About This Blog

I don't hold myself out as a Wi-Fi technical expert nor do I propose that I have all the answers regarding Wi-Fi's potential in the future of our world. I am a strategist and come to you as an assistant to cast reflection and insight onto all aspects of this subject. I have for the last couple of years used a comparison of Municipal Wi-Fi and Municipal infrastructures that have developed throughout history.

I find the comparison of a Municipal Wi-Fi system and a Municipal Road system very useful in demonstrating the importance and potential usage of Wi-Fi. Imagine for a moment that you are working with a municipal planning group ~200 years ago. Cities were developing at a rather rapid pace with the onset of the industrial revolution and roads were not being maintained or possibly had no improvements whatsoever. To keep pace with economic development, the thought of the day was that cities would need to develop road systems to allow for the efficient public transportation and the distribution and availability of goods and services.

Who would build such a system of roadways? How would they be funded? Who would maintain them? Who would use this system and what restrictions/regulations would need to be developed to insure that the system would be available for its intended use? Who would enforce these regulations? How would the system be expanded and what would trigger expansion? How would these roadways interconnect to the developing state and federal road systems and to the Railroads? When new and more efficient ways to build and surface roads are developed, how can existing roads be brought up to date using these new methods?

Some very large successful municipalities that were early adopters of an organized transportation system and smaller cities that were probably slow to adopt or left out some of the necessary components. Without our transportation system, economic development and our quality of life would have been severely and negatively impacted.

We are at a point in our development that wireless data or Wi-Fi has become a necessary part of our well-being and a prerequisite to our future development. Many cities have already recognized this and are working to develop systems. Other cities are exploring the possibilities while many have not yet pondered the thought (wonder where they will be in 200 years). The debate is underway between forward thinkers and those who don't want to be bothered, both sides being equally important in the planning and development of Municipal Wi-Fi systems.

Each week I look forward to bringing you another thought provoking chapter in this developmental process. And, more importantly, to spend time each week learning from your comments, questions and suggestions.