Municipal Wi-Fi Dreams Persist

Ahumanright.org will buy, re-purpose satellite

(NEWSER) - One NGO has an ambitious New Year's resolution: to reconfigure a commercial satellite in order to offer free, low-speed wireless Internet to poor parts of the world. Ahumanright.org , a Berlin nonprofit, has placed a bid for TerreStar-1, a communications satellite that belongs to a bankrupt company. From TerreStar's perch over Papua New Guinea, the organization plans to offer wifi to portions of South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia, and Polynesia. More»

Coffee shops shouldn't feel like cubicle farms, say owners

(NEWSER) - California's coffee shops were pioneers in providing free WiFi, but a growing number are starting to pull the plug. Some complain that laptop users taking up space and nursing a single drink all day are killing profits, while others want to keep a friendly vibe in their establishments by having customers spend their time talking, not typing. Owners say they've received plenty of compliments from customers happy to have a space where they won't get distracted by the Internet. More»

Australian company revives 3-year-old plan

(NEWSER) - A plan to bring cellphone and wireless Internet service to New York's subway is set to start after years of delay. The $200 million project was hobbled by the recession but has been made viable again by a large financial commitment from Broadcast Australia, Bloomberg reports. The firm bought a majority stake in Transit Wireless, the group of phone and construction companies that took on the contract. More»

Expert tips for using free wireless without irritating others

(NEWSER) - Now that Starbucks has free WiFi , nothing's keeping you from making the local branch your away-from-home office—except perhaps money and social conventions. Om Malik of GigaOm , a successful startup that incubated at a Starbucks, offers some pointers:

• Buy something: And not just one tall black coffee per 8-hour shift—"at least three times a day."

Unlimited Internet access comes with new content system

(NEWSER) - Starbucks will offer free unlimited Wi-Fi at its company-owned stores starting July 1. Battered by the recession and the successful challenge mounted by McDonald's, the coffee giant will also plug its customers into customized content—including free access to pay sites like the Wall Street Journal's, Frank James blogs for NPR . The goal is to draw users in and keep them around, notes the LA Times . More»