iSean

free wireless for 900 sq. miles

Every home, school and business within the 910 square miles of Oakland County, Mich., will have mostly free wireless Internet access by late 2007. That’s approximately 1.2 million people from 500,000 households and 30,000 businesses in 62 cities, villages and townships. But users are in for a surprise if they think their online activities will be automatically protected from bots, spyware, worms and the cyberthieves who control them.

“Because it’s free and widely available, that means it won’t have encryption and other traditional security,” said Scott Oppmann, the county’s application services manager and the man in charge of the wireless project.

This will at least be the case for the free service being offered at the lower bandwidth. Those willing to pay for higher-end service could receive extra security.

wow, i hadn’t heard about this project, but i think it’s great to hear of something like this happening in michigan (that’s where i live, fwiw). free wireless internet to whole communities. and, regarding the security issue . . . duh, use a Mac. ;~)

this is really just for oakland county (near Detroit), but i have really worried about the big Internet companies (e.g., Comcast, SBC) squelching this type of service in many states and michigan has popped up as a state going through this debate. so, seeing this one get under way is a nice sign. and, seeing it offered for free is beyond just a nice sign. kudos to Oakland county. i can think of many businesses who could benefit greatly from having this service. if i was a small business or large business, i’d have to seriously consider locating my offices inside of this free wireless umbrella. that could be a huge savings.