Bragging rights for a town in Texas: Tropos says that Corpus Christi's network is the largest multi-purpose such deployment in the world at 100 square miles. The network was originally envisioned for municipal purposes, like remote meter reading, but has expanded into public safety and public access. EarthLink is expected to take over operations.
Portland launches first stage of network today: The Oregonian newspaper reports that MetroFi will take the wrapping off the initial deployment of its citywide network today. The service offers free access for those willing to view ads; an ad-free service and tiered higher speeds are available for monthly charges. MetroFi will likely live or die by Portland, its first large city rollout in which the municipal authority asked for the network to be built. This network will be a very visible showcase, and the expectations will be higher in Portland than anywhere else they are currently active or building. (MetroFi has other, smaller muni-led installations, and company-driven networks, its original model for deployment.) The first phase covers downtown and the closest parts of the east side.
Grand Rapids picks Clearwire: The city council unanimously approved Clearwire as the winning bidder to cover its 45 square miles. This is Clearwire's first win to build out in cooperation with a municipal entity. The town had 47 expressions of interest, 21 letters of intent to bid, and nine proposals. Clearwire will actually pay the city $100,000 to cover the cost of running the bidding and due diligence! Among other interesting tidbits, Clearwire will offer wholesale Internet access rates over its network, something they have not tried in other markets.