The OPLAN Foundation wants to be a central watering hole for those enthusiastic about the possibilities of “open public local access networks,” from wifi hotposts to city-wide fiber. The site points to www.ftthcouncil.org and www.wifi-forum.com as organizations working on elements of this; OPLAN wants to be the “canopy.”

Any organization working toward spreading connectivity bottom up has my support. (Note: If the KKK adopts open wifi as a plank in its platform, I will regret that sentence.)

Perhaps you wonder how I, as a member of the board of advisors of FON, can also support open wifi hotspots [disclosure]? That’s because FON is not in competition with open wifi. FON is intended for the 99.999% of the world that doesn’t know a WEP from a hole in the security. For them, FON provides: 1. A mix of incentives (either roam for free or make a buck or two from people using your router); 2. Ease and security; 3. A case to be made to the ISPs about why sharing broadband is good for them. 4. Eventually, some very interesting, and possibly transformative, community apps.

If the world woke up one day and decided to wrap itself in a snuggly blanket of free, open wifi spots, FON’s founders and advisors would weep with joy. (Some of the investors might have more complex reactions.) In the meantime, FON’s mixed incentives may help spread truly low cost coverage, especially in poorer parts of the world. [Tags: wifi muniwifi oplan fon]

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