Interesting piece in the Washington Post about the building of a citywide
wireless network in Washington, D.C., but there is concern that by
contracting the development work to a private company, that company would be allowed to decide which sections of the
city to build the infrastructure in, as long as it provides free service to low-income residents. So, it could come to
pass that even if a citywide network launches in D.C., there still could remain a digital divide between residents--in
fact, it could become a digital chasm that may never be closed.
Since the city is looking to get companies to foot the entire bill, it has to do everything that it can to insure that residents who live beyond the monuments and federal buildings have as equal a chance to access the network as anyone else. If you're going to give the keys to your car to a private company, that doesn't mean they can go anywhere they want without some inherent responsibility. Free may be good in some instances, but remember you get what you pay for.
