Out of the loop

Esme Vos of MuniWireless writes in the New York Daily News about how New Yorkers are left behind when it comes to low-cost, high-speed Internet. Esme is absolutely correct when she highlights the lack of attention our City government has given this issue:

Although New York City has recently awarded pilot contracts for building a Wi-Fi network for the Police and Fire Departments, this system is not intended for use by the public. And although New York recognizes how wireless communications can enhance public security, it has not fully grasped the potential that low-cost wireless networks provide in reducing the cost of other city services. Nor has it fully tackled the market failure that exists when consumers have only two equally expensive choices for high-speed Internet access (Verizon or Time Warner Cable in some boroughs; Verizon or Cablevision in others).

NYCwireless has been pushing these ideas for some time, and while there are certainly some attentive members of government like City Councilmember Gale Brewer, mostly what we say and do (like build free public hotspots in parks) falls on deaf ears.

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