FloridaFuture
February 16th, 2007, 11:28 PM
:okay:
St. Petersburg gives nod to EarthLink
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 1:21 PM EST Friday, February 16, 2007
Creating that wireless broadband cloud over 60 square miles of St. Petersburg is likely going to fall into the hands of national Internet service provider EarthLink now that the city has accepted the company's proposal to provide a wireless local area network, known as wireless fidelity, or WiFi, to the city.
Getting the nod from the city council Thursday, city staff will enter into contract negotiations with EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK) that would give it access to rights of way throughout the city but which will not have any cost to taxpayers.
EarthLink said in a release that it intends to install a $6.8 million network and set aside $1.5 million more for maintenance, which the company will recover through monthly subscription rates to network users. EarthLink also is considering including free WiFi zones in public spaces and making some Web pages available for free including those of the city, Pinellas County Schools and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
St. Petersburg will become Florida's first major city to offer a wireless broadband network office and will be the site of EarthLink's Gulf regional distribution office.
St. Petersburg began looking for proposals from Internet service providers last July, grabbing the formal interest of five companies by a September deadline. That didn't stop Bright House Networks from trying to provide WiFi first when it announced soon after the request deadline that it would install its own network without having to use the rights of way.
St. Petersburg isn't the first city that EarthLink has worked with to provide a citywide wireless service. The company also is working with municipalities such as Philadelphia, New Orleans and Alexandria, Va. Earlier this week, EarthLink said Houston officials chose it to build out that city's wireless network in Texas.
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/02/12/daily59.html?surround=lfn
St. Petersburg gives nod to EarthLink
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 1:21 PM EST Friday, February 16, 2007
Creating that wireless broadband cloud over 60 square miles of St. Petersburg is likely going to fall into the hands of national Internet service provider EarthLink now that the city has accepted the company's proposal to provide a wireless local area network, known as wireless fidelity, or WiFi, to the city.
Getting the nod from the city council Thursday, city staff will enter into contract negotiations with EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK) that would give it access to rights of way throughout the city but which will not have any cost to taxpayers.
EarthLink said in a release that it intends to install a $6.8 million network and set aside $1.5 million more for maintenance, which the company will recover through monthly subscription rates to network users. EarthLink also is considering including free WiFi zones in public spaces and making some Web pages available for free including those of the city, Pinellas County Schools and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
St. Petersburg will become Florida's first major city to offer a wireless broadband network office and will be the site of EarthLink's Gulf regional distribution office.
St. Petersburg began looking for proposals from Internet service providers last July, grabbing the formal interest of five companies by a September deadline. That didn't stop Bright House Networks from trying to provide WiFi first when it announced soon after the request deadline that it would install its own network without having to use the rights of way.
St. Petersburg isn't the first city that EarthLink has worked with to provide a citywide wireless service. The company also is working with municipalities such as Philadelphia, New Orleans and Alexandria, Va. Earlier this week, EarthLink said Houston officials chose it to build out that city's wireless network in Texas.
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/02/12/daily59.html?surround=lfn