[Ecommerce] Philadelphia Wireless

[Manon Ress]

Philadelphia OKs Wireless Internet Project
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060511/ap_on_hi_te/wireless_philadelphia

By DEBORAH YAO, AP Business Writer Thu May 11, 5:24 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA - City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a plan
to blanket the city's 135 square miles with a high-speed wireless
Internet connection, a measure that mayor is expected to sign soon.

If the system is fully deployed by the third quarter of 2007 as
planned, Philadelphia would be the first large city to have its own
wireless Internet network. EarthLink Inc. will build, operate and
maintain the network under a 10-year contract.

"Philadelphia is a city of many firsts and this is a first as well,"
said Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. "It's the first time a
large municipality is saying we'll take an aggressive role in
ensuring that the digital divide is bridged."

EarthLink will start building the network in June over a 15-square-
mile test area that would cover parts of North and South
Philadelphia. The test should take three to four months, said Clifton
Roscoe, director of major projects for EarthLink.

Councilman Brian O'Neill said EarthLink has the choice to get out of
the deal if the company doesn't like the results of the trial. But he
added that he believes EarthLink will succeed.

The Internet service provider's first target would be the city's
quarter-million dial-up customers plus existing broadband subscribers
who want to pay lower prices, O'Neill said.

Community-based organizations will reach out to low-income households
to get them interested.

Atlanta-based EarthLink will invest $22 million over a decade to
provide Wi-Fi in the city. Prices are expected at $20 a month, or
$9.95 for low-income households. EarthLink has agreed to lease
capacity to rival Internet service providers.

About 300 communities across the country are developing or have
deployed Wi-Fi plans. Chicago and San Francisco also are planning big
public Wi-Fi projects.

O'Neill said having citywide Wi-Fi will attract business and leisure
travelers to Philadelphia.

"This puts us at the top of the list," he said.

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Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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