July 7th, 2006
Wi-Fi for NYC?
Broadband Wi-Fi in New York? Thoughout the five buroughs? That’s an idea way beyond most people’s wildest dreams. But the city’s Economic Development Corporation is at least looking at just that, the New York Times reports.
The study … will examine "whether there is a need for a citywide broadband network as a municipal initiative" and what legal, technical, logistical and economic challenges such a project would involve, according to a request for proposals that the city released on June 14.
The city issued an RFP for consultants to conduct a feasibility study on citywide broadband; proposals are due July 21. The study’s first goal is to assess "the existing state of broadband services" and decide whether a citywide network is needed. The RFP asked whether wireless access could be made widely available "at competitive prices" and whether a network could strengthen the local economy.
Dana Spiegel, executive director of NYC Wireless, a local nonprofit group that has been hired by several business improvement districts and companies to set up wireless networks in public spaces, cautioned that the other cities might not be the right model for New York City to follow. "We’re a much bigger city and have a much more complicated set of connectivity problems," he said. "It’s unclear that municipal broadband at a citywide level is the solution for New York City."
