Chicago vs. Illinois in the Illinois Telecom Wars

Posted by Mitchell - March 10, 2005 (entry 288)

The city is abuzz with word, first reported on Tuesday this week, that Chicago is seriously considering a citywide wi-fi network, which would run afoul (or perhaps even derail) efforts underway now in Springfield to suck all the air from Illinois of state muni internet rights. There has been coverage on Free Press, Slashdot, The Register, and Muniwireless.

Big Telecom has blood on its hands and is guilty of killing past Illinois muni efforts. But the city of Chicago is 3/11ths of the population of the state, with an influence far greater than that.

This could prove to be an interesting conflict of political forces: Irresistible force versus immovable object.

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