This forum has been talking about this for a number of years. Here is a channel 8 story...
http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0107/392297.html
http://www.investor.reuters.wallst.com/stocks/company-profile.asp?rpc=66&ticker=VZ
quote:
On April 13, 2005, the Company completed the purchase of all of the stock of NextWave Telecom Inc., whereby it acquired 23 PCS licenses. The licenses cover a population of approximately 73 million and will provide spectrum capacity in markets, such as New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C. and Detroit, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Verizon Wireless just recently (last few weeks) got their towers up and running in Tulsa; they simultaneously rolled out their wireless broadband.
(disclaimer: I'm a former employee of VZW)
Let's spearhead this effort. Free wi-fi throughout Tulsa would be an obvious functional asset. And, promoting the effort could improve the national perception of Tulsa. Let's be on the cutting edge for once.
Expect Cox Cable and AT&T to stop at nothing to bury that idea.
http://www.eweek.com/category2/0,1874,1755892,00.asp
Never had much luck with the wireless type of internet. Too many other devices that share the same frequency, Micro Wave Ovens, Wireless Phones, Alarm Systems and more.
Have tried to connect in over a dozen hotels and motels that claim to have wireless.
Best luck I have had is at hotles and motels that have a wired connection. Those are typically 90%
Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn and others offer hard wired service that actually works.
I use wifi all the time. Interference is a big issue. It uses a horrible frequency (2.4Ghz for 802.11b&g) to overcome interference.
Speaking of free wi-fi, check out: http://www.tulsafreewifi.com/
It lists many places in Tulsa with free wi fi.
Okay, . . . I hate to be the cynic here, but there is no such thing as "free wi-fi." What it means is wi-fi where somebody else pays. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Soooo, who's gonna pay?
Likely the City. However, the maintenance costs are very small once the network is setup. A smart system would limit the bandwidth per user so larger businesses would still opt to use paid-for access.
Not entirely free, but more free than before [;)]
AT&T Inc. said Wednesday it will make its 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots free to nearly all of its broadband Internet customers starting early next week.
Only subscribers to AT&T's premium broadband services previously had free access to its hotspots, leaving out the majority of high-speed users, who have the 1.5-Mbps service.
Now, more than 10 million broadband customers, most of AT&T's high-speed Internet subscribers, will be able to use the hotspots free of charge.
Most Wi-Fi hotspots _ in restaurants, airports and other public places _ charge daily or monthly fees for access.
AT&T wireless customers who use Apple Inc.'s iPhone currently must get a Wi-Fi package to use their iPhone at AT&T hotspots, but they now can use their iPhones at hotspots for free if they are AT&T broadband Internet subscribers.
San Antonio-based AT&T also said Wednesday that it will introduce a faster broadband service that can send data at up to 10 Mbps. The service, at $55 per month, will be available only to customers of its Internet Protocol-based television service, U-verse.
I have a wireless network at home. Only other time I've tried Wi-Fi was on the Monday after ice hell hit Tulsa. Much as I loathe them, the Starbucks at 51st & Harvard was one of the few places with internet & power.
The reception was crappy and I think I was actually on a wireless connection in the Country Club Plaza Building most of the time.
I was not impressed to say the least and don't see how the ice played into that considering there was power.
If you have interference issues with WiFi in your home you need to try a couple of things:
First go into the config for your router and change the channel it is broadcasting on. You typically have a choice of Channel 1 thru 11. Play with the channel selection and see how you do.
Secondly try loading the DD-WRT firmware onto your router. It is an opensource linux based firmware that unlocks a lot of your router's "hidden" features. One of those features is the ability to increase the broadcast power of your router.
Finally if those things don't help then go by a new 5ghz wireless router.
One other thing to remember is to mount/place your router at the highest point possible. Most people tend to just have them sitting on their desks, which is really a horrible location. The higher the router the better reception will be thru your house.
quote:
Originally posted by Publius
Okay, . . . I hate to be the cynic here, but there is no such thing as "free wi-fi." What it means is wi-fi where somebody else pays. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Soooo, who's gonna pay?
Uh Oh! I'm sensing another tax increase!
quote:
Originally posted by Publius
Okay, . . . I hate to be the cynic here, but there is no such thing as "free wi-fi." What it means is wi-fi where somebody else pays. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Soooo, who's gonna pay?
Advertising?
quote:
Originally posted by we vs us
quote:
Originally posted by Publius
Okay, . . . I hate to be the cynic here, but there is no such thing as "free wi-fi." What it means is wi-fi where somebody else pays. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Soooo, who's gonna pay?
Advertising?
People who are willing to pay for higher than whatever baseline speed is provided for free. (I would think 128k to 256k would be sufficient for that)
Maybe some "brought to you by"s paid for by a nearby business when you first connect would also be helpful.
A citywide wifi network doesn't have to cost a ton of money on an ongoing basis. An employee or two, a couple of servers, and some Internet access is all that's required. Perhaps some pole rental would be needed in some areas of town. The hardest part is getting the initial installation done. That's where a relatively small amount of public money would come in handy.
Mayor Kathy Taylor on Thursday announced a new initiative to bridge the digital divide.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081030_11_Thec366672
The three-tier "Bring IT Home" program is a partnership between the city and One Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that uses technology to help low- to moderate-income families improve their lives.
One Economy is working to identify underserved areas of the city to establish free wireless internet service to about 700 households, along with providing them access to affordable computers.
I use wireless all the time. When traveling I have never had a problem connecting or staying connected, this includes trips to Kansas City, several Texas locations, Vicksburg, MS, the panhandle of Florida. And most of those were hotel free wifi connections. I have used the tulsa free wifi locater to go for coffee. If Tulsa goes free wifi then I am for it.
I never have any trouble at the hotels we go to. Mainly Hilton, Embassy and Marriot.
I received an email and txt message from AT&T just yesterday saying that since I have an iPhone that I can use any att wifi hotspot for free. I won't necessarily need or use it that often, but its nice to know it is there. I am not usually the coffee shop type person.
quote:
Originally posted by patric
Mayor Kathy Taylor on Thursday announced a new initiative to bridge the digital divide.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081030_11_Thec366672
The three-tier "Bring IT Home" program is a partnership between the city and One Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that uses technology to help low- to moderate-income families improve their lives.
One Economy is working to identify underserved areas of the city to establish free wireless internet service to about 700 households, along with providing them access to affordable computers.
Someone else beat me to it...
Why the hell am I paying for someone else's internet?
WOOT FOR A SERVICE THAT I SUBSIDIZE BUT GET NO BENEFIT FROM.
i see, so in otherwords city wide wifi = free wifi in north and east tulsa.
sounds like taylor is sold hook line and sinker on Obama's redistribution of wealth.
Apparently some posters in this thread have a reading comprehension problem here. This non-profit is paying for Internet for some folks, not the city.
quote:
Originally posted by nathanm
Apparently some posters in this thread have a reading comprehension problem here. This non-profit is paying for Internet for some folks, not the city.
Apparently you don't know how nonprofts work, Do you think the money just appears out of thin air?
This company lives off taking government grants. Do I really need to tell you where the government gets it's money?
quote:
Originally posted by TeeDub
quote:
Originally posted by nathanm
Apparently some posters in this thread have a reading comprehension problem here. This non-profit is paying for Internet for some folks, not the city. Apparently you don't know how nonprofts work, Do you think the money just appears out of thin air?
This company lives off taking government grants. Do I really need to tell you where the government gets it's money?
I looked all over to find what government money went to this non-profit. All I find is money donated from corporations (Intel, Cysco, banks).
I found no government money while looking at their non-profit stats, even their IRS info.
I think you are either confused about "how non-profits work" or are purposely attacking this initiative for political reasons.
Free wifi for some of our residents ain't a bad thing. Communication is a positive thing.
if they city has to foot ANY part of the bill then yes they will be getting gov money. when my tax dollars are at work there is no "donation in kind" BS from the city. i get the sneaky suspicion public works will be "helping" install the APs around in the ghettos.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development is paid for by tax dollars.
Or it was last time I checked.
Freddy Mac and Fannie May are now funded by taxpayer dollars (or so the buyout read.)
Since your research didn't show any public funds, I will show you where you CAN find them.
http://www.one-economy.com/sites/all/files/report2007-low-res.pdf
I am sorry to burst your bubble. Fannie May was a shareholder owned corporation when they made those contributions. Yes, they have now been bailed out with our government dollars for their home loans program, but that doesn't mean your tax dollars went to this cause.
I admit that there is a little government money in this program after reading the link you submitted, but it has to be less than a couple percent of the entire budget.
98% of the money comes from 80 different private family and corporate foundations.
That is a pretty good return on the investment.
quote:
Originally posted by RecycleMichael
I am sorry to burst your bubble. Fannie May was a shareholder owned corporation when they made those contributions. Yes, they have now been bailed out with our government dollars for their home loans program, but that doesn't mean your tax dollars went to this cause.
I admit that there is a little government money in this program after reading the link you submitted, but it has to be less than a couple percent of the entire budget.
98% of the money comes from 80 different private family and corporate foundations.
That is a pretty good return on the investment.
what return? I havent seen any return on my tax dollar investment.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
what return? I havent seen any return on my tax dollar investment.
We pitch in a tiny fraction of the cost of this program, they provide the rest. Yes, you don't see anything back, but we get far more than we put in, which is return on investment.
quote:
Originally posted by nathanm
Yes, you don't see anything back, but we get far more than we put in, which is return on investment.
WHAT THE ****!?!?! I dont get anything, but I get far more back than I put in? That's some pretty fuzzy math.
quote:
I dont get anything, but I get far more back than I put in? That's some pretty fuzzy math.
You personally get nothing. As a member of the human race residing in Tulsa, you do. We as a group pitch in a little, and the foundation pitches in the rest.
We're contributing a small part of the cost, yet we get all the benefits.
So I pay for wireless internet that "someone" may use.
And therefore I get some benefit?
Sounds like a crock to me. I guess all the companies that donate to Oktoberfest must somehow benefit me too. Why not they are a "non-profit."
quote:
Originally posted by nathanm
quote:
I dont get anything, but I get far more back than I put in? That's some pretty fuzzy math.
You personally get nothing. As a member of the human race residing in Tulsa, you do.
oh boy! i feel washed in the waters of liberalism. somehow, I get the impression it is what getting an enema with a hot poker would feel like.
This is a national non-profit with $15 million in contributions last year. They spend only 2% on administration, spending the remainder giving out computers and free internet access to now over 300,000 homes across America.
The cost of helping these low-income residents become part of the digital society (and potential TulsaNow members) has got to be less than a penny per year per taxpayer. The children in those households will now do better in school and be more productive members of society.
Complain all you want. I think this is a great idea and I am very glad that Tulsa made their list. Having more Tulsans connected to the internet will make a better Tulsa.
quote:
Originally posted by RecycleMichael
This is a national non-profit with $15 million in contributions last year. They spend only 2% on administration, spending the remainder giving out computers and free internet access to now over 300,000 homes across America.
Wow.
Maybe you need to check your math again.
According to their 2007 audited financials from here (//%22http://www.one-economy.com/sites/all/files/AuditedFinancials2007.pdf%22) they spent $4,302,714 in salaries...
Granted that was not all "general and administrative" but it sounds like they have a great little scheme when they are using almost a third of the monies collected for "salaries."
You are confusing the numbers. Administration of the organization is 2%. The remaining salaries fall under contractors doing installation, webwork, etc.
Again, almost every penny is raised through private foundations. Why would you be opposed to this organization?
Are you afraid that these people in north and east Tulsa are going to get computer access and then effect you? Are you just upset that they live in mostly democratic areas and you want them kept in the dark?
quote:
Originally posted by RecycleMichael
Having more Tulsans connected to the internet will make a better Tulsa.
hahahaha....now I can tell you that is without a doubt BS.[}:)]
While I do believe that living in America and not in the third world you should have some benefits....
Free internet is not something I equate with a base necessity.
If you want to get a job and get internet, more power to you. If you want me to pay for it, then go dig in someone else's pocket for the money.