This is in many ways the direction we have advocated for the last two years – this is good news and the political morass you mention is a result of the Mayor’s refusal to change direction – this is exactly how politics should work to stop poor ideas like the original EarthLink proposal.

1) Wired broadband solutions (cable, fiber, copper) can provide more bandwidth. Why get a sub 1 mbps wifi service when you get multiple megabit service on a wired technology?

2) 3G networks are being widely deployed (EvDO & HSDPA). Similar speeds with more predictable performance.

3) Public safety will use the 700 MHz and 4.9 GHz spectrum for future deployments. Many of the existing muni networks have public safety as the anchor customers. Public safety agencies want reliability and good coverage. WiFi strugges with both.

4) WiFi has the stigma of being free (at cafes, hotels, bookstores, etc.). People are not willing to pay for WiFi.

5) VOIP and WiFi just don’t mix. Argue all you want, it is just reality. The only way to get VOIP working is to over engineer the network to the point that the deployment is too expensive and not scalable.

6) I work with state and local governments everyday. They are fundamentally not set up to be service providers. They are not customer centric. They can’t afford to pay the IT talent to run the networks. They don’t have sales/marketing departments. The list goes on….

7) Service providers (both wired and wireless) will continue to apply pressures at all political and business levels to make sure local governments don’t become service providers. When service providers, regardless of the technology has spent billions on their networks (equipment, spectrum, right away, franchise agreements, etc.), they will fight to protect these investments.

8) Indoor penetration. 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum (FCC power limits) make indoor penetration nearly impossible. You can’t break the laws of physics.

LAST: Don’t get me wrong, WiFi is a great technology. It is a LAN technology, not a MAN technology.

A separate issue is that there is no free way to fix the Digital Divide. If addressing Digital Divide issues is a primary goal of a Muni Wireless network, that network will not be self funding. It’s just that simple. So, you either fix the issue by spending tax payer money (like you do to fix the street or install a sewer) or you use regulation to force commercial interests to do it — likely resulting in costs being passed to consumers. One way or another The People have to pay.