A little warning here. Read this carefully, or you might misunderstand the point I'm making.
One of the latest trends is cities floating the idea of "free" wireless internet service in their community. Well, I hope you're not naiive enough to think that anything's free. My question is, how good an idea is it for governments to get involved in the Wi-Fi revolution? Is it a government function, or one better left to the private sector?
To me it smacks of fascism (I told you to read carefully). Now, Fascism is more than a word to describe the Nazis in WWII. According to the dictionary, Fascism is:
A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. (American Heritage Dictionary ) (emphasis mine)
It's orgin is actually Italian; fascismo, from fascio ‘bundle, political group’, from Latin fascis ‘bundle’. (Oxford English Dictionary). Fascism was the brainchild of Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini, who unleased the concept on the world in 1919.
Fascism centralizes power, control and competition. That's exactly how most government entities operate.
According to this article:
The creation of a city-wide WiFi system marks Annapolis' entrée into a technologically sophisticated group of cities. Cities such as Philadelphia, Houston and New Orleans also provide free WiFi access. But Annapolis' WiFi carries a distinct difference - many other cities provide the access using taxpayer funds. Annapolis Wireless, by offering sponsorships and advertising to area businesses on its splash page, is able to provide WiFi access to the public without using taxpayer dollars.
Now personally I think that city-wide Wi-Fi access has some tremendous possibilities. My problem has always been the involvement of government in the private sector. Ultimately, government nearly always avoid free market controls by manipulating the system to their advantage. No matter the cost. And generally, taxpayers get either the shaft or the bill. Amtrak comes to mind.
I think government - elected officials - should lobby hard to enter into the Wi-Fi revolution. I just don't think they should be put in charge of it.
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