Akron is attempting to be one of the first cities in the nation to support a free wi-fi network downtown. There has been a good deal of buzz about this for two good reasons: one, there is a lot of buzz and support surrounding the effort, and two, this has never been successful on any large scale basis before.

Akron’s situation is very encouraging because of the two big contributors involved. The first is the John S. and John L. Knight Foundation, who has already donated $4.5M to the cause, and promises a total of $25M before completion. Taking the burden off the city budget is one of the critical factors that doomed other projects. Both San Fransisco and Chicago canceled their plans due to the large burden on city budgets, combined with the minimal return (only a fraction of the population will actually use it).

The other big contributor will be the University of Akron. As some might remember, in 1999 the University began installing one of the first-ever campus-wide wi-fi networks in the country. As recently as 2004 they were ranked in the top 10 amongst all public universities. Their willingness to open the campus up to the municipal wi-fi coupled with their experience in the field will be a great boom to getting the project off the ground. The interest generated with the student population may also help justify the capacity on the network in the early stages.

The biggest gap in the story is who the ISP will end up being. Time Warner has a complete lock on cable internet in the area, and in fact already has a deal with the University to provide low-cost access for students and faculty in the area. AT&T also has a foothold in the area with DSL service, but may require substantial investment in a fiber network to get up to the necessary capacity. I’ll stay tuned in to this one as bids start to surface.

The project, if successful, could substantially raise Akron’s standing as a tech-friendly city. Tech-friendly could lead to many things, not the least of which is luring new business to the downtown area. We could also see a birghter student population at the University, and more of them staying in town. The wi-fi network is of course a small part of Akron’s 21st century growth opportunity, but every bit counts. I for one will watch patiently and look forward to using one of the first free city-wide wifi networks in the country.

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