I can't quite figure out why the news site created this map: It's a graphical way to get information about hotspots in the 30 largest cities in the U.S. Trouble is, that's stupid. First, most people need to know about hotspots where they're traveling, and "cities" doesn't include the large metropolitan areas that encompass the actual city name. Second, the list is ludicrous. Check out Austin where they show libraries, parks, and the Austin airport. Seattle, similarly silly. It' snot that they're only showing free locations; they're just showing a handful when there are hundreds upon hundreds of hotspots in each city they cover.
I don't know how something like this moves from idea into production.
(Disclosure: I have a relationship with JiWire, a hotspot directory and editorial site on Wi-Fi. I'm not involved in business decisions, but ABCNews.com could have chosen any other directory on the planet and still produced a better list than what they went with.)