Chicago has canceled plans to roll out a municipal wireless internet network. The final nail in the coffin was the sharp drop in 1.5Mb DSL pricing in Chicago, which is ironically probably a response to the threat of competition from the city. On the other hand, new wireless networks may come up from private sector initiatives, as Sprint rolls out a WiMax network and analog TV spectrum opens up for other projects. I read about this when slashdot picked up an article from the Tribune, who should really sell the Cubs to Mark Cuban. On the plus side, Google has convinced the US government to hold the spectrum auction their way, with Google's bid of $4.6 billion and the collection of services they promised to roll out serving as a minimum bid, insuring nobody can buy up all the spectrum and keep it dark to lock out competitors.
There has generally been slow uptake on municipal wireless networks so far with several on the way, with many people apparently a bit suspicious it might be vulnerable to identity thieves and the like, in this glorious age where the FT tells us anybody can print a fake utility bill and open a bank account in England. (Actually I didn't quite get why that was so heinous, since a bank account is a place where you deposit money, so my nefarious scheme to deposit 1000 pounds under a fake name leaves me like $50 poorer or something.) The great thing about a wireless network is supposed to be the ease with which the infrastructure can be rolled out, unlike British universities where the internet apparently runs through the lead pipes the Romans put down for plumbing and sewage. And there's a decreased risk of some excessively tall green and yellow parade float snipping your overhead wires careening down Michigan Ave.
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