Comment

Comment by Louise Wu on September 24, 2011 at 7:43am

@Mark re your neighbors who don't have computers.  Because of the Hospital/U of R need to keep their hardware updated, they have tons of very new-used computer equipment that they just give away.  I have participated in one of these give-aways run through a neighborhood center in Corn Hill.  Right now there is more equipment than takers.  So the 19th Ward/SW is in a very unique position to get people supplied with computers.  It would be a very positive thing for people as far as access for job searching and keeping up with their benefits.  So it will improve the quality of life for all socio-economic groups living here.  Kids will be able to get homework help and interact effectively with their teachers, many of whom communicate and follow-up on assignments with kids via email.  Parents will also be able to check how kids are doing because the classroom teachers put completed/not completed work records on the net for parents and students.   As far as costs and funding of WIFI, we don't know that yet.  So it's probably good to reserve judgement until that is known.  Also the groups/businesses/stakeholders who would provide funding for WIFI probably wouldn't do so for code enforcement or historic preservation, which are entirely different focuses.  All funders list their priorities in their RFPs (funding guidelines published by foundations and individual philanthropists).  There probably wouldn't be a lot of over-lap with tech infrastructure and historic preservation.  So it is completely plausible that funding be sought for both.  It's not a zero-sum proposition where one issue takes resources away from another.   I understand that the communications committee has taken the WIFI idea up, so the housing committee won't have to put any more of their energy towards it.

Comment by Eleanor Coleman on September 24, 2011 at 5:30am

Great point, Mark.  It reminds me of Willie Lightfoot Sr.'s push to do door-to-door ALWAYS.  He used to refer to communication as "Land, Sea, and Air."  By that he meant, use all the tools (ALWAYS) - send a letter, make a phone call, go door-to-door. and, now, send an email.  While the Internet will definitely increase communication, build bridges, share differing viewpoints, etc. (I'm watching it happen on Location 19/SW), it will not replace the high need for building one-on-one, trusting relationships with our neighbors that is needed to secure buy-in.  AND, sometimes, when healthy communication fails, you need the hammer (code enforcement).

Comment by Mark Sweetland on September 24, 2011 at 12:52am

DeWain,

Thank you for the great exlanation.  It leads me to believe this is not an avenue that should be explored right now for the 19th Ward or SW community as there are other priorities that need funding first. 

For people with home computers, they have to pay for access anyway.  It sounds like WiFi is only a benfit to those with laptops. If they are in a zone where there is access.   Where someone pays for that access.

There is another fault with line of thinking about providing more WiFi access for the 19th Ward.

It will not increase communication to those we need to reach, as I have experienced from organizing attempts for a block club around Enterprise, Ellicott (E2 Block Club.)  Most of these people do not have computers!  Why put in WiFi for people -- useful for students or professionals -- but do you think someone is going to buy computers for the people living in poverty or on welfare who already do not have access to the internet?  These are our neighbors.  Let's concentrate on basic problems first.  I agree we should try to make the neighborhood more attractive to people with more money move in, but the first order of business is taking care of the people who live here now.  Let's do code enforcement, get houses up to code, make the neighborhood look better, then maybe more people would be interested in buying. But we have to start by fixing what we have.

 

 

 

Comment by DeWain Feller on September 24, 2011 at 12:23am

I'll provide a slightly more technical explanation.  I could provide much more detailed information if anyone really wants it (as I have a MS Degree in Telecommunications Engineering), but here is a quick overview.  WiFi is a means of making a wireless network connection.  WiFi is commonly used to connect devices that have WiFi antennas (such as laptops most laptops these days) to the device that connects to the outside "carrier" (phone company or cable company) that provides the Internet connection.  WiFi can also be used to make other network connections, such as between computers and networked printers.

I am using WiFi right now in my home to connect my laptop to my Frontier access device.  WiFi does not intrinsically provide free Internet.  It provides the connection between a paid Internet connection and wireless devices that want to use that connection.  In the case of our network in our house, we still have to pay Frontier for the connection to the Internet, but WiFi lets anyone in the house use that connection.

Some cities do have municipal WiFi systems where anyone can connect to the Internet for free.  However, the city still has to pay for a very large bandwidth (capacity) connection to the Internet through an Internet carrier.  It's like a free lunch... it can be provided for free, but someone still has to pay for it. 

The real barrier to implementing a free WiFi in the 19th Ward is not technical, but rather a matter of finding someone to pay for the cost of the "pipe" to the Internet.  The more people who use the service, the higher the capacity needed for the "pipe", and the higher the cost to the entity that is paying for the Internet connection.  It's not cheap, and we really have to think hard about what our priorities are in our neighborhood.

Comment by Gone on September 20, 2011 at 3:43pm

I agree with Eleanor.  I can sum it up as WiFi is wireless internet signal.  By boosting the WiFi presence in the area, we can increase informational access for all people, including students.  The benefits of having increased informational access means a more well-informed and connected community.  Increasing WiFi access also boosts business for places like coffee shops where students like to go and complete work.  It's a good idea, though, I'm  not sure if this is necessarily the venture the city needs to be focusing on with so many other areas of need.

Comment by Eleanor Coleman on September 20, 2011 at 6:48am

I'll give you the non-technical, she-barely-knows-what-she's-talking-about answer (which is why I wrangled John Boutet into being my Communications Co-Chair :):  It is the transmission signal that allows you to get free Internet in places like libraries, coffee shops, hospitals, etc.  Those signals only extend so far.  The UR is helping us explore having a signal that is available throughout the SouthWest so that Internet communication can be a resource for all residents.

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