Free Wi-Fi from the government?
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… Cities support the idea because the networks would lower costs for schools and businesses or help vacationers easily find tourist spots. Consumer advocates note the benefits to the poor, who often cannot afford high cellphone and Internet bills.
Unsurprisingly, wireless carriers are less than delighted: Why would Americans pay private companies for online access if a good public service were freely available? But while the $178 billion wireless industry objects to the idea, tech giants Google and Microsoft are proponents — they say “a free-for-all WiFi service would spark an explosion of innovations and devices that would benefit most Americans, especially the poor,” according to WaPo. The companies behind such innovations — like, say, Google and Microsoft — would be poised to do pretty well too.
The proposal would require local television stations and other broadcasters to sell a chunk of airwaves to the government that would be used for the public Wi-Fi networks and it is not clear whether these companies would be willing. Either way, the plan would take a few years to come into fruition. The proposal still needs FCC approval and the heavy lobbying for and against the plan has hardly even begun.
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I would be amazed if this happens. telecommunication folks already have small lobby army in dc
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