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Old-fashioned ISPs move aside...
Published: Thursday 10 November 2005
Should the UK offer free wireless internet access everywhere and to everyone? If one council, such as Islington, can do it, should the rest of the councils - or central government - follow its lead?
By leapfrogging the wired internet service providers, everyone could have access to the web. Surely this would be better in the long run for the majority of businesses (rather than just ISPs) and for the public. And it would be a handy way deal with the digital divide.
The internet is for everyone, not just a tool to make money for some old boys.
On top of this, it could encourage the broader take up of all sorts of technology - giving the UK the competitive edge it lacks.
The danger is if we don't follow the free wireless model, we'll be stuck with high tariffs over wired services as big, old ISPs let new services trickle out over years to come - profit margins are higher that way.
The technology is already here to beat that – but will it happen? It's unlikely considering the disjointed approach to all the UK's public sector technology.
There are some big arguments in the US at the moment with ISPs fighting with councils claiming they have undercut their business.
Who cares? The internet is for everyone, not just a tool to make money for some old boys.
The mayor of Taipei, the first city to blanket itself with Wi-Fi access, is now trying to cover the city with WiMax. Finland too has large areas covered with wireless connectivity. So why can't the UK do this?
If we did get free internet, what would the cabling companies say? Probably quite a lot but who would listen? What would the public say? "Free internet access – great – now I can cancel my £25 per month broadband account."
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