EDITORIAL – Wi-Fi beneficial to Downtown, if done right

Though far from finalized, a proposal to flood a 90-block section of downtown with free… Though far from finalized, a proposal to flood a 90-block section of downtown with free wireless Internet has been initiated by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. There are a number of hurdles for the Partnership to jump before this plan is actualized, but if successful, it will provide a significant boost to the city’s Downtown revitalization efforts.

Access to free, reliable Internet will certainly make Downtown a more desirable place for people to move to and businesses to operate out of. People are moving back to cities; old warehouses are being turned to loft apartments across the country. The promise of automatic Internet could prove powerful enough to entice families and young professionals who work Downtown to live there as well.

It would prove a benefit to businesses already located Downtown and to those looking to relocate. The cost of operating would be lessened, employees would enjoy much greater mobility and restaurants and cafes would be able to provide patrons with additional venues in which to work or study.

Similar networks have been springing up in cities across the country – Spokane, Wash. and Houston, Texas already offer the service. Philadelphia, too, is modernizing and taking steps to become completely wireless. Anything Pittsburgh can do to remain an up-to-date, relevant city should be done, but while this particular venture could do just that, it may not come to fruition.

There is a high initial cost for the antennae and other equipment, plus the ongoing price of providing wireless access. The Partnership still needs to secure funding for all of this, and while it hopes to line up money from private investors, charities and businesses, it may also seek government money. Pittsburgh has every reason to want this technology, but it cannot afford to push its citizens, many of whom are rarely Downtown, by increasing the occupational tax or cutting other services, like the ever-endangered bus system.

Even if the Partnership can round up enough money to raise the network, they may face opposition from Comcast, which, in 2003, invested heavily in Pittsburgh by setting up the infrastructure for broadband Internet. In Texas, major cable companies argued that such wireless networks constituted unfair competition to their own services and were nearly victorious. Comcast may feel similarly threatened, though upon closer look, they have little reason to worry.

Granted, if Downtown goes wireless, some people and businesses will cancel their current Internet service. Those moving into the area may decide not to purchase it, and some of Comcast’s network will remain unused. However, plenty of people will still want television service, and plenty of businesses may still require wired connections for their machines, all of which they can purchase from Comcast.

Downtown can house a lot more people than it currently does. If wireless Internet convinces more of them – individuals and businesses alike – to set up shop, everyone stands to benefit.