[lbo-talk] Wi-Fi as "Dog Turd" Capitalism

[Guilherme]

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003, Lance Murdoch wrote:
>
> On Fri, 1 Aug 2003, Westrich, James wrote:
>
> > http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/69/32116.html
> >  I owned a Wi-Fi PDA (alas it was stolen recently while on the subway)
> > and was surprised at how few free/easy hotspots there are.  Most
> > shocking was my trip to Seattle at the end of May (great town, but not
> > much non Starbucks Wi-Fi--it was easier to find a good free/cheap
> > wired cafe than wireless).  I found Wi-Fi in airports to be nearly
> > useless even in Boston, Seattle, and Chicago.
>
> Why is this surprising?  Public Wi-Fi poses a direct threat to the cable
> companies and telephone companies.

	speakeasy gets it:

http://wifinetnews.com/archives/001395.html

Speakeasy Networks offers its DSL customers Wi-Fi package for explicit
sharing (follow link to new customer signup): Speakeasy Networks is
offering a free SMC Networks 802.11a or 802.11b access point to new DSL
and T-1 subscribers. Speakeasy is a national DSL/digital line provider,
which in the spirit of full disclosure is my home and work DSL provider.
Some telephone companies have offered limited discounts or promotions for
equipment from Linksys and other vendors, but this is the first free
promotion I've heard of.

There's a quote in the press release, which I normally shy away from
including, but is quite explicit in its authorization of community and
neighborhood networking. "Unlike traditional ISPs, which either prohibit
wireless networking entirely or grudgingly allow it but saddle customers
with extra fees, Speakeasy is encouraging unfettered access. Speakeasy
users can extend their broadband connections wirelessly -- to additional
computers in their homes or even to computers in neighboring homes," said
Mike Apgar, Speakeasy CEO. "Speakeasy is virtually alone in encouraging
neighborhood Wi-Fi networks." Later in the press release, Apgar notes that
restaurants and coffee shops can buy this kind of DSL and share it, too:
it's not just limited to home sharing.


-gr