Free wireless comes to my hometown–and a poll backs up the idea

Free, city-provided wi-fi has come to a downtown section of my hometown,
Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. The usual suspects say muni wireless is a waste of money. But a poll online by Washington TV station WRC showed a 90-percent approval rating with 340 voters participating at the time I dropped by. Sounds like fun–browsing e-libraries and news sites while taking in the breeze by the river. Of course, I think it would be cooler if Alexandria did the wi-fi routine in a housing project and provided families with free handhelds and adequate tech support–along with guidance from Net-hip librarians and teachers. That’s how I’d have spent the $20,000 in startup costs. I’m also curious if the job could have been done for much less, but this is far [for]the wi-fi specialists to debate. Whatever the nature of the experiment, I’m delighted to see Alexandria undertaking it.