[IP] Law Restricts Municipal Wi-Fi Networks
Begin forwarded message:
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 1, 2004 3:52:15 AM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Law Restricts Municipal Wi-Fi Networks
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Law Restricts Municipal Wi-Fi Networks
By JESSE DRUCKER
<http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110185892280287396,00.html?
mod=technology_main_whats_news>
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell said late Tuesday night that he
had signed into law a large telecommunications bill placing severe
restrictions on the ability of cities and towns to offer
telecommunications services, an item that heavily lobbied by Verizon
Communications Inc. and other big telephone companies in similar
legislation across the country.
The governor's move was closely watched because it could hurt the
burgeoning movement by municipalities around the U.S. to provide
high-tech telecom services, such as wireless Internet access using the
technology known as Wi-Fi.
The legislation bars municipalities from offering paid telecom
services. While that provision was originally inserted in response to
a fiber network in the Boro of Kutztown, Pa., it was also a likely
barrier to plans by the city of Philadelphia to offer low or no cost
citywide wireless Internet access in low-income neighborhoods without
high-speed web services.
On Tuesday, Philadelphia and Verizon officials said they had reached a
separate agreement to let the city proceed with its plans. However,
the legislation signed by Gov. Rendell gives phone companies the right
to deny municipalities the ability to deploy their own networks, which
could hinder the deployment of Wi-Fi networks elsewhere.
In a message to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Gov.
Rendell said that the bill's provision limiting municipal competition
was a "problem." However, he pointed to Verizon's agreement to waive
its right to stop the Philadelphia Wi-Fi network, and said the state
would "work with other municipalities on projects that they have
established or propose to establish in order to ensure that, to the
extent that they are now viable, they will also have the opportunity
to succeed."
The legislation also contains a potentially lucrative provision giving
phone companies like Verizon large incentives to promise to modernize
their networks. Some have criticized that provision since companies
would be eligible for the incentives after filing the modernization
plans, but before the upgrades have actually taken place.
Write to Jesse Drucker at jesse.drucker@xxxxxxx
Archives at: <http://Wireless.Com/Dewayne-Net>
Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/