LA cidade wifi em 2009 (e Houston também)

«Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa outlined plans Tuesday to blanket Los Angeles with wireless Internet access in 2009, in what would be one of the nation's largest urban Wi-Fi networks.
The L.A. Wi-Fi initiative would give Los Angeles residents, schools, businesses and visitors uninterrupted high-speed Internet connections — for work, research, Web browsing or even phone calls.
More than 300 municipalities nationwide already have launched plans for similar networks based on the Wi-Fi technology that has become popular at coffee shops, bookstores, public parks and countless other so-called hot spots. Such networks are operating in parts of such cities as Anaheim, San Jose, Philadelphia and Portland, Ore.
"With L.A. Wi-Fi, we are dedicating ourselves to the idea that universal access to technology makes our entire economy stronger," Villaraigosa said. Municipal Wi-Fi networks cost on average $125,000 per square mile to set up and maintain, depending on building heights and the city's terrain, according to city officials. At that cost, the price tag for covering Los Angeles' 498 square miles could reach more than $62 million.Internet providers and equipment makers have estimated such costs at about $40 for every home covered by the network. That would work out to almost $54 million in Los Angeles. (...) "This is pretty amazing," said Esme Vos, who founded MuniWireless.com, an authority on municipal projects nationwide. "It's a large area, yet an urban project. That's kind of new." (...)

fonte: LA Times.com, «L.A. mayor wants citywide wireless access», By James S. Granelli and Tony Barboza, Times Staff Writers
February 14, 2007

«Earthlink will be the company building out the network at a cost of as much as $60 million. The Atlanta-based company will foot the bill, not the city. For its part, the city will provide right-of-way access for Earthlink's network infrastructure. • Earthlink will allow access to the network to other Internet service providers at a wholesale cost of $12 a month. Those ISPs will then charge their own rates to users, using markups or other means to make money. How this happens is key to the plan's success -- more on that in a moment. • The network will cover the city's 600 square miles. In theory, you'll be able to connect anywhere within the Houston city limits. • Discount rates will be set for low-income residents, possibly as low as $10 a month. The city is investigating how to best get them the often-costly hardware necessary for accessing the wireless network.  • There will be free zones, in places such as parks and libraries. When the project is completed in about two years, Houston will have the largest citywide Wi-Fi network in the country. That is, unless until Los Angeles beats us to it.» fonte: «City Wi-Fi coming, but will it be worth what you'll pay?» Houston Chronicle, 15/02/07