[wplug] Philly - Wi, Pitts - NoWi

[Michael Semcheski]

Saw this article online in the Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05124/498485.stm

Basically, Pittsburgh is not going to be starting a wifi network,
Philadelphia is.  Please someone, correct me on the following if I am
off, but this is my understanding:

Because there is no community based wifi service offered by the city of
Pittsburgh (or the suburbs), such municipalities will be prohibited from
starting such a service in the future.

If there was so much as one subscriber for such a service, that service
would be grandfathered in, defeating the municipal-wireless bill from
earlier this year.

Therefore, we should lobby city-council to create such a service (even
if it only finds one subscriber) and grandfather it in before that
telecom fronted by Darth Vader (Verizon) cements its monopoly.

The article I provided the link for mentions that Bill Peduto created a
committee to investigate the issue, and it had people from Verizon and
Comcast on it.  Talk about a conflict of interest.

As someone who grew up in the Philadelphia area, it really galls me to
see Philadelphia get something that Pittsburgh doesn't.

I don't know what it is, but lately if I am writing an email and some
aspect of government comes up, my blood pressure just goes up through
the roof.

Mike