Google/Earthlink Wins San Francisco WiFi Deal

maximander wrote to mention coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle of that city's final decision on their city-wide WiFi system. They've chosen to go with Google and EarthLink. From the article: "In choosing to negotiate with the Google-EarthLink team, the city is going with two Internet giants with marque names. Both firms have deep pockets and proven track records online, but only limited experience building a large wireless network. The project, championed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, is intended to boost the city's technology credentials and help bridge the digital divide between the Internet haves and have-nots. It has also generated intense interest from other cities looking to build similar networks. "

Not surprised...

[PenguinBoyDave]

This isn't much of a surprise. Google is a Bay area fixture, and Earthlink has a major focus on providing urban Broadband. The partnership of the two is a natural and will make SF a key example of what more metro areas need to be.

Let's just get this out of the way now

[Anonymous Coward]

For those of you who can't be bothered to read TFA:

San Francisco will pay nothing and actually reap some fees by leasing city property as perches for Wi-Fi antennas.

Hopefully, quicker than Philadelphia

[jellings]

It would be good to see one of these city wireless plans finally come to fruition;
Philadelphia has been having a tough time finally getting its own initiative off the ground . . .
http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/ [wirelessphiladelphia.org]

I also look forward to seeing evidence that these initiatives are bridging the 'digital divide' in these cities.

Great, more bad security.

[Kenja]

Am I the only one that sees the proliferation of WiFi as a major network security problem? Seems you cant go anyplace without being able to find an open wireless network. Someplace around my office has not just an open network, but an open intercontinental network. If I dont turn off the 802.11 function on my laptop I'll see computer systems in tokyo.

So the problem is thus, people in my office, connected to our LAN are also connected to this wide open network where all sorts of bad things could be roaming free. Windows and MacOS both seem to automaticly connect to these rogue networks and thus bypass any local network security I can enforce.