Free as the air
Published: 04 Aug 2005 13:00 BST
Freedom is a precious part of Bostonian tradition — unless, that is, you've grown used to charging. The spat between Continental Airlines and Boston Logan International Airport is simple: Continental provides free Wi-Fi access in its frequent-flier lounge, while the airport charges all comers $8 a day for similar privileges.
The airport wants Continental to stop — the signals are a 'potential threat to public safety' — unless the airline agrees to use and pay for the airport's own wireless system. Whereupon the potential threat disappears. It's amazing how eight dollars buys you a revocation of the laws of physics.
The episode illustrates many facets of the interplay between commerce and technology. The airport is using security and unfocussed fear as the thinnest of excuses for greed-fuelled control freakery; this is a tendency that needs to be slapped down wherever it surfaces.
Elsewhere in the US, other reasons have been given to argue that free wireless access is wrong. The city of Philadelphia is building a municipal Wi-Fi network: the telcos have organised against it and are trying to get publicly-owned wireless networks outlawed. Their thinking is tortuous: it's too difficult so it won't work; even if it does work it'll reduce competition by providing more alternatives; and even if that's wrong there's no need for it because people have enough choice already. Presumably, wireless signals in Philadelphia don't interfere with police walkie-talkies.
This all stinks of desperation. The technology of wireless access is following the same pattern as everything else cast from silicon: more and more functionality at less and less cost. Frightening for people dependent on old business models built around scarcity, fantastic for the rest of us. Or it will be, if we're allowed to enjoy the potential of such systems.
Fortunately, technology will win. Even if the various antiquated business interests manage to force people to pay for this particular flavour of freedom, they'll have to deal with future inventions such as mesh networks — where there'll be no infrastructure to regulate — or wireless systems that can cover a city from a single base station which anyone can afford.
The only way to prevent users doing what they wish with technology is to institute a dictatorial, stateist regime where everything that is not permitted is forbidden. If there's any 'potential threat to public safety' in the machinations at Logan, it is this sort of thinking. Even if their greed doesn't permit them to stop, those who fight against progress and freedom should at least have the good grace to feel ashamed.
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How do you secure a wifi network in a city the siz... Stephen Donato -
Even if the terrorists use Wi-Fi to co-ordin... David Wright -
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It's amazing that they are trying to pull thi... Anonymous
