[IP] Mtn. View accepts Google's offer of free WiFi
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Mtn. View accepts Google's offer of free WiFi
Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 09:49:29 -0800
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Posted on Wed, Nov. 16, 2005
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/
13182596.htm>
Mtn. View accepts Google's offer of free WiFi
By Renee Koury
Mercury News
With hometown Internet star Google offering to blanket Mountain View
with
free wireless Internet access, the city is leaping ahead of neighbors
in the
race to be Silicon Valley's most tech-savvy town.
City leaders unanimously accepted Google's offer Tuesday night to make
Mountain View the first city in the Bay Area -- and possibly the
country --
to get a full umbrella of free WiFi coverage. Google will install as
many as
400 transmitters the size of a shoe box on streetlamps throughout the
city.
As part of a five-year contract starting by June, Google will test the
system, which will link wireless-ready laptops to the Internet in
most of
the city. In a matter of months, surfing the Web with a wireless laptop
should be possible from a sidewalk cafe on Castro Street. But a
paddleboat
at Shoreline Park might be problematic -- unless it's near a streetlamp.
``It's going to make us one of the first, if not the first, to have
citywide
Internet . It's a pretty cool thing,'' Mayor Matt Neely said. ``We're
thrilled for all our neighbor cities who get to follow our lead.''
The council's gleeful approval came despite concerns over radiation and
privacy. Google maintains the radiation level is far below federal
limits
and that of most cell phones. The company also offered assurances about
protecting users' information.
While cities across the Bay Area are moving ahead with plans to offer
wide
swaths of free WiFi coverage, the Google deal propels Mountain View
into the
spotlight. San Francisco is considering a similar offer from Google
to test
free WiFi citywide. San Jose officials recently approved a deal to link
their downtown to free wireless access, as well as community centers and
branch libraries.
Palo Alto has plenty of WiFi hot spots, especially downtown. But the
city is
on a different quest to become the first in the Bay Area to bring a
fiber-optic connection to every home. The big sticking point has been
the
estimated cost of $40 million.
``It would be nice to have the free Internet for those who want it, but
wireless can only do certain things,'' Palo Alto City Councilman Bern
Beecham said.
Instead, he said, the city is more interested in pursuing fiber-optics,
which can provide residents with far greater digital possibilities
such as
downloads of movies and large computer files. The plan is scheduled
to come
up in January when new council members take office.
Mountain View leaders say it's only fitting that their city get free
citywide Internet access, since Google sprouted in its back yard and has
grown to become one of the world's most powerful Internet search
engines.
``We are in the birthplace, the heart and soul of Silicon Valley, so
not to
have citywide WiFi is almost embarrassing,'' City Councilman Mike
Kasperzak
said. ``It's great for people who live here, who work here, who want
to go
sit downtown and log on, and to some degree it's helping Google test
out a
theory.''
But Google warns the signal may weaken behind walls, and users might
need
extra equipment that costs up to $100 to improve reception.
Google already has set up test centers at Kapp's Pizza Bar and Grill on
Castro Street in Mountain View and Airborne Gymnastics in Santa
Clara. Most
customers at Kapp's didn't even realize they could turn on their
laptops and
be online for free. The exception was Huberto Acevedo, 26, of San Jose,
whose father owns Kapp's. He was sitting in a corner browsing the
Internet
and viewing e-mail.
``I think it'd be really convenient to have this everywhere,'' said
Acevedo,
who likes to hunt for automotive parts online. ``But I wonder how it
will be
to have all those radio waves everywhere. We already have
transmitters for
cell phones and TV and PDAs, and the sun's pretty damaging, too. It
makes
you wonder about health.''
Some residents wondered the same thing. A flurry of e-mails between
residents and city council members this week brought up a range of
concerns
about Google's seemingly innocuous offer. Some said the hundreds of
transmitters, about 20 to 30 per square mile, would emit radio waves
with
unknown health effects. Others had privacy concerns, saying Google might
track their Web browsing and use it to sell tailored advertising.
City leaders say that's beyond their realm; their involvement is
limited to
letting Google rent the city's street lamps for $12,600 a year to place
transmitters. People who don't want to use the Google network system can
simply opt out; users will have to take the initiative to log on.
Citywide WiFi is expected to bring more customers to downtown since
people
can get work done while they dine, or between errands.
``This is really about the city enabling people to do WiFi and for
those who
want it, it seems like a desirable service,'' said Elaine Costello, the
city's community development director. ``It's not like it's going to
be a
requirement.''
Google is also testing its WiFi idea at Rockefeller Center in New
York and
Union Square in San Francisco.
In its offer, Google product manager Minnie Ingersoll said the
company wants
to use Mountain View as a test site to learn more about the cost and the
challenges of building and supporting a wireless network, with the
ultimate
aim of driving more traffic to Google.
With 1,000 employees living in Mountain View, Google said it was a good
place to test services and products and understand its emerging
technology.
The company also said free wireless gives access to people who can't
afford
monthly Internet fees.
Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>
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