Muni Broadband Networks: In for the Long Haul
Minneapolis, Minn.—(May 20, 2008). In a matter of days, MetroFi and Earthlink have announced they are abandoning the municipal wireless market. Both will shut down their existing Wi-Fi networks in several cities if they cannot find buyers.
The private sector has largely decided municipal Wi-Fi networks are not profitable. But the public sector has come to the opposite conclusion and is continuing to build networks. Why?