Philadelphia revives citywide Wi-Fi project
Philadelphia revived an effort on Tuesday to provide free citywide wireless Internet access in a project to be run by a new group of investors.
The city aims to provide free-of-charge outdoor Web access throughout its 135 square miles, which would be the largest area covered by public Wi-fi of any U.S. city.
The project, initially launched in 2005, came close to failure when EarthLink, the company that installed wireless transmitters on light poles, abandoned the effort in May amid complaints about signal weakness.
In a city of 1.4 million, about 6,000 people signed up for the EarthLink service.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said the city -- which is providing no public money for the Wi-fi project -- believed it was important to revive the project because of the economic opportunities that can flow from increased Internet access.
"We now have the potential to reach more people with this network than in any other city in America," he said.
The network, which is about 80 percent complete, will now be taken over by Network Acquisition Company LLC, a new company of local investors that will assess the infrastructure and plans to complete the wireless coverage. Service for current users should be uninterrupted, officials said.
EarthLink had difficulty beaming the signal into homes, which City Councilman Bill Green cited as a reason the EarthLink model failed. But he also praised EarthLink for helping to save the network.
Under the new system, people can buy a $200 device called a repeater to bring the signal inside buildings.
The new owners plan to underwrite the cost of public Wi-fi by persuading businesses to buy technology allowing employees to access corporate networks from remote locations.
Revenue from corporate customers would pay for infrastructure to distribute a wireless signal to outdoor areas throughout the city, notably to low-income areas where many residents don't have the Internet access that could improve their ability to find jobs or access public services.
Officials from the new company declined to say how much they had paid for the EarthLink asset, how much they plan to invest or when the network would be complete. Co-founder Mark Rupp said it would take "months" to assess what work needs to be done to complete the network.
The city aims to provide free-of-charge outdoor Web access throughout its 135 square miles, which would be the largest area covered by public Wi-fi of any U.S. city.
The project, initially launched in 2005, came close to failure when EarthLink, the company that installed wireless transmitters on light poles, abandoned the effort in May amid complaints about signal weakness.
In a city of 1.4 million, about 6,000 people signed up for the EarthLink service.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said the city -- which is providing no public money for the Wi-fi project -- believed it was important to revive the project because of the economic opportunities that can flow from increased Internet access.
"We now have the potential to reach more people with this network than in any other city in America," he said.
The network, which is about 80 percent complete, will now be taken over by Network Acquisition Company LLC, a new company of local investors that will assess the infrastructure and plans to complete the wireless coverage. Service for current users should be uninterrupted, officials said.
EarthLink had difficulty beaming the signal into homes, which City Councilman Bill Green cited as a reason the EarthLink model failed. But he also praised EarthLink for helping to save the network.
Under the new system, people can buy a $200 device called a repeater to bring the signal inside buildings.
The new owners plan to underwrite the cost of public Wi-fi by persuading businesses to buy technology allowing employees to access corporate networks from remote locations.
Revenue from corporate customers would pay for infrastructure to distribute a wireless signal to outdoor areas throughout the city, notably to low-income areas where many residents don't have the Internet access that could improve their ability to find jobs or access public services.
Officials from the new company declined to say how much they had paid for the EarthLink asset, how much they plan to invest or when the network would be complete. Co-founder Mark Rupp said it would take "months" to assess what work needs to be done to complete the network.
Labels: complaints, EarthLink, EarthLink assets, EarthLInk Service, Internet, network, Philadelhia, Revenue, US, WiFi Project, wireless Internet access, wireless transmitters
posted by PressMart Team at
12:59 PM
1 Comments:
Hi.. I am actually wriing this on behalf of my friend who had to suffer a lot getting a Passport which was applied on Feb8rg 2008 and didnt recieve it yet.
Could you please publish this in DC Hyd. edition with importance.
Here goes the Detais...
Please help to publisj in newspaper in Hyd.
To Whomsoever it may concern,
I am Soumya Anant (24) working in Genpact , Uppal ,Hyderabad.I would like to report few complaints againist the Regional PASSPORT office in Secunderabad and the kind of activities that they do.
First of all let me give you a clear picture of my Problem. I had applied passport in the month of February 8, 2008 and till date we haven’t received the passport.
Application Number: A012267
File number: HYDA01226708
In spite of the police verification and the clearance been sent to the passport office there is no clue on the status. In April, when I checked the status it stated that it was ready for dispatch by 25th of April. When I went back to check the status, the link itself was down and I believe it was down for more than a month’s time. Even the help-line numbers were inaccessible.
I was really shocked when I received a Telegram dated 23rd May which I received on 30th May asking me to furnish details quoted as “Await 3rd address report” and failing to furnish within 15days would result in closure of this report. I rushed to the passport office on June 2, 2008 to inquire on the information that we were asked to furnish. There I nearly stood in the inquiry queue for about 5 hrs. It was really sad to see the way in which the people were forced to stand. The Inquiry session was on the basement of that building and had neither proper ventilation nor fans. With great difficulty Imanaged to talk to a person with a disgusting behavior with an atrocious temperament. I wes told to get the clearance report from the Inspector of Police for the 3rd address.
Then I immediately rushed to the Cyberabad police station which is in the outskirts of Hyderabad. There we met Inspector of Police Mr.Sudarshan. He provided information saying both all the reports were dispatched to the passport office on April 4th 2008. Now the question arises is when all the information was furnished, where is the delay?
Now only other option that was left with me was ADALAT as I was told that the passports are dispatched immediately from this Court session which is open every Wednesday 2 PM. In order to book a slot for this session I went at 10 am in the morning on 4th of April. There were long queue for men and women standing. Earlier for inquiry it was a Dungeon and now it a open Kabristan (grave yard). It was really pathetic to see how people making their way for reaching the passport official. Both men and women were standing by the side of the road which was an uneven surface or shelter to protect them from hot sun. A part of the queue was standing over debris, garbage and ending at middle of the road which was prone to heavy traffic from either side.
Finally, somehow I managed to enter the ADALAT session. When I gave the file number to the officer, the person informed that they haven’t received the 3 rd address report from the police verification and then when I produced the dispatch receipt number and the date, he guaranteed that it will be dispatched within a week’s time. It’s been again 2 weeks now and the status on the site still shows others.I have again got another telegram form passport office yesterday asking for the same Address information.I again went to the passport office today to attend the ADALAT again after standing for a long queue from 11:00 am till 5:00 pm , Finally when I met the person he said it will be definitely issued in 1 weeks time. It seems like they havent yet updated my record even after producing the required information.Till yesterday there was an internal HARTAL/ Strike going on in passport office because of which none of them were working.
1. Why havent they updated their system records in time ?
2. What is that which is stopping them from issuing the passport?
3. Why are these people so irresponsible / careless in handling people's Documents?Its easy for them to say that they have lost the file or the file is missing , but one should also understand how tedious it is for a person to produce the same documents again and again which is actually not required.
Questions towards the STATE GOVERNMENT :
1. When they know that there are thousands of people applying for thier passports in a month , why dont they recuruit few more "EMPLOYEES" so that evrything happens in time?
2. Inspite of paying good amount for everything , why is that passport office still using COMPUTER SYSTEMS OF 95 , using a very old crap Database (FOXPRO) when the technology today has improved with lot many options.Why cant they atleast change the systems in the office ? Today when i had gone for the adalat session , almost 4 SYSTEMS were crashed at a time and the whole lot of people who were waiting in the queue got depressed as everything went in VAIN.Its not just the time that matters , peoples helath condition , kind of mental tensions and physical stress that everyone undergo in passport office is RIDICULOUS.
3. BRIBE ? Why is it that everyone take bribe from people inspite of paying teh required money at the time of applying.For instance , I have paid an amount of Rs.800 towards local police men for teh verification purpose.I was actually not willing to pay this much money as bribe as its not required.Since the policemen spoke so harsh to me and said he will not be submitting my file towards the official , I had to pay.Is this the way a POLICE Should work ?I have already given a written complaint to the Commisioner of Police in gachibowli but still no Use.
4. BROKERS / AGENTS ? Is this required.Why are the passport people encouraging the BROKERS inside the office , borkers are all uneducated / uncivilised and I really dont understand why they encourage them.These brokers take a good amount of bribe ( 5000 - 10000) form people and submit the application on behalf.Why this system is encouraged.Nothing is systamatic over here in AP , and thats the reason this is happening.
5 INHUMAN ? the policemen and the officials inside the office are so inhuman that they dont even treat people as human beings.
I have decided to take this issue legally and compensate for all the physical stress and mental strain that we had gone through in getting a passport.
Legal implications will be charged on the following points mentioned below:
1) 4 months baby got aborted because of all the physical strain and mental stress
2) Missing an onsite opportunity offered by the company which could have helped her in closing her loans ,
3) Delay in the issuance of passport within the SLA in spite of having all the relevant information.
4) Tampering the Status information on the online inquiry system.
5) Waste of time and money spent in inquiry and ADALAT for getting details.
I hope Atleast after reporting this I will get my passport.
Hope you can understand the situation and help me in publishing this issue in your newspapers. This is not just the plight of me .I am writing this for the sake of my county men who have undergone similar pains. Also I request that the system should change and be easily accessible to common people with better benefits.On the whole , this hsould become more systamatic and its the governments duty to take care of all these.I dont understand why no one take an action / step to improve these.
Yours Sincerely,
Soumya Anant
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