Tech, Telecom Giants Take Sides as FCC Proposes Large Public Wifi Networks
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has proposed a plan which would provide super-strong public Wifi, free to all users. This move is compared to the opening up of free radiowaves in the 80's, after which many new innovations like garage door openers and baby monitors were created depending on that technology.
While it seems like better public wifi would be a good idea, I would highly question how much such a plan would cost and how sustainable improvements would be (as the Intel spokesman says, it disincentivizes private investment then in this field). I think the cost of such a program would probably outweigh the benefits, though no specific figures are provided in the article. Private companies are already investing a lot of money into such efforts; it's not like they're not happening without the federal government's help. I don't think this would be an efficient use of federal dollars.
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I think this is really interesting. Today, millions and millions of people use wifi for their phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs (?). It would be interesting to see how well this plan would work out, but I see where Grace is coming from. The federal dollars are not just made (even though our debt gets higher and higher), but the money could be used better. If we dug our country out of the debt and into having a surplus, I think this would be a good idea to try.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good idea we could try at least on a smaller scale in a single city to start with at least. I'm sure opening up radiowaves in the 80s seemed like it would cost more than it was worth but there ended up being consumer products that made up for the investment so I think that the same would probably be the case here
ReplyDeleteI think this idea could really benefit our nation, however, there are more pressing needs for national funds. If we can make this a worthwhile investment, though, I'm all for it!
ReplyDeleteIt would cost a lot of money, but it would benefit our nation. It would also create jobs. I do agree that there is more important issue that need our federal funds sooner.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a good idea, but it should be way way down on the to do list. Let's get some bigger more pressing issues dealt with before something that is essentially a luxury is even contemplated.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this seems more like a luxury compared to other things on the long list the government has to worry about financially. But I would support trying it on a smaller scale as Jeff suggested.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure many people would be happy to have free public wifi, yet this doesn't seem like a very smart plan in that it would be a less efficient use of federal money. Unless they had some type of advertising involved when the public used it, then I don't see a way in which this would bring in any revenue.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this could benefit alot of people, but it would be really expensive. I agree with Katie that this wouldn't seem like a very smart idea of how to spend federal money. It seems like a good idea over all but there could be some downsides to it.
ReplyDeleteThe buck really isn't worth the bang in this case. While I think it's awesome that everyone gets free wifi thus allowing lesser advantaged people to be able to have access, the money is needed elsewhere until we have for sure fund such a program without digging our national debt even deeper.
ReplyDeleteI for one am opposed to making WiFi free. There are multiple companies whose livelihood depend on people paying to use WiFi. I do, however, support the whole set aside several airwaves for emergency services. Saving lives is always worth any amount of money.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting idea, and maybe it can be done on a smaller scale, but as Sam said, federal money is needed more elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAaron is right. Giving out free WiFi is not worth putting companies and their employees out of business or jobs. Something so small should not have such a huge impact.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that this innovation would make life easier for those who cannot afford to pay for their own wifi, I believe there are better and more essential issues that government can spend money on. We should cover the basics before we start worrying about wifi access.
ReplyDeleteAs Jeff and Liz have said a small scale would be the best way to test this. I believe it would be a luxury that isn't really needed but of course I would take advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteThis would be an awesome idea if it were able to be reasonably done without such a big cost. It would be a huge cost that isn't really worth it. Many people have devices that can use internet without wi-fi so I think this would be very unnecessary.
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