On Wednesday nights I help organize the Battle of the Bands at the Patio. With 123 bands participating this year, it is quite a large undertaking. The event takes place every Wednesday night between now and September 14, and finalists will battle for $10,000 on September 28 at the Vogue.

Every week, six bands arrive at 6PM and draw for the night's playing order. So that we can widely advertise the night's lineup and set times, we take advantage of Broad Ripple's wi-fi connectivity to update the web site, post the schedule on IndianapolisMusic.net, and send out e-mail (in addition to maintaining a mobile text message list). This started last year when eWireless' free Broad Ripple hot spot was launched. It was a lifesaver, as it stopped someone (usually me) from having to go back to the office or home to take care of these tasks. I often use the hot spot to catch up on work during the Battle or look up information about conversations I had been having prior to the event.

eWireless has moved from Broad Ripple to Keystone at the Crossing in order to facilitate their growth. With their move, however, the reliability and strength of the eWireless free Broad Ripple hot spot has declined. In March, I cracked open my Apple iBook at the Patio to find only Starbuck's T-Mobile hot spot and an occasional blip from eWireless. I had no luck in connecting to the hot spot. I had work to do, so I paid for the T-Mobile day pass. I later learned that not long before, someone had hacked the hot spot. eWireless is slower to respond now that it is not in Broad Ripple.

When eWireless' offices were in Broad Ripple, the connection exceeded expectations. These days my free Internet is delivered less often than more. Luckily, as a .Mac member, I have been able to take advantage of a free 30-day trial of T-Mobile's hot spot service. This service has delivered exactly what was promised, and has now been my new reliable hot spot at the corner of Guilford and the Avenue. I was so spoiled to a local company's service that I loathe the idea of paying T-Mobile $29.95/month to receive the same service.

This brings me to another recent topic in the news - municipal wi-fi. Cities across the country are toying with the idea of implementing wi-fi mesh networks to provide free and/or low-cost wireless broadband access. Thus, there is a possibility of being able to access the internet everywhere within a city. Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country, yet ranks 46th on Intel's 2nd annual list of Most Unwired Cities. The availability of free hotspots like eWireless's coverage in Broad Ripple and downtown Indianapolis help that ranking, as do the multiple higher education institutions in town and other restaurants and cafes that offer free wi-fi. However, most wi-fi in Indianapolis comes at a cost, and is limited to hotels and other places geared to travelers and convention-goers.

There have been reports that SBC has suggested the possibility of municipal wi-fi to the City of Indianapolis. Still early in their talks, if they've even had time to address the issue, it will still be awhile, if we ever see its rollout.

Municipal wi-fi is becoming a hot topic among techies. The most watched city in this regard is Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love has plans to roll out municipal wi-fi over a 135 square mile area, but has run into some state laws with clauses that seem to be influenced by the big telcos. Philadelphia is the 5th largest US city, and ranks 33rd on Intel's list of the most unwired cities.

The possibility of municipal wi-fi opens a broad range of possibilities. If the access was free (well, paid for with tax money), anyone with a computer could have access to broadband by installing a card ranging in price from $39-$99. The load on such a network would not guarantee the same fast cable or DSL service, but it could give those with limited or no access to the internet the ability to keep up with their peers regardless of economic status. However, the requirements for rolling out such a network are numerous, and would require additional staff to maintain, monitor, and repair the network during any outages. The good news is that implementing a wide range wi-fi network is much easier than implementing traditional broadband (that is delivered via wires).

The downside is that municipal wi-fi would open the door for more government interference in how and what information we receive. Additionally, it wouldn't be long before puritans would lobby to limit the information delivered via municipal wi-fi even more. Lastly, municipal wi-fi would put the local government in the role of competitor and regulator to other telecom companies.

As a disclaimer, I have had the pleasure of working with eWireless on making a hot spot at Glendale Mall for last year's Midwest Music Summit, and they really pulled through. They worked well under the short deadline that we had, and they are truly top notch. They are also immensely pleasurable to hang out with and see out and about. My issue is not eWireless - it is their quality of service since leaving Broad Ripple.