Google And Earthlink Close To Getting Permission To Do S.F. A Favor

Yes, I realize that Google and Earthlink are giving San Francisco free wi-fi in order to make money through other means, but they are still buliding something and giving it away for free, which makes it amazing that two years in, they might now finally be getting approval to get started on the damn thing. Last time I checked, when someone wanted to give you something for free, even if it isn’t perfect, the price tag usually means you let them, but MarketWatch says that they are “very close” to finalizing the deal.
San Francisco is trying to join the growing numbers of major U.S. cities that make available free, and relatively low cost Internet access using Wi-Fi, a popular wireless technology. An agreement on contract terms means both sides have overcome a major hurdle after more than nine months of sometime acrimonious negotiations.
But the process is by no […]

Original post by Nathan Weinberg