According to eWeek, “Google’s begun testing [its proposed Mountain View, CA, muni wi-fi] network and, in so doing, has discovered it might need to add more Wi-Fi transmitters than originally thought to deliver the coverage and service quality it promised[.]” This follows “snags” in the muni wi-fi efforts in St. Cloud, FL. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: communications over a “commons” requires government-enforced low-power restrictions like those imposed on wi-fi. Low power works great when you’re in a small area you control: your home, a coffee shop, etc. Wi-fi, and unlicensed/commons communications generally, are not suited for municipality-wide reach (unless you define the municipality as city hall and the town square).
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