What Wi-Fi Can Do For Cities

"The historic reality is that new technologies are like double-bladed knives cutting through history — their positive impacts (like television's amazing imaging revolution) are often offset by unanticipated drawbacks (like TV's social isolation and dumbing-down impacts).

But if areawide Wi-Fi telecommunications can deliver even a fraction of the benefits its advocates see — from democratized broadband Internet to economic openings for the poor to unleashing university skills for cities and regions — then there'll be a lot more to proclaim than its rock-bottom cost. "