Accept no substitutes

Wirelessness round here

Fiona Morgan has a long cover article in this week’s Independent about local wireless access. My favorite access place, Weaver Street Market, gets great coverage (yes Jeff that’s an intentional pun).
Back in January, I noticed an oddity in an Nextel advert. Fiona uses that same oddity to begin her story.
Also of note and also by Fiona is a sidebar about a Philly-like tale being played out in the smaller town of Laurinburg, NC (16,000 and once my home) between the town and BellSouth.

4 Comments

  1. WillR

    Paul, the town’s Downtown Economic Development Corp. was really excited about expanding the coverage into the Northside/Pine Knolls area. I’m hoping that
    between the DEDC, the town (via the Tech Board suggested infrastructure), Carrboro,
    UNC and private individuals/businesses, not only will Chapel Hill be unwired by the
    end of 2006, we’ll also be pioneering lowcost communication services to all the
    underserved neighborhoods. Terri Buckner has pointed out that combined cable, telephone and ‘net access in muni-network communities can run $40 a month – quite a
    savings.

    I’m hoping the Council learns from the Laurinburg experience and moves quickly before the monopolists try to squash our initiative. Further, I hope they seize
    the opportunity that the fibre-wiring of the traffic system by NC-DOT presents us
    and invest a little so we can tag along – it’ll be one of the best investments
    the town ever made.

  2. PomeRantz

    I don’t get it. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Fiona

    Thanks for the link, Paul. And yes, I must give you props for first noticing the location in that Nextel ad. Didn’t realize you lived in Laurinburg. What do you make of that case?

  4. Paul Jones

    All I know about the Laurinburg situation, I got from you Fiona. My initial take is that this seems to turn on the contract that the town has with BellSouth. Since most of the quotes are from Cliff Metcalf who is the BellSouth guy (and until recently the vice chancellor of advancement and external affairs at UNC GA), I don’t completely get the town’s side. That said, I agree with Judge McCullough. I like the cable service analogy (without having completely thought out all the implications).

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