Cincinnati, Ohio, tries sponsorship model: A small firm in Cincinnati is gathering sponsors to fund free Wi-Fi in a number of places around town. Roadrunner is handling installation. The article describes the founder calling it a public/private partnership, but it's all private businesses involved so far, although they will apparently be gaining access to public buildings and spaces to deploy the hotspots.
Henderson, Kentucky, just in time for blues festival: Downtown Henderson has free Wi-Fi at the riverfront and two parks. This allows visitors to W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival to have Wi-Fi with their ribs.
Tokyo, Japan, will have 2,200 power-line mounted access points: The Livedoor Company is setting up the network around Tokyo charging less than $5 per month (¥525) for unlimited access. Fuji Television will use the service to send video back from Tokyo locations to its studios. It commences in late July within what's described as the entire JR Yamanote Loop Line commuter train's service area by October. Lievdoor wants 1 million customers. They'll invest ¥700 million (US$6.5 million), but plan ¥10 to ¥15 billion (US$90 to $140 million) for a national service. [link via Keio Oyama]
Marshalltown, Iowa, puts out 20 blocks of Wi-Fi--first free hotzone in the state? Esme Vos writes about Marshalltown, Iowa, which is claiming bragging rights for the first free Wi-Fi hotzone offered by an Iowa city. It's a 50-50 public/private partnership behind the group that's installed the service. Businesses and government are collectively trying to make the town for attractive to development.