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December 27, 2005
San Francisco takes municipal wireless to a whole new level
And by this I mean a new low, even by municipal wireless standards.
On Dec. 22, San Francisco released its RFP for its TechConnect citywide network. No matter how you feel about municipal wireless—it amounts to the most cynical attempt yet by a city administration to extract media attention from the muni wireless craze while making as little commitment as possible.
Flawed as they may be, municipal networks until recently have been sparked by genuine attempts to get quality, economical broadband access to those still unserved. Lately, however, municipal wireless has become a way to score some easy political points. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin managed to take some heat off his failure to get the necessary funding to rebuild and reinforce the city’s levees by proposing free broadband instead. And it worked.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom’s call for free wireless, answered with a vague but provocative proposal from Google, was good for weeks of favorable coverage about San Francisco’s (read Newsom’s) ambitious plan to become a “unwired city” (even though Frisco already has more WiFi hotspots than any other U.S. city).
The San Francisco RFP, however, asks little from the get-go, setting the lowest possible bar for basic free service while offering what could be a wireless broadband coup to any company willing to cozy up with city officials.
Don’t take my word for it. San Francisco’s municipal wireless supporters are outraged. Just check out this article from the Bay Guardian or this posting from Webnetic.
As for me, I hate to say I told you so. No, wait a minute. I love to say I told you so. A comment I wrote for the Heartland Institute warns that TechConnect stands to turn into a franchise bid offering political fringe benefits.
...Groups like Media Alliance and CTFC say contracting with private companies to build and operate muni networks might allow political motivations rather than the public interest to dictate who wins the contract and has access to the new network. But this is no argument for city ownership of broadband networks, which would politicize network administration even more. Rather, it suggests cities should not be involved at all.
The RFP states outright that the city will not operate the system nor pay anything to support it, offering further evidence that, even in ultra-liberal, goo-goo San Francisco, taxpayer-funded, government-owned systems are political non-starters.
And while the RFP calls for a free basic services, it does not define any baseline requirements for them, meaning they could be as low as 200 kb/s (the FCC’s definition of broadband) and guarantee little or nothing in the way of security, privacy, quality.
The low-rent nature of the “basic” service can be discerned from what the RFP outlines as permissible premium services that can carry an unspecified fee. Even here, the RFP asks for nothing beyond what most ISPs offer today. Here’s the section on premium services in its entirety:
2.6. SERVICES AND PROVISIONING
a. The Network shall provide a Fixed Broadband Premium Service. This service must support 802.11 b/g devices at a best-effort minimum 1 Mbps symmetric data transmission rate, a dynamic IP address and other Core ISP Services.
b. The Network shall provide a Nomadic Broadband Premium Service. This service must support 802.11 b/g devices at a best-effort minimum 1 Mbps symmetric data transmission rate, a dynamic IP address and other Core ISP Services.
c. The Network shall provide a Portable Broadband Premium Service. This service must support 802.11 b/g devices at a best-effort minimum 1 Mbps symmetric data transmission rate, a dynamic IP address and other Core ISP Services. Session-level connectivity must be maintained for in-motion subscribers at a minimum speed of 30 MPH.
d. The Network shall provide a Fixed Broadband Premium Service at a guaranteed minimum 3 Mbps symmetric data transmission rate (e.g., a wireless T-1 alternative). e. The Network Operator shall allow Service Providers to provision Premium Services on a monthly, weekly and daily basis.
f. Payment methods for all Premium Services must include credit and debit card. Other methods must be proposed for users who do not have the ability to pay with credit or debit cards (e.g., pre-paid vouchers, top-off cards).
g. Proposals shall include the expected costs of any required CPE for each coverage Specification stated in Section 2.3 and who will be responsible for CPE costs during the provisioning process.
Further on in the RFP, even the definitions of open access and network neutrality are watered down. All the winning bidder must do is provide a clickthrough link to competing service providers.
When you combine San Francisco’s lack of political will for government ownership with its weak RFP that lets the winning bidder get away with delivering very little in terms of value to the low-income citizen, you have to question as to why a city should be involved in this type of project. Is all this little more than an invitation by the Gavin Newsom administration to pour a few million dollars into a Gavin Newsom vanity project in return for a city-sponsored competitive boost?
Posted by steve.titch at December 27, 2005 10:26 AM
I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.
Comment by: Sten4933 at January 6, 2007 06:59 AM
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I haven't been up to much lately. I've basically been doing nothing , but it's not important. I can't be bothered with anything recently. I've just been letting everything happen without me lately.
Comment by: Sten96808 at January 8, 2007 06:29 PM
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Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.
Comment by: Sten48474 at January 10, 2007 02:55 PM
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I haven't been up to anything today. I don't care. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. Basically not much happening right now. Maybe tomorrow. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten31325 at January 10, 2007 09:28 PM
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Not much on my mind these days, but what can I say? It's not important. I just don't have much to say lately. I've just been letting everything pass me by recently, but eh.
Comment by: Sten61167 at January 13, 2007 06:25 AM
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Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.
Comment by: Sten27753 at January 18, 2007 04:28 PM
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I just don't have anything to say right now. I haven't been up to anything recently, but it's not important. I've just been sitting around waiting for something to happen, but shrug.
Comment by: Sten56327 at January 19, 2007 11:14 PM
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I've just been hanging out not getting anything done. What can I say? I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning, but pfft. Not that it matters. Pretty much nothing exciting happening to speak of. I haven't been up to much these days.
Comment by: Sten47862 at January 22, 2007 01:37 PM
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Not much on my mind these days, but what can I say? It's not important. I just don't have much to say lately. I've just been letting everything pass me by recently, but eh.
Comment by: Sten79787 at January 23, 2007 05:43 AM
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Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.
Comment by: Sten89364 at January 26, 2007 07:51 AM
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Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven't been up to much these days. I just don't have much to say right now. I can't be bothered with anything , but whatever.
Comment by: Sten45277 at January 26, 2007 08:18 AM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten43266 at January 26, 2007 03:42 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten16785 at January 26, 2007 07:18 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten85288 at January 27, 2007 04:33 AM
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I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten48255 at January 27, 2007 06:38 PM
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I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten65932 at January 28, 2007 10:37 AM
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My life's been basically bland today. More or less nothing seems worth thinking about. My mind is like an empty room. I've more or less been doing nothing to speak of. Not much on my mind recently.
Comment by: Sten31509 at January 28, 2007 04:57 PM
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My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn't bother me. I haven't been up to anything recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.
Comment by: Sten83455 at January 28, 2007 06:32 PM
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I haven't gotten anything done recently. I've just been hanging out doing nothing. I haven't been up to anything these days, but it's not important. Today was a total loss.
Comment by: Sten93299 at January 29, 2007 01:01 AM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten74477 at January 29, 2007 05:47 AM
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I haven't gotten anything done today. I feel like a fog, but what can I say? I've just been letting everything wash over me lately, not that it matters. Shrug.
Comment by: Sten91551 at January 29, 2007 08:23 PM
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I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning. My life's been pretty unremarkable these days. Eh.
Comment by: Sten45512 at January 30, 2007 12:31 AM
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I can't be bothered with anything these days, but such is life. I don't care. So it goes. More or less nothing seems worth thinking about. I've just been hanging out waiting for something to happen, but that's how it is.
Comment by: Sten1278 at January 30, 2007 12:38 AM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten84658 at January 30, 2007 02:02 AM
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Basically nothing noteworthy happening right now, but eh. Today was a complete loss. I haven't been up to much recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
Comment by: Sten95533 at January 30, 2007 05:40 PM
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I haven't been up to anything today. I don't care. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. Basically not much happening right now. Maybe tomorrow. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten9450 at January 30, 2007 10:01 PM
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My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn't bother me. I haven't been up to anything recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.
Comment by: Sten68338 at January 31, 2007 09:33 AM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten27197 at January 31, 2007 09:42 AM
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My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn't bother me. I haven't been up to anything recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.
Comment by: Sten37336 at January 31, 2007 03:41 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten14977 at January 31, 2007 07:39 PM
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Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.
Comment by: Sten74243 at February 1, 2007 05:29 AM
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I haven't been up to anything recently, but so it goes. Such is life. What can I say? Pretty much not much exciting going on to speak of. I haven't gotten much done lately, but I don't care.
Comment by: Sten31299 at February 1, 2007 08:17 AM
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Comment by: Sten36682 at February 1, 2007 10:16 AM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten47739 at February 1, 2007 10:30 PM
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I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning. My life's been pretty unremarkable these days. Eh.
Comment by: Sten96406 at February 2, 2007 02:05 AM
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Not much on my mind right now, but it's not important. I've just been letting everything happen without me. I just don't have anything to say right now.
Comment by: Sten67199 at February 2, 2007 03:41 AM
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I haven't been up to much today. I've just been letting everything happen without me. Basically nothing seems worth bothering with. I've just been hanging out doing nothing. I just don't have anything to say right now. More or less nothing happening.
Comment by: Sten16890 at February 2, 2007 07:18 AM
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My life's been pretty dull recently. Shrug. My mind is like a void. I haven't gotten anything done lately. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten36344 at February 2, 2007 12:05 PM
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Hello, do not click there.
[url=So many spammers here :(
][/url]
Comment by: Zerita at February 2, 2007 04:42 PM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten13115 at February 2, 2007 04:44 PM
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Hello, do not click there.
[url=So many spammers here :(
][/url]
Comment by: Bredd at February 2, 2007 09:37 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten56767 at February 3, 2007 12:25 AM
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I haven't been up to much today. I've just been letting everything happen without me. Basically nothing seems worth bothering with. I've just been hanging out doing nothing. I just don't have anything to say right now. More or less nothing happening.
Comment by: Sten47119 at February 3, 2007 07:31 AM
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I feel like a complete blank, but I don't care. Pfft. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.
Comment by: Sten41518 at February 3, 2007 04:59 PM
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I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.
Comment by: Sten12706 at February 3, 2007 09:34 PM
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I've more or less been doing nothing worth mentioning, but eh. My life's been really bland today. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days. That's how it is.
Comment by: Sten18973 at February 3, 2007 10:47 PM
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Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven't been up to much these days. I just don't have much to say right now. I can't be bothered with anything , but whatever.
Comment by: Sten21656 at February 4, 2007 02:12 AM
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I've more or less been doing nothing worth mentioning, but eh. My life's been really bland today. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days. That's how it is.
Comment by: Sten54087 at February 4, 2007 03:12 AM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen. Whatever. Not much on my mind lately. I guess it doesn't bother me.
Comment by: Sten94550 at February 4, 2007 06:44 AM
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I haven't been up to much these days. Today was a loss. Nothing seems important. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days.
Comment by: Sten4383 at February 4, 2007 12:02 PM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten74713 at February 4, 2007 03:34 PM
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I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.
Comment by: Sten9533 at February 5, 2007 04:48 AM
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I just don't have anything to say , but shrug. So it goes. Not much on my mind recently. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten39742 at February 5, 2007 06:53 AM
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My mind is like a bunch of nothing, but I guess it doesn't bother me. I haven't been up to anything recently. I've pretty much been doing nothing to speak of.
Comment by: Sten21643 at February 5, 2007 10:10 AM
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I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.
Comment by: Sten23700 at February 5, 2007 03:10 PM
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retty much nothing seems worth thinking about. My life's been completely dull , not that it matters. I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen.
Comment by: Sten27484 at February 5, 2007 09:15 PM
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I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.
Comment by: Sten83004 at February 5, 2007 10:41 PM
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I feel like an empty room, but eh. Nothing seems worth doing. I haven't gotten much done today.
Comment by: Sten2930 at February 6, 2007 07:52 AM
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