Minneapolis is very bold.  It’s unclear why other major US cities are not taking such initiative, or why there aren’t national organizations being formed to figure out a viable plan.  Why should every city have to reinvent the wheel?  Portland is making considerable strides towards going wireless.  And of course, Philadelphia has been through a number.  But is anybody talking?

What Minneapolis is proposing - a privately built and operated Wi-Fi network available to every home and business - has never been done on such a large scale. And while the ownership plan may ward off unfair-competition charges from telecom companies, who bitterly attacked Philadelphia’s initial notion of a city-owned system, its feasibility rests on a business model that has yet to be developed, let alone tested.

For example, it’s an open question what the Wi-Fi owners would pay Minneapolis for access to its light poles and rooftops - or what they would charge the city to provide high-speed data streams to its police cars and firetrucks, as well as 300 city park shelters, schools and office buildings. Profitability will require widespread sales of network access - and probably of special services or content - to residential and business customers. But at what cost, and under what rules?