Hartford, Conn., spends $1m on pilot program to start gapping massive digital divide: I write these words, oddly enough, in West Hartford, an affluent suburb not far from the house in which Mark Twain spent a good chunk of his later years, and an example of the massive inequality in income, quality of life, and public schools between Hartford's border towns and the city proper. The announcement of the launch of a pilot Wi-Fi network in downtown Hartford and in a Blue Hills neighborhood was above-the-fold, front-page news in The Hartford Courant this morning. (I'm not here chasing a story, but rather visiting my in-laws.)
Mayor Eddie A. Perez is building a network as one element of coping with the fact that only 25 percent of Hartford households have a computer with Internet access; 70 percent of suburb dwellers have such access. The 25 percent figure is far below the average in Philadelphia, which encompasses rich and poor alike within its varied borders.
For starters, the Wi-Fi network will be free, but will switch to 20 hours of free use per month in March to residents. Service will cost $12 to $17 per month for residents thereafter. Commuters won't get free service, but will get the resident rate. Visitors will pay a different rate, perhaps through a day pass, yet to be determined.
While municipally built networks have provoked huge outcries in the past, there's nobody lining up to beat down Hartford for this plan. But that may be because Hartford's mayor says the city will offer the limited free service at its own expense, and doesn't want to operate a retail brand, instead providing wholesale access to a network that they expect will cost nearly $6m to span the entire city. An AT&T spokesperson already expressed interest in this model.
The pilot project will encompass 5,000 homes and 75,000 people, with an additional 50,000 commuters exposed downtown. The city will sell 900 refurbished computers at $150 each, no more than one per household, coupled with a 45-minute training session. The computers will have Wi-Fi installed. More in-depth classes will be offered at libraries as the network expands.