There's been a lot of talk (and newspaper articles) of late about the possibility of establishing city-wide wireless coverage, allowing cheap or even free internet access for all. Its being discussed in several cities nationwide, not just Los Angeles.
As a PR move, it seems like a good idea on the surface. I'm just not so sure about the practicalities of trying to cover an area as vast as Los Angeles. Ironically, my boss' boss' boss was asked to join the committee tasked with figuring out how to handle making LA a giant wireless hotspot. Wireless coverage on this sort of scale has the same problem as cell phone coverage; there will be dead zones aplenty, and always in the most inconvenient places. Another thing to think about is that the folks who can't afford an internet connection also probably can't afford a computer to connect to the wireless. Plus of course there's the ever-present oxymoron of the technology: wireless security. The vast majority of people out there have no idea just how unsecure wireless is. Give them free internet access, and they'll jump at it, sending credit card info and all manner of other important information flying through the air. At that point, one doesn't even need to be in a building to steal stuff; sitting parked on the street at a meter would be quite sufficient. In something of this nature, its unlikely WEP or VPN will be employed, and while neither provides complete security, both offer more protection than completely unencryted packets flying through the air.
Will we be seeing wireless like this in the future? Absolutely. Wireless is spreading like wildfire (one only has to look at this university campus to see that demonstrated in graphic detail). Are there still kinks to be worked out? Absolutely. We'll see what the future brings.
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5 comments:
What a wonderful idea. I think the information technology industry and users are thinking about this already, and can't wait for it to happen. I also think that for L.A. to do this first (or among the first) is great, given it being such a large and diverse city...
If some politicians push this through for some popularity before technology evolves to make wireless more secure...I'm not sure if all the problems that are bound to occur would be more hilarious or sad. And besides...the city of LA actually doing something correctly? :-P
You made a really good point about the wireless security issue. Most people just jump on the idea of city-wide wireless because it sounds like such a great idea (and it is!). When you actually think about potential problems that could arise, wireless security is definitely top of the list. I'm sure there's a way to fix this glitch in the future though! At least I hope so...
hmmm.. the selfish impulse within me says that i have wireless wherever i need it (my residence and class), and hence, i stand to benefit little from such a substantial change. maybe the change is inevitable, but without question, it'll be slow, expensive, and highly risky- at least in the transitional stages. i say we welcome the security challenges; free, widespread internet is a democratizing thing, which will propel the united states even further beyond other countries as our population becomes increasingly connected, educated, and up-to-speed with the times
Complete wireless coverage seems like a great idea. But who's going to control this type of network? One company doing so would seem like a monopoly. I'm sure all the phone and Internet companies are going to want a piece of this market. How would they sort that out? I'm sure they will get into a nasty legal battle if the city were to approve this. If the city does approve (which I doubt will happen), which company would they contract? It'll be interesting to see where this goes...
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