As of yesterday, Portland is officially has free wifi available in areas near downtown. Users only need look for the "MetroFi" signal, login, enter name/email, and whalla! You've got internet speeds up to a respectable 1 Mbps! The only downside is users will be subjected to banner adds in the top of their browsers which will help fund the project. The other fiscal benefit is the ability to save on parking meter fees by not having to pay fees for each individual transaction.
It must be noted that this was an uphill battle with ISPs and there was a solid resistence but in the end it looks like the citizens of Portland have won the battle for municipal internet. Comcast was not available for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment