How Verizon Accidentally Made Muni-WiFi Viable
from the unintended-consequences... dept
Whoops. The battle over muni-broadband has received plenty of attention over the past couple of months, but what really set it off was the big debate over muni-WiFi in Philadelphia. Before that, the battle over muni-broadband was a much more focused topic that not many people paid attention to. One of the biggest haters of muni-broadband is Verizon, but as WiFi Net News points out, it appears that Verizon’s vehement attacks against muni-broadband (in particular in Philadelphia) have only served to generate much more interest in the idea. Municipal IT staff are suddenly interested in an offering that they had never considered before Verizon worked so hard to make it front page news. Someone involved with the Philadelphia plan claims: “We get calls from municipal IT managers, saying ‘our mayor has decided he wants to jump on the bandwagon.’ It wasn’t a bandwagon till Verizon made it one.”
Comments on “How Verizon Accidentally Made Muni-WiFi Viable”
No Subject Given
Amazing how a perceived outside threat tends to bond disparate stakeholders into a unified mindset.
Not so amazing to politicians though, just their stock in trade.
But if it helps kickstart MuniWiFi, so much the better.
Thanks, Verizon, you finally did something positive for the consumers.
Now, for good measure, go shoot yourself in your other foot.
No Subject Given
This is a perfect example of my theory that if you don’t like something, don’t publicize the damn thing. It amazes me how someone will get upset over something, and instead of just ignoring, tells all their friends and whoever else will listen, thus giving whatever offended them a bigger audience.
Sometimes people just don’t think rationally. Good for the muni’s though, broadband is still too damn expensive.
Re: No Subject Given
FUCK VERIZON !
I’m GLAD to see those son of a bitches actually do something that is NOt in their favor …
They screwed us PA people a few years ago with broadband and they continue to do so today.