Free Telecommunications Access

Contributors: Jim Schuyler, Adam Roux, Diane Dobson, Kathleen Purcell, Tom Jakob, Steve Cisler, Anthony Townsend

Summary:
Over the next 10 years, various models of service will compete to provide wireless telecommunications access. Traditional companies will attempt to maintain the fee-for-services model. Many local governments will offer access as a public good. The result may be an escalating battle between local and national-level governments, as localities assert their right to determine local access.

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Overview

Access to the Internet can be viewed as a significant barrier to participation by those without financial resources. To democratize and provide broader access, "free" wireless access has been proposed (and is being implemented) in some metro areas.

The outcome of metro-supported services will be broader access to those who have at least basic equipment, to businesses, and community-centered NPOs. But free access is not really free. Someone must pay. Various models have been suggested: advertising-support; charge for premium services, free for basic services; or public funding as a benefit of citizenship. Any wi-fi network associated with metro government would have to be responsive to the citizens. Profits to the system operator would be regulated or limited. Critical questions are: Who will handle system maintenance and customer-support issues?

Meanwhile, telecom companies want to build out their own networks and charge fees for service. Competing networks would have trouble competing with "free." TV network, satellite TV, cable TV, phone, cell phone operators all derive revenue from data traffic, viewership, and subscriptions, and they all want to control as much content reaching their subscribers as they can. "Free" networks operating side-by-side can be difficult competition. Look at the fight over VoIP traffic carried on the Internet backbone, where the backbone operators want(ed) to charge premium rates for IP traffic that carried voice, arguing that it should be treated and regulated as if it were common-carrier voice traffic. (FCC did not agree.)

Mobile access (regardless of the argument above, which stems from "participatory" factors) is beneficial for individuals and for civic and emergency services. Broad wifi access across a metro area opens up mobile computing to far more people.

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Thought Leaders
Emy Tseng, San Francisco TechConnect
Sascha Meinrath, Chmapaign-Urbana Wireless Network
Michael Lenczner, Ile Sansfil (Montreal)
Richard Less, Austin Wireless
Esme Vos, MuniWireless.Com

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Data

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Examples

Venezuela is using some of it petroleum profits for a wide array of social programs including an ambitious projects to provide 5000 wifi networks in towns and villages aoround the country. Ermanno Pietrosemoli has been working on wifi and point-to-point wireless projects since the mid-90's and is working on this project. Email: ermanno@ula.ve.

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Scenarios

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Comments

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