On June 12, 2008, Earthlink Wireless plans to disconnect their municipal WiFi service in the City of Philadelphia. As of today, no alternative has been found, though the city is still exploring several avenues.

I've written several posts about why we at NTEN think wireless internet access is so important. Nothing I could write will ever be as powerful as a good story, well told, so check out this 13 minute documentary about Wireless Philadelphia: Change is in the Airwaves: A Documentary about the Philadelphia Wireless Initiative from George Rausch on Vimeo.

George Rausch is releasing this version of his documentary now, though it is unfinished. He says, "My aspiration for this film was to represent the personal insights of a few Philadelphians and their hopes for how municipal wireless service could affect positive change in their city."

Damani Lee, one of the subjects of the documentary says it best when he says the Philadelphia's experiment in municipal WiFi is "...an opportunity to learn about changing a city from a 20th century city to a 21st century city."