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Saturday, December 30, 2006

City-wide WiFi for Louisville, Superior & Broomfield

A coalition of ten front range communities including Broomfield, Louisville, Superior and Boulder released a study two weeks ago regarding their efforts to bring wireless internet service to their respective towns starting in in 2007. Colorado Wireless Communities released "Municipal Wireless Broadband and the Digital Community", saying "access to comprehensive low-cost wireless broadband for residents, businesses, institutions and visitors would enhance their ability to sustain vibrant communities and preserve/improve the quality of life."

According to Colorado Wireless Communities website, users of the network will pay the WiFi provider for service. "No taxpayer dollars will be used to build and operate the network. The network will be built using a model where a WiFi provider with the best proposal for the region will be awarded the contract to fund, build, and operate the network."

You can find several documents with information on this project on Colorado Wireless Communities website and you can listen to an interview about this on Colorado Matters.

I wrote earlier about Longmont's WiFi system already providing free (for now) service in that town. So how about Lafayette and Erie? (And Boulder seeing Longmont pull this off before them? Sure, the Pearl Street Mall has wireless, but still...)

Ubiquitous WiFi access will soon become another key community characteristic much like quality of schools and good transportation systems to attract and retain employers and residents. The CWC effort is a smart move for Louisville and Superior.

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