Tempe Plans Universal Wi-Fi

Tempe, AZ wil offer Wi-Fi across its entire 40 square mile area in conjunction with NeoReach. The system will be available for free to city offices and vehicles, and for two hours per day in the vicinity of Arizona State University and the Mill Avenue retail district.

NeoReach will directly sell service to outdoor users for $3.95 per hour or $29.95 per month. The resellers of NeoReach access have not yet announced pricing, but Rockwell said it will be cheaper than DSL or cable Internet access. Cable operator Cox Communications Inc. charges $49.95 per month for customers who don’t get Cox phone or TV service. Qwest Communications International Inc. charges $44.99 and $54.99 per month, depending on the speed.

Tempe signed a contract with NeoReach after asking for bids — which prevented it from having to start its own utility and probably quelled potential objections to the city’s involvement in a Wi-Fi network.

Elsewhere in the nation, cities have run into heavy resistance from telecom companies, which argue that the free market should dictate the cost and availability of service.

At least 14 states have passed laws limiting municipal Internet service, and other states are expected to consider similar limits, Leanza said. Arizona does not have such a law.

Didn’t know that. The interesting angle here is the free Internet access for municipal vehicles. Knoxville has hotspots for police officers. In an increasingly connected age, the need for city workers to have Internet access everywhere their jobs take them could be a big factor pushing municipal wi-fi.

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