you could get the "ad free" version for something like $20/month (?). I don't know if that's what they ended up agreeing on, though.
Houston picks Earthlink EarthLink is selected as Houston's WiFi provider By ALEXIS GRANT and MATT STILES Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle City Hall: And the winner is EarthLink The city disclosed today that it has chosen Atlanta-based EarthLink Municipal Networks to provide a citywide, wireless Internet network within the next two years. An official announcement was scheduled for a 4 p.m. news conference today, but the city sent out a premature news release announcing its selection. While the agreement with EarthLink still needs City Council approval, its terms put Houston in line to have the largest such network in North America, covering nearly all of the city's 600 square miles by spring of 2009, White told the Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4548696.html
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5091264.html EarthLink layoffs may be bump in road for Wi-Fi plan Internet provider firing 900 workers, but its new strategy may not affect Houston's project By ALEXIS GRANT Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Internet service provider EarthLink, hired by the city to build and run Houston's wireless network, said Tuesday it will lay off nearly half its work force nationwide. The announcement comes after delays in the start of the Houston project and rumblings from the company's chief executive that it will scale back or change its business model for municipal wireless initiatives. But amid the bad news may be some optimism for Houston: The model EarthLink is moving toward in other cities is already part of the plan here. The Atlanta-based company declined to comment on how the elimination of 900 positions, including the president of the municipal wireless unit, may affect the Houston project, which has been stalled while EarthLink re-evaluates its municipal approach. Company officials plan to discuss with each of the cities where they're doing business the need for city government to serve as the company's primary customer, spokesman Jerry Grasso said. Houston's contract already is based around that model. But agreements with other cities, such as Philadelphia, don't include that provision. "We will be talking to each city on an individual basis to discuss the needed changes in our new business model, which includes them stepping up to some sort of anchor tenancy agreement," Grasso wrote in an e-mail. He confirmed that Donald Berryman, who as president of EarthLink Municipal Networks was overseeing the Houston project, is leaving the company. Building a wireless network has been a priority for Mayor Bill White, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon. He's expected to talk about the initiative this morning during the weekly City Council meeting, spokesman Frank Michel said. Industry analysts said staffing cuts and office closures are not necessarily a surprise, since EarthLink's new CEO, Rolla Huff, has said publicly he plans to streamline the company. But such a large adjustment may not bode well for the Houston project, which is already months behind schedule. "It's certainly going to slow the process down," said Michael Garfield, a talk show host who specializes in technology and has moderated several Wi-Fi forums for the city. "I don't think it's going to totally kill (the project)." EarthLink's contract, which was approved by the council in mid-April, calls for the company to begin building the 640-square-mile network this summer. The city agreed to pay $2.5 million over five years to use the network. But EarthLink has yet to sign a contract with CenterPoint Energy to use its light poles around the city, the first step in the process. Huff has expressed unease about the financial viability of wireless projects, which have yet to prove on a large scale that they'll draw enough customers to make a profit. The project here would be the largest in North America and require a $50 million investment. The company plans a conference call with investors this morning. The contract sets deadlines for EarthLink, requiring the company to build at least half the network within a year and the remainder the following year, but the start date is vague. If the company defaults, it could owe the city up to $5 million. White said about a week ago he will request compensation for any significant delays. "I would intend to either wrap something up within a fairly short period of time — probably a matter of weeks, not months — or proceed with our legal remedies against the company," he said. ---- Hope this snag doesn't affect project too much.
I won't pay for it. I already pay a high bill for cablemodem. City-wide wi-fi would be nice, but I don't need it enough to pay any money for it.
It'll need to beat the speed and performance of the VCast ($15/mon) that I've already got. Crappy wifi is worthless. Evan
I wonder if you are already a current earthlink customer, should/would you have access to this network without any additional fees? logic would say yes.....but we all know that logic is never the driving force of companies like this.
Chicago just ditched Earthlink's city-wide Wi-Fi because it was too expensive for too few users. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070828/D8RA8QT00.html
Dialup customers? betting no. Broadband customers (via Comcast service)? betting yes. If the new Houston Wi-Fi has little down time between 6pm and 10pm, I will likely downgrade my Earthlink service from Comcast to Houston Wi-Fi (about half the costs).
If you attach a wireless usb stick into a metal food strainer and aim in the right direction, you can pick up all kinds of networks. If you live near a starbucks or mcdonalds, chances are there is free access already available to you.
Corpus has this set up already (and through Earthlink). All indications are that it's a great idea but the implementation has been less than exceptional. Speeds aren't anything to write home about and the connection at times is spotty.
