Why-fi

I heard a story on the radio the other day - the city of Fresno hopes to revitalize itself by providing citywide free wireless Internet access. They're hoping that it will attract a younger crowd (I bet attaching PSPs to parking meters will attract an even younger crowd).

Nice idea, but it seems a little misguided. Sure, the idea of free wireless appeals to me as much as to the next person, but I'm pretty sure there are other things that are more important to potential Fresnians - you know, little things, like community, restaurants, bars, shopping, a major airport.

But Fresno is not alone. Many other cities are proceeding along the same path. San Francisco and San Jose have jumped on the free citywide wifi bandwagon. And let's not forget Mountain View, CA (home of Google). Google's even offered to foot the bill for wireless there!

Revitalization isn't the only reason cities want wireless. Apparently it's a great solution to providing highspeed Internet access to the impoverished masses? Sounds great, I'm all for it, but, uhm, do these impoverished masses have computers? That seems like a pretty important bridge to be crossing, no?

I did a quick search of the Internet, and found a bunch of cities that either already have wireless access already, or are planning on getting it soon:

• Chandler, AZ
• Dubuque, IA
• Grand Haven, MI
• Grand Rapids, MI
• Hartford, CT
• Miami, FL
• Minneapolis, MN
• Philadelphia, PA

Phew, Chandler AZ made the list - that's a relief. What about Chandler Bing?

I wonder if anyone has done a study to see what happens to businesses that provide free wireless access. In my travels, I've seen quite a few cafes that offer free internet access. Typically most of the tables are occupied by people who have their entire e-life spread out in front of them (one guy I saw actually had a printer with him), sipping the same coffee for hours on end. Unless these places are selling really expensive coffee, I don't think the cafes making out so well.

I don't know - I can't help but think that this push towards citywide wireless access is the result of some overzealous marketing people and some desperate/misguided city managers, with a dash of "me too" syndrome thrown in for good measure. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out in the end.