Philly gets closer to citywide Wi-Fi
Citywide Wi-Fi in Philadelphia inched closer to becoming a reality this week.
On Thursday the City Council unanimously voted to pass a bill that will allow EarthLink, the contractor building the wireless network, to deploy wireless radios on utility poles. The bill made it out of committee last week. Now all that is left is the final approval from the mayor . Construction should begin next month.
The network, which will blanket 135 square miles with high speed wireless Internet access, is expected to be fully deployed by the third quarter of 2007. EarthLink plans to test the technology in a 15-square-mile area for about three to four months before it deploys it throughout the city.
EarthLink plans to charge residents about $20 a month for service. Low-income households will pay $9.95 per month. EarthLink has also agreed to lease capacity to other Internet service providers, so they can also offer service.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
