The good thing about not knowing what you are talking about, is that other people do. Which is why when one of our alert readers pointed us to an effective alternative to the top-down model of municipality-directed wireless access, we stood up (translation: shifted our butt on our chair), paid attention (stopped playing with our hair) and checked it out for ourselves (put down our cheeseburger). Meanwhile, in another part of our brain, certain organic synaptic encrypters were engaged in effectively preventing us from consciously admitting that "one of our alert readers" is really our "only alert reader" or -- more accurately -- our only reader, alert or otherwise. Note to selves: organic synaptic encrypters are demonstrably ineffective. And have the troubling side-effect of crippling our ability to speak of ourselves in the singular.
Anyway, thanks to one of our alert readers (ahhhh. There go the organic synaptic encrypters.) we humbly suggest the possibilities of a free, volunteer-based, community-driven model of providing Wi-Fi access. There's the very interesting Austin Wireless project described here. Or the geographically-proximitous Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network here.
Our personal feeling is that there is no reason such a project could not work in Carbondale. And yet, we do not share others' feelings that local government has no legitimate role in helping bring access to its citizens. Ultimately, we believe the best way to connect your citizens in the age of web-empowered democracy is to use the method that connects your citizens in the age of web-empowered democracy. Pilot project or community activism, the best solution is the right one, and not the other way around. Or vice versa.
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