With installation of its citywide wi-fi system now complete, Minneapolis last week turned on more than 100 free outdoor wi-fi hot spots.
The idea is for city government to provide "good internet access to as many people as possible," says Mayor R.T. Rybak. "Some can't afford it." Many of the free hot spots are located in areas where people have fewer resources. (See a map of locations
here.)
A credit card is required to use the free hot spots, a requirement insisted upon by local law enforcement agencies, who wanted to be able to track down lawbreakers using the system.
The free hot spots are part of the city's 10-year contract with USI Wireless--an
arrangement that Rybak, who has a background with internet-based business, credits with helping Minneapolis lead the way nationally on internet access for its citizens.
"In a lot of cities, [wi-fi systems] are either totally city or totally private. We thought the best way would be a hybrid, requiring the private sector to deliver community benefit."
Other
community benefits are a digital inclusion fund and the Civic Garden--free access to Minneapolis government and other public-service websites throughout the city's public wi-fi system.
Rybak says this isn't the end to the innovations for wireless users in Minneapolis. "I love the image of a city where in the new information age, people can move seamlessly from office to home," he says. Rybak vows that Minneapolis will "continue pushing the envelope," testing out concepts at the cutting edge of technology.
Source: Mayor R.T. Rybak, City of Minneapolis
Writer: Chris Steller