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Anaheim WiFi: Greater Consumer Choice, No Taxpayer SubsidiesLast week, I had the honor of cutting the “ribbon” (it was actually a wire) inaugurating the first phase of the citywide WiFi network built and operated by Earthlink. Within six square miles centered on Anaheim’s downtown, hi-speed wireless Internet access will be available for a $22 monthly subscription fee (you can view a map of the initial coverage area at http://www.earthlink.net/about/muni/maps/anaheim/). The network is scheduled to expand to 10-square miles by the end of July and cover all 50-square miles of Anaheim by the end of 2006.
This is an impressive accomplishment and a testament to the speed with which private sector provides public goods when unburdened by government interference. The Anaheim City Council voted last October to sign an agreement with Earthlink for the building of a citywide WiFi network. Eight months later the first phase is already operational.
More importantly, this is not a city-owned enterprise undertaken to gratify government egos and provide a trendy “free” service using taxpayer dollars. Earthlink is using existing city infrastructure to build their WiFi network. The company pays the city for the electricity to power the system, a lease payment for the municipal fiber connections used, and a fee for attaching their wireless equipment to city streetlights and traffic signals. Earthlink will also provide the city with access to the new network at a discounted rate – enabling us to create a back-up for the city’s emergency wireless network at a lower cost.
Furthermore, Earthlink performs a wholesale role that enables other ISPs to sell WiFi access on a retail basis. In other words, Earthlink will not have a city-chartered WiFi monopoly in Anaheim.
July is a month when American celebrate our independence and remember to “let freedom ring.” In a small way, the inauguration of Anaheim’s citywide WiFi network does exactly that, and shows how local government, via open-mindedness and a simple willingness to stay on the sidelines, can let freedom ring a little bit louder.
--Curt
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