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CNN.�om - Cities find Wi-Fi future - Oct 18,2004 *�� Cities find Wi-Fi future More municipalities offering the service By Amy Cox CNN Page 1 of 2 �r'-�� Pf�I�TiTiWI� P�warad hy � �IC��f�f (CNN) -- It's not Silicon Valley, but Chaska, Minnesota, may be moving to the leading edge of Wi- Fi technology as it begins offering the service for all city residents. One of only a handful of cities in the nation to try it, Chaska --just southwest of Minneapolis -- plans to have most of the city's 15 square miles Wi-Fi operational by the end of October. "We firmly believe that the Internet is going to be just as much a part of everybody's future as the telephone or electricity � and we want to make sure that everybody has equal access to it," says Bradley Mayer, Chaska's information systems manager. "We wanted to ensure there was some sort of broadband activity that could be affordable by our residents." Currently, the city with a population of around 18,000 has signed up about 2,000 subscribers forthe service. Mayer says. While the city works on tweaking the 200 access points placed throughouttown, the service is free. When it becomes fully operational in October. subscribe— will pay $15.95 a month. The low cost is one of the advantages of having a municipal-run Wi-Fi network over a private company, Mayer says "We're not in it to make money. We're going to provide a service for the residents of the city. We operate at a much lower cost because we're not a profit center." Chaska joins a spate of other cities preparing for or launching municipal-run Wi-Fi networks I n September, Philadelphia officials announced a$10 million plan to transform all 135 square miles of the city into one Wi- Fi hot spot, placing cells on street lights and other devices. The service would be free or v�ry low cost, according to the city. San Mateo, California, operates a secured Wi-Fi network in the central part of the city for the police department. Officers can now access databases from their car laptops without driving back to the station. And in St. Cloud, Florida, residents and visitors can surfthe Web for free using a Wi-Fi network created by the city. Currently, service covers a 12 block square downtown, but will be expanded to include all of an upcoming planned 59Q- acre community within the city Jumping on the Wi-Fi bandwagon? Some industry experts, however, are wary of cities providing and maintaining a Wi-Fi service and believe many municipalities are jumping on the high-tech bandwagon. E�it�:rr'�:-i�_[��h:�t�lar�. priniLE�is. �1 i�k�L�ifiiw .�or:3: ��t� c�l _'a�t i oii-c}.tc�l i t�L -�: ��I. �c7m �-+�.' i i,e�,., 3;' ]?'�ili��