Paul Lamb, Man on a Mission Consulting

The rush to establish municipal and community wireless or Wi-Fi networks continues unabated. According to a recent report from Muniwireless.com, more than 300 cities and counties in the United States have networks or a serious interest in implementing them. These public Wi-Fi networks offer many benefits, including reliable communication channels for law enforcement and emergency response units and low-cost or free broadband internet access to the masses.

While big cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco have monopolized the headlines with announcements of large-scale wireless projects, many smaller communities have quietly gone to work exploring and deploying their own Wi-Fi networks. Just this month a consortium of 38 cities in Silicon Valley unveiled a plan to build the nation's largest public wireless network, potentially covering 1,500 square miles and offering internet access to 2.4 million people.

Less visible have been the efforts of local wireless advocates and nonprofits to set up Wi-Fi hot spots and access zones. SoCal Free Net in Southern California and the Champaign-Urbana Wireless network in Illinois are just two examples from the community wireless do-it-yourself school.

So what does all this Wi-Fi activity mean for nonprofits? The biggest impact is potential cost savings. Access to low-cost or free wireless networks could significantly reduce or even eliminate their broadband access fees. In addition, nonprofits could operate more nimbly, using laptops and other mobile devices, and lower office rent and related overhead costs. However, many of the wireless projects that offer free access do so at slower speeds than standard DSL and cable broadband or feature advertisements on their network to support it.

Public wireless networks can also impact nonprofits is by creating new opportunities. Several wireless projects are working with nonprofits to offer hardware, training, and relevant online content to underserved communities using these public networks. As part of Wireless Philadelphia, the city created a digital inclusion fund to distribute 10,000 computers to low-income households. San Francisco's TechConnect program and Wireless Minneapolis established digital inclusion task forces composed largely of nonprofit and community representatives.

On their own a number of nonprofits are investigating how public wireless networks can be best leveraged for social good. Some have created neighborhood-based web portals and maps, and are experimenting with digital storytelling, local news production, and political organizing.

Finally, the increasing availability of broadband will allow nonprofits to more easily access high-bandwidth-dependent web 2.0 tools and connect with their supporters in new and different ways. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calling, multimedia production and video sharing, and social networking amongst supporters and donors are just a few examples. By connecting with their communities and each other, nonprofits are better positioned to experiment with web-based tools and launch innovative new programs.

The deployment of local public wireless networks will likely continue for some time. Nonprofits shouldn't wait to investigate the public wireless networks (search here) available in their communities. At the same time they shouldn't expect easily accessible, high-speed broadband access provided by their city or town just yet either. Many of these planned public networks will not launch on schedule, and others will only provide outdoor access (requiring a Wi-Fi "bridge" for a quality indoor connection). Other, more global challenges are on the horizon.

Chief among these are questions of broadband equality and net neutrality. Even as public wireless networks are rolled out, low-cost or "free access actually could mean low speed, lower quality internet access - a kind of "poor man's internet" - for nonprofits.

Despite the increasing number of mechanisms for online content creation (i.e. blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc.), continuing media consolidation could spell fewer and fewer mainstream channels to give voice to the diverse and unheard voices nonprofits often represent. Ironically it may get even harder for nonprofits and their constituents to be heard through the noise of "blogspam." Here is yet another reason why nonprofits should be at the table when discussions of public wireless networks are in the planning stages.

Finally, wireless broadband technology itself is changing rapidly. Most public wireless networks are being built on low cost mesh-network platforms. Newer technologies such as Wi-Max offer more robust wireless penetration at faster speeds and over wider areas. Other technologies like satellite broadband and broadband over power lines (BPL) are also being introduced. As these alternatives become more prevalent and offered by commercial and non-commercial providers, nonprofits will be faced with multiple and often confusing Internet access choices.

The good news is that broadband access is increasingly widespread. The bad news is that it's still the wild, wild Wi-Fi West out there.

Here are some good resources for interested cowgirls and cowboys:

Municipal Wireless News

U.S. Map of Muni broadband and wireless projects

Community Internet overview & resources