Simi weighs its wireless options
As the popularity of wireless Internet soars, many municipalities are looking into the possibility of providing residents access to the invisible information superhigh- way far beyond their neighbor- hood coffee shops.
James Purtee, deputy city man- ager in charge of economic devel- opment, has been heading up Simi Valley's wireless services data- gathering efforts for the past year.
According to Purtee, the tech- nology of wireless Internet evolves nearly every day, making it a chal- lenge for city governments to keep up with the latest improvements affecting critical factors like cover- age, security, bandwidth (speed) and, most importantly, price.
"We're compiling all the infor- mation we can and really trying to see where this trend is going," Purtee said. "We're trying to see beyond the hype."
When Simi Valley began look- ing into the possibility more than a year ago, the dream was to offer a free citywide wireless network, one that would bring Internet ac- cess to all corners of the Simi map and serve the entire Simi popula- tion. But as Purtee and others like him delved deeper into the reality of WiFi wireless services, they dis- covered that dream was just that- a dream.
"Everyone likes the idea of cre- ating free wireless Internet, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts, it's a multimillion-dollar ini- tial expense, and operating and up- keep are both expensive," Purtee said. "Right now (the systems) that are working are either heavily sub- sidized or charging the fees people would pay to get broadband."
The key for the city right now, Purtee said, is to jump aboard the wireless train at the correct junction, when evolving technology and shifting costs have aligned to make the service economically viable to Simi Valley and its residents.
With current technology, he ex- plained, it would require a WiFi repeater every 200 or 300 feet to provide complete coverage of Simi. But a new advancement, called WiMax, can cover up to 30 square miles with just one station-the dif- ference between having to install 2,000 units, or two.
"As the technology changes, like anything with computers, it becomes cheaper to do and can af- fect a lot more people," Purtee said.
One of the more idealistic goals of implementing citywide wireless Internet is to bridge what people have been calling the "digital di- vide," the economic barrier that keeps low-income families from getting access to the infinite infor- mation available via the World Wide Web.
Large cities such as San Fran- cisco and Philadelphia with high population densities have already implemented citywide wireless, hoping they've found a low-cost solution to providing broadband access to low-income residents.
"But they still have to have the equipment," Purtee said, "so cities have partnered with other commu- nity groups to help upgrade their computers. (Simi Valley) has even done that here. When our comput- ers need to be upgraded, the old ones go out to community groups."
Though citywide WiFi may still be months away, the City Council has given its support to the project, meaning its likely that staff will find a way to get the mission accomplished.
Right now, Purtee said, he's looking into private Internet com- panies like Earthlink that might want to partner with the city in implementing a wireless network.
Until then, residents will continue to get their wireless from more than 20 WiFi locations currently avail- able in the city, including the senior center, city hall and the Simi Val- ley Town Center. (see info box)
"There are probably more wire- less locations out there than resi- dents know about," Purtee said.
WiFi locations in town
Borders Simi Valley Pizzatopia
Café Valentino Posada Royal Hotel &
Castaway S
