Pulling for Network Neutrality

Hard though it may be to take a pink site seriously, if you care about the future of internet access, you owe it to yourself to read David Weinberger’s broadside against the telecommunications industry, “Delamination Now!” David worries that “the incumbent carriers” are trying to turn the Internet into cable television, with a pricing model that will allow them to charge different amounts for different types of data or favor one content provider over another.

Network neutrality, the flipside of the current carriers’ model, would treat a bit as a bit, and nothing more. Payment to wholesale providers would be made for bandwidth used, while a new breed of ISPs could compete by offering different services: anonymity from one, outrageous connection speeds from another. David’s piece is passionate, heartfelt, and sure to provoke debate.

Minneapolis Begins Muni WiFi Rollout

Minneapolis is rolling out its Muni WiFi on a large scale this week. Beyond the "Hooray for Free/Cheap Internet Access" reaction, it's my hope that this particular project will also be a great investment in the community. Minneapolis nonprofits and citizens groups lobbied hard for a digital inclusion strategy that would provide resources and actual funding to address the digital divide in Minneapolis. They also insisted that the contractor, local ISP US Internet, guarantee network neutrality. Mad props to C-CAN and NTEN NTC speaker Catherine Settani for their great advocacy work.

If your community is considering or implementing a municipal wireless program, you need to get involved! If you are part of an organization that directly interacts with the neediest in your community, you have the most to gain from community wireless -- but only if you get involved and fight for favorable terms. Check out NTEN's report on the nonprofit role in municipal wireless programs: No Strings Attached.

Thanks to NTEN member Rick Birmingham for the heads up.

Will Municipal Wireless Plans Leave You Disconnected?

A recent CNET story asserts that small towns may have to wait a while -- a very long while -- before vendors get around to implementing municipal wireless projects with them. While cities like San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia have announced major partnerships with the likes of Earthlink and Google to provide free or low cost wireless access to their citizens, smaller towns aren't able to attract the attention of the vendors.

Cole Reinwald, vice president of product strategy and marketing for Earthlink Municipal Networks says that right now:

"We should be looking at cities with densities of about 2,500 people per square mile. As tech costs drop, we'll be able to bring that number down."

Municipal Wireless and Why Nonprofits Should Care

"Muni wifi projects are popping up all over the country. Big cities and small towns alike are providing free or low-cost access to the Internet. We asked what this mean for nonprofit organizations. Can they play a role in shaping a city or town’s wireless program? How do nonprofit organizations ensure that there are relevant resources for their communities of interest? And how can nonprofit organizations best position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that wireless access offers for the delivery of programs and services?"

NTEN's Special Projects Fellow Ali Levine summarizes in a two-part report on nonprofit's role in muni wireless programs about how to get involved in the planning and implementation of these programs, and describes how nonprofits can creatively use the potential of ubiquitous wireless for their programs and services.