chrisurban.com

Here we are, one week away from EarthLink pulling the plug on the Wireless Philadelphia Wi-Fi network, and we have not seen or heard anything further about it since the original announcement. Will some non-profit org come to the rescue? Will Gov. Rendell broker a deal? Will the city of Philadelphia sue Earthlink to keep its equipment in place?
What I find interesting is that Earthlink claims there’s 5,000 paying customers (I’m one of them). If we’re paying $20 a month for wireless access, that’s $100,000 a month, or $1.2 million a year. What exactly are the costs of maintaining the network, or more specifically, what are the top line items in maintaining the network? Staff, backup equipment, replacement equipment, utility bills? If securing customers is the issue, why not offer a cheaper rate to get more people to sign up?
I’m waiting to hear if Greg Goldman makes any sort of last-ditch announcement, or will this whole thing quietly fade away without even a whimper? And what about the free-to-the-public areas around Center City, do those get dismantled as well? Isn’t anyone else aghast at this prospect - not having free wifi around the Convention Center will be a major hassle for conventioneers, let alone the service it provides to center city tourists and residents.
Let’s hope we see something come up in the next few days….