The Public Isn’t Interested in Muni-WiFi

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The epic fail that has been municipal WiFi is no big secret.

Every week you can read about a project’s trials and tribulations (and them going into the toilet). Take a look at the recent shut-down of Wireless Oakland due to a lack of funds. Obviously, if they ran out of money, there wasn’t enough coming in the door, due to a lack of consumer interest necessary to make it a self-sustaining offering.

What interesting, is no one, not those trying to provide the service to those writing about the promise it holds has said the real reason why Muni-WiFi will never work:

“The Public Isn’t Interested in Muni-WiFi”

I hate to say it, but 90 - 95% of the population are not like people like me (and you). They aren’t always on. They aren’t internet feins. They don’t Facebook, Tweet or check email every thirty seconds. They want to check their personal email, browse porn, pay some bills or browse something.

They prefer “disconnected”. They want to get away from work. They think the computer is still something for geeks.

Muni-WiFi is by geeks, for geeks.

The problem is, there just aren’t enough of us out there.