Philadelphia announced today that consortiums led by AT&T, HP, and EarthLink are finalists for Wireless Philadelphia: The AP reports that the three include AT&T with Lucent and BelAir; HP with Aptilo, Alvarion, Tropos, and the generically named Business Information Group; and EarthLink with Motorola Canopy and Tropos. The winning proposal will be picked July 29 with a backup option. The contract will last seven years with annual performance reviews.
Comcast continues to think that the investment is risky and unwise. The city's CIO Dianah Neff's response? She said to the AP (which paraphrased), "phone and cable companies were subsidized for building telecommunications infrastructures — not only in terms of tax breaks, but cable companies were given a monopoly over the areas they service.