Mtn. View accepts Google's offer of free WiFi

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

-------- 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 () warpspeed com>
Reply-To:       dewayne () warpspeed com
To:     Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>



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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