Free Wi-Fi is an idea that won’t fly

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by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Saturday, 03 May 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! In a world of ever growing costs, ever changing technologies, and ever lying governments, why did anyone ever believe Premier Iemma’s promise that Sydney – and other CBDs – would ever truly get free Wi-Fi? Related stories Western Australia: Double whammy decline in smoking cannabis No more sunny days for Australian tanning industry Dell records boom growth in Asia Pac and Japan Broadcom backs 60GHz ultra broadband networking group Fixed wireless focus boosts BigAir What is it about human beings that we think we can get something for nothing? Nothing worthwhile is ever free. There is always a catch. If you are being given a free lunch, what are you giving up in return, whether knowingly or unknowingly? The tech focus in late 2006 for the Australian state of New South Wales, our most populous, was a promise of free Wi-Fi for the CBDs (central business districts) of major cities, including the world famous city of Sydney. I wrote about it back then, strongly suggesting it was just a misguided plan to keep the masses happy, and one that would ultimately be abandoned. Of course, that is exactly what has happened. But Governments fool us this way again and again. And yet, we still believe them when they make more promises, voting them in time after time. When we’ve finally had enough, we vote in their opposition, who usually end up being just as useless, if not immediately, then not too long afterwards. Let us analyse once more what the NSW Minister for Commerce, Eric Roozedaal had to say in a statement that was quoted by AAP and printed by The Age. Roozendaal said: "What's clear from the EOI is that the market believes the delivery of free wireless broadband is not practical for the government at this current time, based on technical and financial grounds.” Given the fact that Wi-Fi has been around for years, and that free Wi-Fi schemes collapsed in the US long before the NSW government hatched its free Wi-Fi plan, why did the government need to even go through the charade of getting EOIs – expressions of interest – from companies? Apparently, the EOIs told the government something that should have been obvious: "Most schemes sponsored by overseas governments have collapsed and require further funding to the tune of tens of millions of US dollars. With technology changing so quickly I cannot expose NSW taxpayers to that sort of risk.” Who would have believed it? A government minister unwilling to expose his constituents to “risk”. That would have to be a first, surely? << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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