Why Orlando’s WiFi Program Failed
Those who read about how Orlando shut down their free downtown wifi should know that this isn’t a story about how wifi failed, but one about the reality of what the city of Orlando is. I used to have family that lived outside of Orlando for many years and on my visits there it was unquestionably clear that downtown Orlando was dominated by banks and office buildings and was anything but a livable city. City officials have been trying to change this situation for ages so that the city isn’t so devoid of life, but the reasons for it’s current state of lifelessness can be seen in stories of both politics and economics, a situation that a little free wifi certainly wasn’t going to change.
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Comments (2)
Fight Mediocrity!
i agree with you whole-heartedly. as a transplant from florida (i grew up in jacksonville and lived in both tampa and orlando for much of my adult life) i can say that a culture of city living, density, etc is not what is most important to floridians.
this even goes for those northerners who move to the sunshine state. people in florida want cheap land, and lot of it. they want the suburbs with their gated communities and broadband connections from time-warner. free wi-fi downtown didn’t work because those people downtown who would take advantage don’t have the money for a home much less a computer.
there is much more that needs to be fixed before free wi-fi can be rolled out.