Municipal WiFi
Introduction
Municipal broadband are broadband internet points that offer internet services in varied portions by the local government. The most notable from of connection tools are unlicensed wireless like WIFI and licensed wireless like WIMAX as well as fibre optic. The use of the WIFI is gaining much popularity due to its high form of demand to homes and more so to businesses. This is known to be for the purpose of audio and video use.
This paper will attempt to assess the potential implications of the use of the municipal WIFI service in Bayton which is a small town with a small population size. This is in an attempt to bring about development in the city. Of key focus would be its potential to bring about investment to the city, its ability to leverage the network for the services it provides and the ability of Bayton city to offer internet access as a public utility.
Municipal Networks Bring about Investment in the Local Economies
The municipal networks have been used with the focus of attracting local employers who would move to a place that is well served by telecommunication providers. The establishment of the networks has the ability to retain present jobs. A study conducted in 2003 used to compare Cedar Falls that has the network and a close Waterloo in Iowa that has private broadband providers. This showed that Cedar Falls had a good record for the setting up of investment in 2002 which was priced at $100 million in spite of the economic downtown (Feld, et al, 2005). The place is harvesting the economic and community advantages. The significance to a community would be to acquire economic success through the creation of meaningful jobs, advancement of education and excellent healthcare. There is a growing connection between communications and productivity and economic advancement.
The overall economic inducement offered by the municipal networks goes way above the stimulation impact like what networks have in CLECs. Definitely, with the growth of the internet in public regions, it is a public incentive to attract people to local commercial set ups. The individual who uses the internet at the parks are bound to get coffee from the shops nearby and not at home, similarly one may decide to get a book from the bookshop (Feld, et al, 2005). Therefore, the municipal WIFIs are the same as other municipal initiatives modeled to attract shoppers to the place. Hence to extent the local commercial set ups it saves on cost for other areas to invest in.
Moreover, the revenue acquired is used locally. As opposed to a network used by a company that is far, the call centers, local networks and commercial set ups get the advantage of bringing about more jobs and improving the local tax revenues.
The Municipal Network develop the Services and Lower Rates
Privately owned firms rely on broadband services as the bottom line. If acquiring the organization’s needs is not enough to the private telecommunication organization, that community wants may not be met. These networks have been applied as the last option for rural regions. This is an issue in rural regions where there is high tariff due to limited competition. A good number of the community does not have broadband services in the US. In areas where the services are offered the prices charged are high. This is bound to be the case in Bayton city.
The municipal network, and more so the WIFI, have gotten into this situation to bring about an answer. The wireless services have been used so as to grow the services and limited consumer rates (Feld, et al, 2005). For instance, the City official will be in a good position to partner with the local ISP and wireless facilities vendor to deploy a WIFI network that reaches 26 km2 . The city’s network will be able to serve the public safety; police, fire and government efforts like meter reading. This form of association as integrated several communities.
Municipal WIFI as public Utility
Municipal broadband is a utility that is provided to the community which brings about monopoly and public satisfaction though this is not the case. The monopoly issue is absent with the WIFI. To access it is easy though in other regions it may need permission hence creating access points on telephone posts. Moreover, WIFI services are attributed to low fixed costs which attract municipalities (Cox, n.d). The actual cost may accrue in maintenance, upgrading and charges for access.
On the other hand, WIFI is not a public good, the service providers can block users who don’t pay. Firms like Wayport have subscriptions for its clients who are registered. Just like other network set ups, the cost of adding a WIFI client is limited in regard to the operation of the network.
Conclusion and Recommendation
The municipal WIFI in Bayton city is a vital utility the service brings about investments as well as leverage services in the city. However its ability of being a public utility is challenged for it may result to loss of revenue for the businesses.
The Municipal networks bring about investment those results to employment for a number of people. This aspect ought to be advanced for development to be noted. The municipal networks service and rates deployment should not be hindered as it does away with the provider and necessary competition to the private sector. They should be let and face competition from other sectors which is necessary for a healthy service provision.
A true fact is that public WIFI’s may not be able to bring about profit when it is offered directly to the clients. Clients have had the expectation that WIFI services come integrated with other services like cafes and hotels. The business have gone ahead to offer clients WIFI cheaply so as to get clients.
References
Cox, B., (n.d.). The Viability of Municipal Wi-Fi Networks. Acquired from: http://heartland.org/sites/default/files/cox_muni_wi-fi.pdf
Feld, H., et al (2005). Connecting the public: The Truth About Municipal Broadband. Acquired from: http://www.freepress.net/files/mb_white_paper.pdf
