City makes smart move on wireless

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Compliments to the Lincoln City Council for taking the first step toward possible wireless broadband across the city of Lincoln.

Council member Jonathan Cook is putting together a working group to explore the possibilities.

Citywide wireless is exploding across the country. In more and more cities, people have the capability to check their

e-mail, scan a newspaper Web site or research a term paper while sitting on a park bench, at a coffee shop or on their backyard deck at home.

Lincoln still has a chance to stay abreast of the trend. But if the city drags its feet, it soon will be playing catch-up.

More than 50 municipalities around the country already have systems, according to the Wall Street Journal, and a similar number are planning for one.

A year or two ago, phone and cable companies tried to fight cities who wanted to offer Internet access. In Nebraska, phone companies were successful in persuading the Legislature to pass a law that prohibits local government from providing Internet service. The law also prohibits public power agencies from providing Internet service until at least the end of 2007.

Now, some of the bigger phone companies have joined the rush to provide wireless service. The technological ease of providing the service and the advantages it offers users are too obvious for the companies to continue standing in the way of progress.

Nebraska’s law limits the options available to the city, but the city apparently may be able to use a deployment model in which the city awards a franchise similar to the one held by Time Warner for cable television service in Lincoln.

This deployment approach would not require tax dollars, which is a plus because the city already has enough difficulty coming up with tax revenue for other infrastructure needs such as street construction.

It does, however, give the city leverage. Some cities have required bidders to offer special rates for low-income groups. Tempe, Ariz., offers two hours of free wireless Internet access to users on the Arizona State campus or the nearby Mill Avenue retail district.

One important consideration for Lincoln’s working group is to make sure that any system put in place will be compatible with the new “WiMAX” technology. As opposed to the “Wi-Fi” technology now offered free in coffee shops and other venues, WiMAX will offer faster download and upload speeds. Enthusiasts claim that WiMAX speed can rival that of a stationary broadband connection.

A good, fast citywide wireless Internet system would open all sorts of new opportunities. It would be a valuable new tool for business and for people who just want to while away some time on the Internet for their own enjoyment. The City Council’s decision to devote time and energy to exploring this possibility is exciting.