Online, all the time, everywhere

By far the most interesting angle of last
Thursday’s visit from Boston City Councilor John
Tobin to the Berkman
Bloggers Meeting was the news (to us) that Boston is one of a handful
of cities around the United States considering the installation of city-wide
Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Museum of Science and The Boston Foundation are working with Tobin
on a feasibility study for free, city-wide access, Besides the obvious
(it would be vedy cool, it would attract tech companies and wired workers)
the project has legs because it “bridges the digital divide”. The idea
is that the homeless, shell-shocked, Desert Storm vet sleeping on a grate
behind the library will have the same access as Abbigale Johnson, the
richest
woman
in the United States, who happens to work nearby.

We hope the city is planning a massive giveaway of portable computers and
wi-fi cards, or at least am interest-free "pay by the week" plan that
might pry a few of desperately poor and low-income workers away from
the scratch cards and onto online gambling.
No, forget that, this would merely divert the revenue stream away from
state coffers. We are trying to bring business INTO Boston, not drive
it away.

Meanwhile, those of us who yearn to post from wherever inspiration
or opportunity strikes have limited options, especially if we are unable
or unwilling to
pay usurious charges to get online (Starbucks slime). Here is a list
of free Wi-fi
hotspots around the area, from the WAG
(wireless advocacy group), but
as you can see, it’s pretty skimpy.
The WAG site is worth a look-see, however.

In the past we have seen a fine and impressively outlaw war blogger’s
site where you could enter a zip code or address and see a real-time
map of all of the nodes in the area, represented as colored circles on
the map, with size representing strength, and color representing open,
closed, public,
etc.
Unfortunately, we can either not find the bookmark for this site or have decided
to refrain from posting the address from fear of hacker retribution.

The Dowbrigade believes that within our lifetime (and we are getting
pretty old) we will see an ubiquitous, all encompassing internet, accessible
from
everywhere and offering everything (if one knows how to find and access
it). Some people will be on-line, with at least some part of their consciousness
ALL OF THE TIME. The questions of who will control access to this universal
net, and who will impose and collect the fees for installation and maintenance,
are the key issues of our times. Public or private? Low-level free access
and increasingly expensive tiers of ascending access? Pay-by=the-byte?
Pay-by-the minute? Pay by the service used?

Some sort of free universal access to the rapidly evolving internet
is inevitable and desirable.  This is the Interstate Highway System
of our generation, and just as importance to the commerce and personal
lives of its citizens. It will entail a significant initial investment,
but barely a fraction of what has already been spent on Iraq. In fact,
all of the cities on the East Coast could be wired for wireless for less
than the cost of the Big Dig ($14 billion dollars and no end in sight).

Most of the money will flow right back into
good old American high-tech companies,
and our competitive advantage would be protected for decades to come.
And whoever controls this "free, universal access" will have a vice
around the balls and necks of every
American
who uses it.

The WAG also have a very
interesting Wi-Fi poll on their site.  Check
out
the results,
so far.  Can you identify which are the Dowbrigade’s
answers and comments? Interesting that although 94% of respondents used
the internet for email, 74% for news, 64% for shopping and 63% for research,
only 10.9% visited chat rooms and only 27% visited sports sites. Take
the poll – it only take five minutes and lots of people are entering
home bases outside the city of Boston.

This is an idea whose time has definitely come. Tobin reported
that in the three years he has been on the City Council this is the issue
that has generated the most interest, and from widely diverse sources.  The
politician who succeeds in making this a reality will gain national prominence
and potential.

There have already been partial efforts, with varying degrees of success,
in Long Beach, San Diego, Denver, and other smaller cities.  Pittsburgh
is currently starting a more ambitious project, and is encountering some
problems. On this issue at least, we can wholeheartedly support John
Tobin and his vision of the future of Boston.  Online, all the time,
everywhere.