Corpus Christi WiFi News

Reader’s Digest is the latest entity to recognize city

By Beth Wilson Caller-Times
April 21, 2007

The city’s Wi-Fi network has landed it on Reader’s Digest’s list of “America’s 100 Best.”

Corpus Christi is listed in the “Best Launch Pad” category for its Wi-Fi service in the upcoming May edition of the magazine. Some of the other categories include “Best Must-Have Gadgets,” and “Best Pop Science.”

The magazine praised the Wi-Fi system. “This spring, lucky residents of Corpus Christi can tote their laptops to hot spots throughout the city and receive free wireless Internet service,” the magazine says.

Mayor Henry Garrett said residents should be proud of the city’s recognition.

“It is truly gratifying to be recognized for our efforts in a magazine like Reader’s Digest,” he said. “It’s just one more example of the recognition our city has received internationally for the leadership role we have played in implementing our Wi-Fi system.”

In a letter from Reader’s Digest, editors told city leaders the list was designed to show hidden gems, inventive products and inspiring stories deserving of the national spotlight.

The city’s Wi-Fi network has been mentioned in several publications including Time magazine.

The Wireless Internet Institute named the city as a winner in its first Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards in San Francisco in October 2005, and Intel put Corpus Christi on the list of 13 “Digital Communities” worldwide in August 2005.

The city’s network, which went live in December, offers residents access to the Internet from wireless devices. The $7.1 million project covers 147 square miles of Corpus Christi.

Contact Beth Wilson at 886-3748 or wilsonb@ caller.com.

Copyright 2007, Caller.com. All Rights Reserved.

Wi-Fi to start costing $20 a month Within the 147 square miles of Corpus Christi, wireless Internet users are allowed 30 days free 

By Elvia Aguilar Caller-Times
March 7, 2007 
The evolution of the city’s award-winning super-high-tech meter-reading thinga-mabob continues, and with it comes the end of free wireless Internet access. 

The city and EarthLink signed an expected purchase agreement Tuesday for the city’s wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, system, which started as a dog-bite-free way to read water meters.  As of today, residents and visitors in the 147 square miles of Corpus Christi where the network serves can get wireless Internet free for 30 days. EarthLink Municipal Networks Inc. will sell subscriptions to residents for about $20 a month after the 30-day period. 

The Internet service provider will pay the city about $5.5 million for the sale and an additional $340,000 during the first year of services in franchise fees and other revenues. Assistant City Manager Oscar Martinez, said the annual revenues are expected to be $300,000 or more each year during the 10-year agreement. 

EarthLink would be responsible for upgrading the network to industry standard equipment compared with other cities it serves. EarthLink spokesman Donald Berryman said the company doesn’t plan to expand the network. 

“It’s probably as large as it is going to get, but we will continue to enhance it and gear it more toward consumer use,” Berryman said. “We are very excited to be in Corpus Christi.” The city will collect 5 percent of either receipts from Wi-Fi access service or all other receipts - whichever number is larger, according to the agreement. 

“We are pleased to have this opportunity to partner with EarthLink Municipal Networks,” City Manager Skip Noe said. “The relationship will enable us to provide the Corpus Christi community with competitive commercial Internet services, give Internet service providers an equal opportunity to participate and ensure a return on the city’s investment.” EarthLink will allow multiple, competing providers, such as PeoplePC, to offer their services to consumers and businesses over its network for a fee. 

The city began its wireless network in 2004 to automate its meter-reading system in a 20-square-mile pilot area. The network, which allows people to access the Internet from wireless devices such as laptops, now covers 147 square miles at a cost of $7.1 million to the city. Corpus Christi Digital Community Corp., a nonprofit corporation started by the council, currently is providing free Wi-Fi. The group was established to operate and manage the city’s wireless mesh and fiber optic network. 

Subscribers will receive products and support from EarthLink, including eight mailboxes and powerful protection tools, such as spamBlocker and the EarthLink Protection Control Center. Some customers also may receive a Wi-Fi modem for at-home use. Noe previously said the network’s primary purpose would be to improve city services, especially in the area of water meters, which staff could then read remotely. 

The Wireless Internet Institute, an independent think tank dedicated to furthering wireless Internet technology, named the city as a winner in its first Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards in San Franciso in October 2005.  Computer chipmaker Intel announced it had chosen Corpus Christi as one of 13 “Digital Communities” worldwide in August 2005. 

Noe said the council had previously approved the agreement and no other council action is pending.

I realize this is a bit late, but I wanted to put this on the site. An article in Time Magazine by KRISTINA DELL was written about the growing boom in Municipal WiFi. Pretty neat story, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years with Municipal WiFi.

Leonard Scott, right, manager of Corpus Christi’s network, uses wi-fi atop city hall.

Citizens of Corpus Christi, Texas, can thank a snapping dog for the free wireless Internet they enjoy around town. After the pooch took a piece out of a utility meter reader, officials decided they needed a Fido-free system. The city built a small wireless-fidelity (wi-fi) network that transmits meter data from homes via the Web. The pilot worked so well that Corpus Christi dreamed big, using tax dollars to fund a $7.1 million, 147-sq.-mi. network that went live last month. Now park sunbathers can Web surf and this town of 300,000 is home to one of the largest wireless systems in the world.

But it won’t be the largest for long. Municipal wi-fi will be coming soon to a city near you, from tiny towns like Adel, Ga., to sprawling locales like Boston and San Francisco. Municipalities are promoting competition to drive down broadband prices and bring high-speed access to rural areas stuck with dial-up. Big telcos such as Verizon and AT&T, having first tried to fend off wi-fi in state legislatures, have also joined the battle to own and operate these systems. More than 300 communities nationwide plan to have wireless ventures in the next year, according to MuniWireless.com a portal on city projects. Several dozen small cities–including Corpus Christi; Tempe, Ariz.; and Chaska, Minn.– already have full-blown systems in use. If 2006 was the year of making deals, 2007 promises to be the year of going live.

It’s also judgment year. Although cities are embracing wi-fi to make government more efficient and to stay competitive, the financing appears shaky, and it’s uncertain whether the plans will be cost-effective. Big questions remain: What will consumers pay for citywide access? Will advertising sustain free models? And will users really be attracted to a network that lacks speed, security and privacy? The risks are considerable–up to $25 million in capital costs per system plus operating funds. “Half the cities run into funding barriers,” says Peter Orne, Wireless Internet Institute’s editorial director. “We’re still waiting for an unqualified big-city success.”

Communities are nonetheless welcoming wireless–public or private–because building a wi-fi network is a steal compared with laying cable, which can cost 10 times as much. Over the next three years, U.S. towns will pony up nearly $700 million to build municipal networks, predicts MuniWireless.com As a public utility, wi-fi has undeniable benefits. City workers can use low-cost VOIP (voice-over-Internet protocol), and police and firefighters have a high-speed bandwidth for on-the-go access to data like criminal records and building plans or live shots from security cameras.

Low-cost or no-cost wi-fi is a potent competitive threat to cable companies and telcos, which spent billions building out systems. That’s why these industries mounted a furious lobbying attack, pushing through restrictive legislation in 14 states, including Pennsylvania and Louisiana, to stop towns from constructing their own networks and charging a fee.

The telcos, including Verizon in New York, argue that city-owned systems have an unfair advantage over privately run ones–which could stifle competition. “Wi-fi as a public service has serious issues like network congestion and security,” says Eric Rabe, Verizon’s senior vice president for media relations. “Do you really want your government handling your e-mail?” Public outrage caused the telco fight to fizzle, with many bills getting killed or modified. City wireless is set to become a $1.2 billion market by 2010, according to analyst firm ABI Research; AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Nextel spin-off Embarq are looking to cash in, snapping up their own municipal deals in places like Springfield, Ill., and Riverside, Calif. And Comcast Ventures has invested in BelAir Networks, a Canadian vendor of wireless equipment.

Going head to head with the telcos is EarthLink, a big player in dial-up but a company that was falling behind in broadband because of the high prices cable companies charged for access to the network. EarthLink (projected 2006 revenues: $1.3 billion) is banking on muni wi-fi to grow sales, closing deals with seven cities in public-private partnerships. EarthLink owns and operates the network while the city contributes money or light poles to nest radios for connectivity. The company will cut costs by selling access to wholesale providers like DirecTV. Philadelphia created a government-supported nonprofit to oversee EarthLink’s 135-sq.-mi. system, which should be ready next October and will emphasize digital inclusion programs like half-price accounts for low-income residents. Subscriptions will be $21.95, about half the cost of DSL and cable (a bit pricier), with some free access downtown.

Is cheap wi-fi a bargain? It depends on your needs. Wi-fi networks are on unlicensed spectrums, and towns like St. Cloud, Fla., initially suffered from spotty performance. “I don’t think many broadband users will switch to muni networks unless they’re less expensive and sure to work,” says Ina Sebastian, an analyst at Jupiter Research, whose survey of online consumers found that only 12% would pay for a citywide service. Some places are waiting for WiMAX, a technology similar to wi-fi but faster and longer range, with fewer interference issues, but it’s not yet certified for mobility. Nevertheless, Grand Rapids, Mich., chose a WiMAX network last month.

Then how about free? It worked for Yahoo! and Google. Companies like MetroFi, which is committed to 13 cities, including Portland, Ore., are betting that complimentary, ad-supported access will attract enough users to turn a profit. San Francisco made a splash when EarthLink partnered with Internet ad king Google for gratis services, but they’re still debating what will be free, and this model is far from proven. “Relying solely on ads is a misplaced dream to fund a multimillion-dollar network,” says Craig Settles, author of Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless. MobilePro Corp. pulled out of its Sacramento, Calif., deal when the city insisted that the company offer a free service, believing ads wouldn’t generate enough money. But Annapolis Wireless Internet says switching to a free model made its product viable. Its two-mile network, which is expanding, has over 5,000 subscribers.

Even free municipal wi-fi has one price that some find too steep: loss of privacy. Users aren’t always comfortable knowing a government-run operation can track their searches for advertising or limit their access to websites. Culver City, Calif., and Adel, Ga., use software to prevent people from surfing porn and downloading copyrighted material. “I made a decision we shouldn’t be spending taxpayer dollars on this,” says John Richo, Culver City’s information-technology director. Users must agree to “limited” Internet access and waive First Amendment claims arising from the city’s decision to block sites. Civil-liberties groups are worried that governments may still be practicing content-based discrimination, a First Amendment violation, since filters often overreach and block perfectly legal material. “I think the Supreme Court would look skeptically at this approach,” says John Morris, staff counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

But like other questions that municipal wi-fi raises, it will be money, politics and even dog bites that ultimately will determine the answers.

I just wanted to report that I just finished logging on to the WiFi Network and it is still free! Whew!

Happy New Year!

Found this article on TechDirt.com. It was written by Carlos Longino. Enjoy!

Earlier this month, the city of Corpus Christi, Texas launched its municipal WiFi network, which its vendor said was the largest of its kind, covering more than 100 square miles. However, like some other muni WiFi projects, early reviews don’t sound too encouraging — complaints echoed earlier this month in Portland as well. It’s the same sort of thing early users in other cities have reported: weak signal strength, low speeds and difficulty connecting. Many of these problems occur when people try to use the services indoors (as one does), highlighting one of the drawbacks of using WiFi for this type of application: it doesn’t penetrate buildings well, particularly when the router’s at some distance away. Many of the network vendors say users need to buy repeaters to overcome this, something that takes away some of the “free” aspect of these networks, as well as something that takes away from their attraction to visitors. While we remain bullish on the general idea of municipal broadband, it’s still not clear at all that WiFi is the best way to deliver it. Many of the muni WiFi “success stories” raise as many questions as they answer, and the truth of how well these networks are working remains pretty muddy. Again, municipal broadband is an idea with a lot of merit, but it looks like a lot of muni-WiFi rollouts are based on the wrong reasons, and are possibly just using the wrong technology.

Caller Times Article
By david kassabian
December 20, 2006

The city of Corpus Christi is close to selling part of its wireless Internet network to Earthlink Inc. and entering into a franchise agreement with the company after the City Council gave final approval on the deal Tuesday.

In a series of ordinances passed during Tuesday’s meeting, the council authorized City Manager Skip Noe to enter the city into a contract with Earthlink. The Internet service provider would pay the city $9.01 million to buy radios and other wireless components.

Earthlink would be responsible for upgrading the network to industry standard equipment compared to other cities it serves, according to the agreement. As part of the franchise agreement, the company will sell subscriptions to residents for access to the wireless, or Wi-Fi, network.

In return, the city would collect 5 percent of either receipts from Wi-Fi access service or all other receipts - whichever number is larger, according to the agreement. The agreement for use of city property has a term of 10 years with a right for Earthlink to extend two additional five-year terms.

“We hope to have a closing on the deal in January,” Assistant City Manager Oscar Martinez said. “This provides the city with an ability to bring the Wi-Fi system beyond where it is now.”

Earthlink has not set Wi-Fi subscription prices for the network, which is currently free to residents, Martinez said.

The city began its wireless network in 2004 to automate its meter-reading system in a 20-square mile pilot area. The network, which allows people to access the Internet from wireless devices such as laptops, now covers 147 square miles of Corpus Christi at a cost of $7.1 million to the city.

Corpus Christi Digital Community Corp., a nonprofit corporation started by the council, currently is providing free Wi-Fi.

Here’s the latest information about the WiFi network that is going to be presented in the December 19, 2006 City Council meeting. What is presented is basically the turning of the keys over from the incompetent staff that works at City Hall to the only company that City Hall feels has the opportunity to make the network successful.

You can read about it in the agenda summary (Item 43a-d). In the City Council Agenda Packet, (pg. 465) you can read much more about what this actually means.