The Philadelphia saga is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Though I've been privy to a lot of the behind-the-scene negotiations, if you're looking for details, you'll have to look elsewhere. However, you won't have to wait long -- the Philadelphia Metro has already started covering things -- which means that someone's already spilling the beans. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News are going to be running stories tomorrow.

All in all, the proposed solution is a really good one for the residents of Philly; but yes, it's caught up on the demand for a $250,000 payment. Meanwhile, Wireless Philadelphia released this statement today...

Dear Friend of Wireless Philadelphia:

I am writing to provide you a brief update on the Wireless
Philadelphia Initiative.

Philadelphia's Wi-Fi network continues to operate in the roughly 80% of the City in which it has been deployed (see map ). Nothing in the ten-year Network Agreement

permits EarthLink to unilaterally impose deadlines for the network's transfer, turn off the network or remove network equipment.

It has been well publicized that EarthLink recently announced its intention to sell its Wi-Fi networks and exit the municipal wireless business. Wireless Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia continue to work together to explore options for the network's future. In the meantime, we are committed to our core mission of serving Digital Inclusion customers with internet access, hardware, technical support and training.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Best regards,

Greg Goldman
CEO
Wireless Philadelphia
ggoldman@wirelessphiladelphia.org

I've been talking with folks down in North Carolina about innovative business models that will facilitate public private partnerships whereby municipalities work with non-profit organizations to deliver broadband services. As the Philly model continues to flail about (though I'm hopeful for some resolution in the near future on this), alternative systems are being implemented. Wally Bowen over at theMountain Area Information Network (MAIN) has been heading up the charge. A month or so ago I wrote to the Asheville City Council supporting the plan that MAIN was proposing. And I'm quite happy to see such a resounding endorsement for what is certain to become a remarkably interesting municipal wireless project.

Here's more:

Asheville, N.C. endorses new Wi-Fi business model

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A proposal to make Asheville a "Wi-Fi City" -- via city-wide, wireless Internet access -- won unanimous endorsement March 25 from the Asheville City Council.

The plan, put forth by the nonprofit Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), would provide secure wireless coverage -- including mobile access -- throughout the city.

"I'm pleased that the City of Asheville has officially endorsed MAIN's 'Wi-Fi City' proposal" said Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy. "This effort will not only help bridge the Digital Divide in our community. It also signals to the nation that Asheville has a 21st-century vision for an inclusive and sustainable Digital Economy. . . ."

Read the entire story: http://www.main.nc.us/wifi.

Alicia Mickelsen sent me Belair's press release on the Boston pilot wireless deployment. For everyone that's been wondering, "What's Boston been up to?" Here's the answer:

Today, Boston announces the completion of the city’s first wireless pilot. Equipment from BelAir Networks, the leading provider of mobile broadband mesh networks, is powering the next generation wireless broadband network in the Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston. The network is the result of the company’s partnership with openairboston.net, a private, non-profit corporation created to develop, implement and operate a network to provide wireless internet access throughout the City of Boston.

Since its soft-launch in late August, openairboston.net estimates that the network has already had over 3,000 unique users, with average session length of 79 minutes per user. The network now makes it possible for approximately 8,000 households within the pilot area access to the Internet for as little as $9.95 a month.

I have included the press releases on the network below, from BelAir Networks and from the city of Boston. If you would like to learn more about the network, I would be happy to put you in touch with a BelAir Networks executive.

Thank you,

Alicia

Alicia Mickelsen
Breakaway Communications for BelAir Networks
156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 410, New York, NY 10010
(212) 616-6002 | amick@breakawaycom.com

Read more...

An article on municipal wireless I recently wrote for GovTech's Digital Communities Magazine on the myth that municipal wireless has been failing just came out. If you're looking for more background behind my recent statements in the New York Times, then this is certainly worth a read:

Municipal Wireless Success Demands Public Involvement, Experts Say

Most media have it wrong. Municipal wireless networks across the United States didn't stumble in 2007 - high-profile cities where deals fell apart, such as Chicago, San Francisco and Houston, were not going to finance, own or operate their respective networks. These weren't municipal networks at all. The business model that faltered in 2007 was the "private corporate franchise" model based on the deal that Philadelphia and EarthLink agreed to in 2006. It was, in fact, the free market that failed last year - not governments in their traditional role as the builders and maintainers of critical infrastructure.

Read more...

In December 2007, the New America Foundation released an in-depth report and analysis of the Philadelphia Wireless project. This New America Foundation report focused on productive interventions and potential opportunities for community organizers and decision-makers, but was met with hostility by Wireless Philadelphia and Civitium.

Now, three months after the report's release, many of the concerns first systematically documented in the report (but raised often by the local Philadelphia community over a several year period) are beginning to grow so much worse that even the best efforts being brought to bare to obfuscate the problems are coming undone.

Joshua Breitbart put it this way in his recent blog posting:

It is now common knowledge that EarthLink has failed to live up to its agreement to build a citywide wireless network for the people of Philadelphia. Fortunately, the Network Agreement gives Wireless Philadelphia various mechanisms to hold the Atlanta-based corporation accountable. For example, WP can declare a “Dark Day” for the system if there is significant outage and compel EarthLink to remedy the situation. Yet WP has not exercised any of these provisions, even though these are clearly dark days for Wireless Philadelphia.

In December, Philadelphia Chief Information Officer Terry Phillis and Wireless Philadelphia Chief Executive Officer went before City Council and assured the members that EarthLink was still hard at work building out the wireless network throughout the city. They promised EarthLink would resolve all of its subscribers’ problems. It is now clear the information they provided was false.

The problem in Philadelphia is that they're in desperate need of leadership in an area where people have been so focused on the potential political minefield that they've been unwilling to make the substantial changes necessary to fix things. As more information begins to come out about the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of tax payer dollars that were spent to subsidize Earthlink's network, the question that begs asking is, "What return on investment did the local community get for their funding?"

Municipal networks in places like St. Cloud, FL and Chaska, MN work because the local community has substantial control over the network. In Philadelphia, this control was ceded to private interests and we're looking at the repercussions of this decision. Hopefully, folks will get things turned around in Philly, but that may only happen with strong new leadership.

You can tune into a live broadcast of The Future of Municipal Wireless streaming live from the New America Foundation here in Washington, DC. We will also be using a live web chat for remote viewers so that you will be able to ask questions and comment on the proceedings.

Discussion will focus on alternative municipal wireless business models that have proven successful (both in the US and overseas) in delivering affordable (often free) broadband to their local communities. There's a lot to be learned from the panel of experts -- participants include:

The Honorable Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Vice Chairman, Subcommitee on Telecommunications, House Commerce Committee
U.S. House of Representatives

Joshua Breitbart
Principal and Co-Founder
Ethos Wireless

Jonathan Baltuch
President
MRI

Aaron Kaplan
Director
FunkFeuer (Austria)

Jon Peha
Associate Director of the Center for Wireless and Broadband Networking
Carnegie-Mellon University

Richard MacKinnon
Founder and President
Austin Wireless City Project

Sascha D. Meinrath
Research Director, Wireless Future Program
New America Foundation

Computer World is reporting that Philadelphia's CIO, Terry Phillis "believes there is a 75% chance that EarthLink Inc. will sell or abandon its ambitious citywide Wi-Fi network operation in a year." National Public Radio is claiming, "Philadelphia's wireless Internet network was supposed to be a model for the nation, but the project has been plagued by delays and spotty service." Predating this recent surge of media critique, New America Foundation released an in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of the Philadelphia Wireless Initiative. While some folks were scornful of the report, more and more folks are realizing that something's fishy in Philly (and it ain't the oysters).

I'm currently at the 2007 Community Wireless Infrastructure Research Project (CWIRP) Workshop in Toronto, Canada. The Workshop brings together a fantastic group of community wireless practitioners and researchers to swap ideas, research findings, and action plans. Participants include folks from CANARIE, City of Fredericton, City of Toronto, Columbia University, Concordia University, Ethos Wireless Consulting, Île Sans Fil (Montreal), K-Net (Northern Ontario), Ontario Ministry of Government Services, Ottawa Gatineau Wi-Fi, New America Foundation (Wireless Future Program), Pennsylvania State University, Ryerson University, University of San Francisco, University of Toronto, Wireless Nomad, Wireless Toronto, York University, and others. I'm looking forward to a great couple days.

UPDATE01: I was just introduced to International Community Wireless expert, Mimi Gabor -- fantastic lady.

I've been talking for awhile now about open tech and the coming disruptions to established business models and incumbent communications infrastructures. The Elevate.at Conference was a fantastic integration of music and politics -- DJs and tech-heads hanging out together in an underground bunker dug out of the mountain under a medieval castle (yes, it was quite cool -- a big thanks to Roland and Dan for inviting me).

Open Technology and the Wireless Future discusses the rise of the Intranet era, Intranet services and applications, and the COMMONS Project. I gave the presentation on October 25, 2007.

From Team CUWiN: (more info at www.cuwin.net)
CUWiN Releases CUWiNware 0.7.0

CUWiN announces a new version of its flagship software, CUWiNware 0.7.0. CUWiNware enables neighbors and communities to create a mesh wireless network that can share Internet connections, establish local VoIP services, and utilize peer-to-peer connections to improve their broadband experience. CUWiNware 0.7.0 makes community networking easier to use than ever before. CUWiNware is free open source software, which makes it as much as 75% cheaper to set up networks than its proprietary competitors.

Read more...