Ron Sege, Jim Baller and Esme Vos and James Salter talk about muni wifi.

Jim says the public now is “getting it” and asking hard questions. Jim puts it in terms of public safety, cultural enrichment, homeland security, economic development…etc. Things are going pretty well, he thinks, although much needs to be done. Fewer states are passing anti-muni-wifi laws, for example. One bad trend: Municipal governments ask for wifi for free.

Esme sees a huge explosion in the number of muni networks being built, by cities and by counties. Given cities’ budgetary problems, they try to set up wireless networks for municipal uses as well as for public access. “This is nothing more than the next IT upgrade.” In Europe, providers have been forced to open their network to competitors on a non-discriminatory basis; that’s the model that lots of cities are trying to replicate. “Cities say they have no money but the next day they can find $70M for a Nascar museum. People should be hard on their municipal officials and ask them what their priorities are. All I want is for people to have as much choice as possible.” Inside the bellhead companies are webhead factions, she says. “Largely it’s a generational change.”

James Salter believes that broadband is the most important economic, educational and social enabler of this century. Fiber is the best way to get it but the incumbents will not deliver it. Municipalities may be the broadband savior. His company (Atlantic Engineering Group) has done 50+ municipal fiber projects. We need private-public competition, just as we have in schools, garbage, health care, etc. He puts up some amazing quotes from the incumbents saying stupid things about bandwidth. He says the average marketshare of the 53 sites he’s done is 50-60%. People flock to them because the service is better. “I’m a rightwing Republican and I want to keep the government out of everything but we’re out of options.”

Categories: Uncategorized dw