When discussing the state of municipal Wi-Fi in Philadelphia, the conversation is almost always about whether or not Earthlink is going to hold up its end of the deal and build out the system. (That seems unlikely in the face of their recent Philly no-show.) However, The Ethos Group has taken a broader view of Philadelphia’s municipal wireless system. They’ve published a 64-page report (pdf) which reviews the entire history of the system.

“This report examines how Philadelphia’s municipal wireless initiative helped shape the national debate regarding the need for public broadband infrastructure and the impact the project’s successes and failures had on the local community. The Philadelphia story holds numerous lessons for decision-makers and regulators and is a powerful tool for understanding the interactions between network implementers and the constituencies these networks are supposed to serve.” ...

For more on this story, please click here. New America released the report titled, "The Philadelphia Story: Lessons from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer," at an event on December 11.

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