Long Island Business News asks if the scrappy Florida firm e-Path can build the largest municipal network in the U.S. now planned without any municipal revenue: Craig Plunkett of CEDX, a local firm, says no, and he's been building Wi-Fi networks around the area for years. Fundamentally, e-Path is trying to line up advance commitments from businesses and others before it raises capital. But they have a lot of convincing to do, I'm sure. "Hi, we're a new firm, not from the area, that's never completed a network before--we have a couple in progress--and we're pursuing a business plan repudiated by a multi-billion-dollar service provider that founded the notion of residential Internet access. How many millions of dollars can we sign you up for?"
Just two months ago, Toronto Hydro was explaining the network wouldn't expand until they topped 4,000 subscribers: Apparently, they have. On July 5, the utility's head made it sound like expansion wasn't near term. Now, he says they've blown past the 4,000 figure, have "postiive earnings" (undisclosed), and are submitting plans to expand coverage. Huh. Could just a few hundred subscribers have tipped the revenue the right way for them? It's a big change.
I just hate being the voice of doom around here, and especially when it looks like I'm refuting everything the County Exec says. I think the choice of e-Path was the correct one for the counties, because it puts no public funds at risk. With the recent muniwireless turmoil, the expectation bar has been lowered drastically, which gives these guys more freedom to put a successful plan together. The notion of a two-county wide wireless network can work, but not as a blanket of wi-fi, there needs to be a more diverse product and service mix, and less emphasis on low rate consumer access, and a very judicious use of capital in their buildout, providing they can raise the money. They also need to know the local landscape like the backs of their hands.