Join our community to voice your opinion on SF Free WiFi Initiative. The panel includes people from SF City Council so your voice will be heard.

“A significant number of consultants and integrators go on and on about how Muni owned networks pay for themselves…”

The savings are annual – each year those expenses are not in your operating budget. That money is freed up to invest in the network on an ongoing basis.

That’s if you’re talking about a Saint Cloud model – publicly owned wireless as a free amenity. In the publicly owned wholesale model that we propose, the city has incentives to upgrade and a revenue stream to do it with, just like a private company would. The wholesale network must be kept up to date for its customers – the retail service providers.

(I would suggest that cities be very careful about justifying the expenditure on soft avoided costs, like increased efficiency. I’d rather see an argument made that a basic citywide wireless network is like the libraries – something you provide to improve quality of life.)

“I doubt City council will want to upgrade a network to 802.11n in 2 to 3yrs. Or update the backhaul to the existing network in 2yrs. They have other priortise. If they did we would all have fiber to the home by now, AMI water meters etc.”

The biggest barrier to municipal fiber to the home has been the incumbents. Cities do have other spending priorities, but this is not a typical infrastructure project (e.g. roads, bridges, sidewalks) because it produces a revenue stream.

“Often these guys preach that the City can outsource the IT management functions to a 3rd party…”

This is an interesting argument, but it contradicts your point. Cities that choose the Philadelphia-Earthlink model – a privately owned network with the city as an anchor tenant – are entering into exactly this kind of long-term contract.

Instead of getting trapped not only in a long-term contract, but a long-term contract with the vendor who owns the infrastructure, cities need to evaluate owning the network and entering into shorter-term management contracts. Saint Louis Park, MN is a good example.

I doubt City council will want to upgrade a network to 802.11n in 2 to 3yrs. Or update the backhaul to the existing network in 2yrs. They have other priortise. If they did we would all have fiber to the home by now, AMI water meters etc.

Often these guys preach that the City can outsource the IT management functions to a 3rd party…hmm more money to the Integrator and/or consultant. Many Muni’s have tried this with their existing IT departments needs.

Everytime they want to install something new the outsource IT company/consultant charges outrageous “change fees” and fail to deliver on time. After all, at this point they have the City trapped in a multi year contract. Muni’s across the country are taking back their IT departments because of this phenomenum.

Leave the ISP business to private enterprise…otherwise we’ll get second rate service on WiFi and be forced to use EVDO/HSDPA?WiMax.