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FREE! "FREE" INTERNET IN AKRON! (for some)
- Filed under: Local
- Date: Jul 2,2008
Carl Chancellor of the Beacon: The (Akron) City Council voted Monday to spend about $800,000 over the next five years to provide free wireless Internet service in and around downtown Akron. The city will enter into an agreement with OneCommunity, a nonprofit technology organization providing broadband wireless service, to create a wireless Internet corridor covering 11 square miles of the city……In addition, the University of Akron has joined the city in the wireless corridor project and is contributing $350,000 to the effort.
Great. Part of Akron gets free - for them - wireless internet. That is $800,000 gone that could be better spent elsewhere. Police, fire, job training, mowing high weeds, after school programs, or anything you can think of will not get this money. Great comment I saw following the story: "What about the operation expenses? Who is going to support the hardware? Is there going be a 24 hour help desk to support user with connection issue?" Answer: Probably! And I wonder how that will be paid for? Hmmmmmm. Oh, taxes. Why is Akron U. doing this? Don't they already have the internet there? I would assume yes? It is a university. How about instead of jacking up tuition by 3968% every year and then paying for other people's internet service, you spend the money on the actual paying students. Yes, such a novel idea.
More from the story: (Deputy Mayor Dave) Lieberth added that the details of the final contract, including who will own the digital network once it is up and running, will be finalized over the next few weeks. Akron has a deputy mayor? For what? Anyways, that is just a minor detail - who will own the network. Worry about that later. No big deal there. Seems like that won't cause any problems down the road.
"I'm really excited. This puts our community on the map again. This is a real plus for the citizens of Akron," said Council President Marco Sommerville. Yeah. People are going to pick up and move to Akron, Ohio now because the city (select parts only) gets free internet with an undetermined speed. City pride will be at an all-time high now. I heard that the Browns found out about this idea and are considering relocating their training camp from Berea to Akron so their players can have free high speed internet during their down time. "Puts our community on the map again." Spare me, Marco.
We are already paying for "free" internet. It is called the library. You can use the internet there for free. All you have to do is get a library card, which also costs you nothing. And yes, they even have wireless internet. And yes, that is already paid for via taxes. So if you have a laptop, but you can't afford internet until the city pays your bill, you can use it there tomorrow or any other day you wish. Even if you don't have a computer then you can use the one there along with the free internet. It isn't that hard to go. I have done it so it can't be too difficult. But Akron will pay out $800,000 so some city residents will get internet for free and others will have to pay for it still. I don't know why I even care, I don't live downtown. Or go there more than three times a year. However, now when I do in the near future (in government time of actually getting this up and running, so probably 2017), I can drive along certain roads and use my laptop. Until I reach the free access cut-off point. Then I will have to fend for myself.
Boring Made Dull has an opinion as well.
22 Responses for "FREE! "FREE" INTERNET IN AKRON! (for some)"
Always looking out for others like a good GOPer. I can you hear laughing as you wrote this.
Akron City Council fell for this sales ploy like so many others.
It's sold like business is going to flock to Akron now. The salesperson for this thing must be absolutely brilliant.
Only problem is there is far too much wrong with the Ohio business climate to make this a big attraction.
I strongly support this idea. I hope this wireless internet corridor raises the property values and helps business development in that part of Akron. Yes, it is somewhat experimental, but I'm glad the investment is being made because I think the potential for success is there. Plus, think of how many more people will have the opportunity to read our fine website.
I think this is a hugely bad idea. I have not heard word one about how security will be implemented in this and there are ALOT of security issues.
http://secshoggoth.blogspot.com/2008/07/akrons-free-city-wide-wireless.html
Kyle, I am not surprised you support this. The city could announce they were firing 19 cops to pay for "Haircuts for Seniors" and you would applaud it due to your reflex to defend Akron.
It may raise your property value, but that still will be offset plus much more by high crime, no jobs, and bad schools.
this should have zero impact to businesses wanting to move to akron. how would this possibly benefit a business? no business would use a citywide open wireless internet to operate because of security and speed reasons alone. the only potential upside to them would be the city attracting more talented workers to want to live there because of the free interent and the businesses movig there because there are desirable workers there - and that just plain won't happen - workers move to cities because of jobs, jobs don't typically move to cities (especially like akron) because of workers (rarest of exceptions being places like LA, NY, San Fran, etc)
I wouldn't trust even my home internet service to a citywide wireless system at the present time.
The same people who are fooled into thinking this is free also think free health care is free. Nothing is free. Politicians may fool the easily fooled into thinking things are free, but all they are doing is adding a level of bureaucracy and hiding how the bill is paid. Unless doctors and pharmaceutical companies take a vow of poverty there will not be free health care. Also, as the government picks up more of the tab for health care you can count on the quality decreasing.
Akron has a deputy mayor? LOL
[...] was cost, that it wasn't going to work out? Well down in Akron, Ben on The Point shares, The (Akron) City Council voted Monday to spend about $800,000 over the next five years to provide free wireless Internet service in and around downtown [...]
Has anyone thought about how a lower income family in Akron is going to access the free WiFi they will get? Mr. Sommerville?
I think this is a great step forward for Akron.
It's not just Security. I see the main problem is going to be connection issues and conflicts with other wireless routers and devices. Uers are going to be connecting to the wrong networks they will think they are on their home network but they're on the Free akron network and vice a vesa.
Home wireless network user better start password prtecting there wireless network and stop broadcasting the SSID.
The other issue is, where is akron going to get the bandwidth to support that many users and how much is it going to cost? They better get a large block of public Ip address. Also if they have every user under one public Ip address…thats just stupid and dangerous!
My opinion on this issue comes from several case studies on cities offering free internet to citizens I read during my graduate course work. The idea of free internet isn't new. In a five minute Google search I found a more recent example of the City of Cambridge partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a program similar to the one being offered in Akron. This is exciting stuff that Akron is doing. I don't support it because it is a knee jerk reaction. I support it because the research I have read indicates that it can be an important part of a plan to help revitalize a neighborhood or city. Also, I don't live in the area where the free internet is being offered so I don't think it will impact my property value. I do hope it raises the property value in that area so the property taxes increase accordingly and the city gets the investment back from the growth. The increased sales taxes will also help.
Mike D., I think coffee shops and restaurants, education related businesses, and those small businesses who don't rely on high speed internet might have the incentive to move into the free internet zone. I agree that it doesn't create jobs, but it might help that area develop.
Kyle - if i am a coffee shop owner deciding to move into akron or a more lucrative location, i am not going to let the $40-$100 a month cost of my own private wireless internet as opposed to "free" akron internet sway my decision at all. i think you are way overestimating the meaningfullness of this for small businesses. if nothing else, if i were a small business owner currently offering free wireless access to customers i would be pissed off that the city was going to waste my tax money on this, when this is already a draw to get people in my place of business and buying my wares.
furthermore, if you have a small business that does rely on/can't leverage high speed internet how is this really a bgi plus to you anyhow - at least not to the degree that you would say to yourself, boy this is really a great reason to stay located in akron.
if nothing, this is a low value-added proposition that is expensive for many and benefits few.
you could probably generate just as much positive business implication in akron spending $800k in tax money by announcing a given hour every month where $67K would be dropped from the wiondow of a downtown office building
Go Mike D!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to see the gov. is taking care of the people's needs. But what about the people that cannot afford a basic computer or lack the skills? Once again the poor and elderly are being left out. Shouldnt we make sure that all people have convienent(the library is not) access. Isn't the government's job to make sure that we create equal outcome when possible. I am sure Akron U will contribute their hard earned money to help those in need.
The state of Ohio needs to install wireless internet statewide…at least the main corridors. Of course, Ohio can't do that…..because big monopolistic cable companies must be protected.
Akron makes a modest gesture towards that effort and conservatives mock and ridicule…..predictable.
Ohioans want more good jobs and more good business opportunities. Statewide wireless is one of the few immediate methods of accomplishing that goal.
Kudos to Akron.
Mike D., the city is proposing free internet as a part of a larger strategy to develop that corridor of the city. The primary focus plan is also to revitalize the residential neighborhood in the free internet zone. I should have made that point earlier, but I believe that it will help the businesses I mentioned. This area of Akron is struggling, but has potential. City provided internet would likely create more demand for rental properties in the neighborhood. If I was looking to buy a home, I would at least look at this neighborhood. Free internet would not be a deciding factor, but it would be a nice bonus. My hope is that this pilot program for free internet is successful and expands to our downtown and other parts of the city.
I support this issue as someone who drives through this neighborhood everyday. I want the housing to improve so it is safer. I'd like to be able to ride my bike down to the Mustill Store and hop on the Towpath without worrying about safety. I'd like to see more businesses so I can go get dinner and buy cool stuff without driving far. Again, I don't think free internet alone is going to make these things happen. But, I do think it can help.
For the one who responded to be concerning its not just security issues - you are absolutely 100% correct. While I don't see conflictions with other wireless networks a huge problem - there will be some.
Plus, where is Akron going to get the bandwidth for this? With potentially 80,000 people on the network thats alot of bytes moving around - don't expect it to be speedy. We're talking dial-up speeds most likely.
I can think of one good thing for this, however. I do malware research and I can tell you I just found the next place I'll be collecting my viruses from!
I just sit in my car outside hotels that offer free wi-fi
This is ridiculous. The city has $800,000 to spend on an unneeded, highly experimental Wi-fi system which has already failed in other areas.
While it presently has several traffic lights under study in the city to see if it is cost effective to replace them with stop signs.
Can you say oxymoron? Yes, I knew you could.
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