Tempe City-Wide Wireless Snags 108
Triumph The Insult C writes "About a month ago, the dot carried a story about the city of Tempe, AZ, laying claim to be the first major metropolitan area to provide city-wide broadband internet access. Well, things haven't gone exactly as planned, as one of the companies involved, MobilePro Corp, is now being investigated by the state for not holding the appropriate permits. As a resident of downtown Tempe, I hope the rollout isn't successful, as I would much prefer to see a more community-based effort, such as in Seattle, Austin, and New York City."
Re:Socialism (Score:1)
Freedom and safety.
Wha? (Score:2, Funny)
The "dot"?
Re:Wha? (Score:1)
Doesn't sound very cool to me ... more like body-temperature. But if you're into watersports...
Re:Wha? (Score:1)
Re:Wha? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Wha? (Score:3, Insightful)
The Department of Transportation.
Re:Wha? (Score:2)
The Department of Transportation.
Then it should be the DOT.
A dream.. (Score:2)
Re:A dream.. (Score:3, Insightful)
A regulated monopoly run as a for profit company? Why would you dream about that?
Re:A dream.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:A dream.. (Score:2)
since when has phone been a city utility? (Score:1, Flamebait)
if the city administered these programs, they would be free. let me repeat that, they would be free.
since republicans started forcing cities to buy services from companies, rather than provide the service themselves, the price has increased.
look at property taxes. they used to include garbage pickup service. now my city requires pre-paid stickers for each bag of garbage to be picked up.
as for internet wireless, the cost is free right n
Re:since when has phone been a city utility? (Score:1)
Yeah, free, free as in ambiguous tax surcharges and property tax riders with funny sounding acronyms.
Re:since when has phone been a city utility? (Score:1)
Re:A dream.. (Score:1)
So in the end you pay verizon/comcast or whoever and part of that bill goes through them to pay the city coop for use of the high speed (say fiber) lines. The big company only connects the last little distance
Permits for what? (Score:2)
Re:Permits for what? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Permits for what? (Score:2, Informative)
"In return for MobilePro's agreement to build and operate a Municipal network for the City's use, Tempe agrees to grant limited use of the City street light infrastructure and existing fiber backhaul locations for Mobile Pro to deploy its network."
From TFA:
"Dave Heck, deputy manager of information technology for Tempe, said MobilePro should be treated like other communications firms that do not need a license to build wireless systems because they plan to use a subcontr
Re:Permits for what? (Score:1)
More info for those interested.. (Score:5, Informative)
Wireless town (Score:3, Funny)
I didn't rtfa though, so maybe this isn't the same thing...
Re:Wireless town (Score:1)
I think it's safe to assume that when wires get destroyed, a town is wireless. So what did they do for power? Get that wireless?
Re:Wireless town (Score:2)
I didn't rtfa though..."
Hey, at least he's got an excuse. I usually just blame slashdotting.
Excellent (Score:4, Funny)
Why expect the city foot the bill? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why expect the city foot the bill? (Score:2)
Now I can go hang out at a bar on Mill AND be an anti-social websurfer at the same time!
Seriously though, weren't they planning on charging a pretty low price? Like $25/mo?
No, I misunderstood (Score:1)
Re:No, I misunderstood (Score:2)
Re:Why expect the city foot the bill? (Score:2)
"Hey, if a business sets up something you want at a reasonable price - what's wrong with that? Would you prefer the government run this?"
Strawman: Hi everybody!
Everybody: Hi, Strawman!!
Sorry to dump on you like that, but you seem to have missed the part in the comment where the poster says:
"As a resident of downtown Tempe, I hope the rollout isn't successful, as I would much prefer to see a more community-based effort, such as in Seattle, Austin, and New York City."
[Links omitted from the quota
Thanks for the introduction! (Score:1)
Re:Why expect the city foot the bill? (Score:2)
Um, when was the last time you looked up the word liberal? Liberalism is about freedom.
This post suffers from... (Score:2)
The government is a collection of resources that work on the behalf of you and I. We pay taxes so that all of us can lead better lives
If you think about it, the system works incredibly well, despite what the so-called conservatives will tell you.
The government provides you with a lot of benefits for your small contribution. Let's say that you pay $20,000 a year in taxes. That sounds like a lot of money, but it pays for a lot of things you need.
Things like roa
Re:This post suffers from... (Score:1)
That's because other countries have generously paid for the armies to protect them. Canada is another excellent example of a country taking advantage of other's. Their government treats our military commanders like royalty when they visit.
Re:This post suffers from... (Score:2)
I happen to support many government run services. I find that government tends to perform better service at the local and state level, which is not too surprising given that the federal government tends to set too many standards which are often not applicable nationally. Basic infrastructure is a fine
But Who Pays for it? (Score:1)
Re:But Who Pays for it? (Score:2)
Say what?
Local vs. State (Score:3, Informative)
This seems to be Local vs. State issue and while the State doesn't seem to be able to directly cancel the project, they can boot the company out of the state, so they'd need a new company to add to the infrastructure as they are planning to build the Wi-Fi.
cost... (Score:1, Interesting)
Global Public hotspots (Score:1)
Seriously, I don't mean a megabit dealy-bob or anything. just a couple nice 10's of K global wireless hot spot for the masses?
Don't we have the technology to broadcast great distances and without sophisticated (by todays standards) consumer-level equipment?
I'll setup an repeater if it's pretty cheap to buy and assemble one ¦D
(I imagin
Re:Global Public hotspots (Score:1)
Downtown Tempe is managed by an ass-baggy organization, DTC. DTC is very pro-big biz and anti-mom & pop. Their track record confirms this. I wouldn't put it past DTC that if there were to be a community-based effort, the DTC would begin to levy fines against those downtown businesses who participated.
In Europe, the regulations make it difficult (Score:2)
Re:In Europe, the regulations make it difficult (Score:2)
CP
Re:Global Public hotspots (Score:2)
Then you have places like Canada, Austraila, Russia, and even large sections of the US are big and empty
I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:1, Troll)
When will you people get it, capitalism, private industry always trumps government.
Look at NASA. Now look at Burt Rutan. Now look at NASA again.
Citywide wireless as a city run service?
I hope you enjoy the crappy service you are gonna get. I hope you like the speed you are gonna get. Cause if the city c
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:1)
Would you care to elaborate? There are many things that the government does that private industry won't, or can't do.
Look at NASA. Now look at Burt Rutan. Now look at NASA again.
Yeah, so what? How is Burt Rutan vs. NASA relevant? The government (and industry) does a lot more than build space vehicles. How would Burt Rutan have been able to do what he did, if government did not provide a stable society and economy for hi
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:2)
NASA is so scared to launch there multi-billion dollar meal ticket that we will be lucky if it isn't another year before that thing goes in space.
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:1)
So what? How does that prove that private industry always trumps government? I could cherry-pick dozens of cases where the government has done a better job than private industry. But it doesn't prove anything.
The original poster was choosing a highly specific, specialized case, and using that t
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:2)
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:2)
That's just absurd. Burt Rutan runs a company called Scaled Composites, they develop aircraft, and sell rights to the technology and design. He is not an enthusiast, because he makes money running his own business (enthusiasts spend money on their hobby, they don't make money at their job). Calling him an enthusiast is almost an insult, and it is certainly a huge understatement. H
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:3, Insightful)
But honestly, who cares? What do you think that has to do with NASA's mission? Manned space flight is a side show that has been maintained to entertain the masses who weren't entertained anyhow. It has almost nothing to doing space science, which is NASA's strength. I enjoy Star Trek and find it diverting occasionaly in a dramatic sense, but it is FANTASY. It is about as realistic as Lord of the Rings.
When Burt Rutan does a successful robotic mission to M
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, then take a look at Burt Rutan again and wait until he makes something that that goes beyond what NASA did with it's Mercury flights ~45 years ago. Rutan had a interesting design and did a lot but the fact remains that Spaceship One can't even compare to the Gemini flights much less the the Space Shuttle.
I would rethink worshipping at the temple of capit
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:4, Insightful)
You're implying science is the primary motivation (Score:2)
It isn't and it never has been. New frontiers have always, always been driven by the desire for exploration backed by the promise of commerce.
I have no problem with the government funding blue sky science, it basically wouldn't get done otherwise but NASA amalgamates the science with a government funded monopoly on the access to space.
Rutan is doing more for space travel than NASA has ever done, and this actually has nothing to do with the technical contribution but is because of the social contributi
Re:You're implying science is the primary motivati (Score:2)
New frontiers have always been driven by the desire of killing other people more efficiently and from longer distance. A lot of hightech stuff came from military research.
Then the private business comes and parasites on taxpayer-funded research once its fruit gets declassified, rediscovered elsewhere, or leaked by eg. espionage.
No tax dollars were spent (Score:2)
The rest will be a subscription service.
I generally oppose government running services, but I think this is a good way of doing it. A private company is given a 4
Re:I don't understand people sometimes.... (Score:2)
If you look look over my past postings (can you do that on Slasdot? I honestly don't know) you will see that I have my own mind on things. I like to think that I back up my opinions with at least reasonable arguments. That is for you to decide, not I.
I often use sarcasm.
But the way Slashdot works a comment at a 1 is automat
It depends on how you think of the wire (Score:2)
How is a city run monopoly different from a privately run monopoly? Well, at least with the city run service you get to choose the people doing the running.
The question I suppose is, is it possible or reasonable to have multiple suppliers of the physical infrastructure? Is it possible or reasonable to have multiple suppliers of services making use of that infrastructure?
Tempe Wireless (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Tempe Wireless (Score:2)
As an Austin Resident (Score:2, Insightful)
Overall though, I wouldn't put the percentage at higher then _maybe_ 2% of the city as being truly wireless. And I'm not talking about putting wireless way out in the fringe neighborhoods and suburbs,
Bitterness & hopes of failure (Score:5, Insightful)
You hope that something that could be useful to many people will fail, just because you like something else? You want to see money wasted, just to feel superior?
Why does this rollout succeeding, stop you from contributing to community efforts? Maybe you should make an effort to do better yourself, with your community ideas, rather than simply hoping that others fail. What an attitude!
Re:Bitterness & hopes of failure (Score:2, Informative)
but having to deal with DTC [downtowntempe.com] is not particularly easy. DTC is not a particularly pleasant organization. retribution is definitely within their capabilities. the city gov't is much the same (imo)
Re:Bitterness & hopes of failure (Score:1)
Why does this rollout succeeding, stop you from contributing to community efforts? Maybe you should make an effort to do better yourself, with your community ideas, rather than simply hoping that others fail. What an attitude!
Your attitude? Re-read what was written; the poster hopes that the commercial rollout isn't successful so that there's a b
Re:Bitterness & hopes of failure (Score:2)
Re:Bitterness & hopes of failure (Score:2)
If the government is offering million dollar contracts to provide a service, and politicians are staking their reputation on this spending (and most likely getting kickbacks), how receptive do you think those very powerful people are going to be to a group of people rolling out their own wireless network with better service at a fraction of the cost?
Unless the city rollout fails, if you try to run your community wireless network, you are going to have th
I hope the rollout isn't successful (Score:1)
I'd rather see everything... (Score:2)
I would personally prefer to see all the potential rollout models and have a choice as a consumer.
Commerical == Choice (Score:2)
> rollout isn't successful, as I would much prefer
> to see a more community-based effort, such as in
> Seattle, Austin, and New York City.
What do you do if the community-based effort turns out to be awful? there's nothing special about being community-based which means they're going to offer a brilliant service; they're more likely than commerical companies, in some respects, but less likely in others, to fail.
If it's commerical, there's going to be
Tempe resident.... (Score:2)
asu_tempe works fine for downtown cafes (Mill Ave.) but that's about it. There's also a number of other networks there, but nothing on my part of town.
Downtown Tempe? (Score:2)
Where's that?
Re:Downtown Tempe? (Score:2)
Tempe is the college town bordering Phoenix.
Its land locked by other larger cities, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Chandler.
Downtown tempe is pretty much Mill Avenue. Nice place for most of the year, a little uncomfortable during the daytime in the summer.
Re:Downtown Tempe? (Score:2)
I know Tempe, too. I just can't recall it having anything anyone from back East would recognize as a downtown, Mill Avenue notwithstanding.
But, I was being facetious. A little joke, you know.
Is it below 100 today? Worst I ever saw it was 118 at Sky Harbor.