Document Type
Article
Abstract
Public WiFi was supposed to be the next big thing in connectivity. Residents were supposed to be able to connect to the Internet sitting anywhere such as on a park bench, on a couch, in an office, or in a car. Some municipalities would even offer this access for free. Local governments would install Internet-connected parking meters, high-speed Internet access in police squad cars and fire trucks, and paperless court systems. Low-income families would be able to connect to the Internet for the first time. Tourists, including conference attendees, would be able to connect to the Internet not just in convention centers and hotels, but anywhere.
More than one hundred municipalities bought into this dream. Dozens signed agreements with major companies to build and operate public WiFi networks. Crew began installing WiFi hotspots in city halls and on top of lampposts. Then, in 2007, the dream died as the major public WiFi projects collapsed. This Article explains why.
Recommended Citation
Eric M. Fraser,
The Failure of Public WiFi,
14 J. Tech. L. & Pol'y
(2009).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/jtlp/vol14/iss2/2