Crunchgear has a fawning declaration of love for DFW, where I passed through on my way to and from San Francisco not long ago.
Did he not see the "electricity vending chair" that I posted about?
Airports are generally the responsibility of governments. They maintain highways, too. We talk about an "information economy" but why are there so few on-ramps to the "information superhighway" for travelers? This is something I hope someone in Congress could make a priority...an "earmark" I could live with. Why do we let T-Mobile extort $7 people every time they fly? Shouldn't we want to make our nationwide wi-fi network as ubiquitous as our mobile network? Heck, we have mobile phone "towers" in large buildings, what's wrong with applying the same build-out to public wi-fi? Why hasn't the FCC chimed in, here?
This is especially important since some non-GPS phones (like Apple's hugely popular iPhone) can get location data by finding known wi-fi hotspots and comparing them to a map. This could be a great way for Mobile Phone providers to comply with E911 requirements that the FCC has set for them. Problems with triangulating via towers? Add some increased location functionality through a wi-fi network.
On the other hand, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA)'s Wireless Customer Bill of Rights that we discussed last week has a section that would keep states from preventing municipal wi-fi.
Maybe that will extend to airports. Meanwhile, I pay my taxes and my fees. Why can't I get some electricity in Dallas?
Also, there is actually a bill calling for a Nationwide Broadband Census which passed the House but is stalled in the Senate. Drew Clark has been a leader on this with his Broadband Census project. I can't wait to hear his talk tomorrow at Politics Online 2008 and should have a good report for you.
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