Marking its biggest step into the wireless communications market to date, Google said on Friday it has proposed to provide free wireless Internet services across the city of San Francisco.
The Web search company said it has responded to a request for information by the City of San Francisco to test local Internet services via Wi-Fi, the short-range wireless technology built into most new laptop computers.
“Google has submitted a proposal to offer free, wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) to the entire city of San Francisco,” Google said in a statement.
The Wi-Fi access could be funded through online advertising, a Google spokesman said.
You can hear the earth rumble from Telecoms and Cablecos rolling their legal beagles into place!
Offering free wireless communications could thrust Google into competition with entrenched local suppliers of broadband Internet access, including telephone network SBC Communications and local cable operator Comcast.
An effort by the city of Philadelphia to offer municipal Wi-Fi Internet access services has met with stiff opposition from phone company Verizon Communications. Chicago and New York are among other cities considering similar plans.
“This proposal is limited to San Francisco and we don’t have any plans to expand this community service beyond the (San Francisco) Bay Area,” the Google statement said.
Confirmation of the Google proposal came after a public “request for information and comment” by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for ideas on creating a universal, affordable, city wireless network.
Google would work with partners to build and operate the wireless service, including Wireless Facilities Inc., a San Diego company that helps run networks, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Friday.
Other companies that responded to San Francisco’s request for information include Internet service provider EarthLink of Atlanta, the Journal said.
“If accepted, we believe Google can bring to bear its expertise managing complex computer networks combined with years of online consumer product development, to benefit the people of San Francisco,” Google said of its proposal.
Now, let’s see whose side regional and state politicians come down on? We know where the Feds stand. Or, rather, sleep.
If only I lived in SanFran!
City government of Portland, Oregon is trying to expand on a non-profit’s free hot-spots, and the Personal Telco Project isn’t too enthused about the idea – since it could interfere wih their existing network, and they worry the City’s would probably not be as secure as it should be.
http://www.personaltelco.net/static/index.html
Finally ~ 5yrs into the 21st Century and we FINALLY seemingly get FREE City Wide wireless internet. Done by a private company and not our government. The AIR belongs to the citizens of this country, not to the private sector (other than the spectrum they bought). Telcos have had 5+ years to make work-able affordable nation-wide wireless and they have failed 100%. The world is heading to universal wireless internet and VOIP whether the telcos like it or not. Welcome to the 21st Century. By the way – of course there will be bugs the first few months, of course I would have security-of-my-data concerns; but go GOOG.
“this” is the future Microsoft is dreading…however, and without any MSFT bashing – they have had 20 years to make a secure, easier to use by mom/pop OS and have utterly failed as well.
I just hope they can pull it thru! This would be extremely cool, i wouldn’t mind giving some information and receiving Truly location-specific and contextualized ads.
I enjoy google and dont care if they know what i look for on the web.
Kick the telcos butts google! Greedy oligopolists!
Google is an excellent choice as a free provider, as is anyone else that wants to do this. It’s free… we can’t complain about anything if we decide to use it. And if Google wants to put in targeted advertising for the are where the signal is being used, I welcome it… having ads for businesses in the area sure beats ads for stuff that is far away and utterly irrelevant.
If there are legal limitations, Google or anyone else should just take the back door: offer free higher speed connectivity to anyone williing to host the transciever. So if Google needed a wireless point on my block, I would volunteer to share mine if they are willing to supply it. Poaching isn’t poaching if I agree to share it and the provider has no restricitions on doing so. If I doon’t like the speed they provide, so what… I’ll keep cable, but I’ll be glad to have a second line in my name that provides free connectivity for those with more normal bowsing needs.
I think this concept is doomed….”free” may not ever happen.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/04/GOOGLE.TMP
Newsom expects San Francisco to be sued by opponents of the plan, which include some Internet service providers that fear that their subscription businesses will suffer in the face of a cheaper, or even free, alternative.