Smaller cities making public Wi-Fi work

Recent attempts to establish citywide Wi-Fi networks in a number of metropolitan areas -- including St. Louis -- have failed for various reasons. In most cases the technology companies balked at the high cost of building infrastructure cities wanted for free.

But smaller cities have been able to make it work. In March 2006, the Orlando, Fla., suburb of St. Cloud became the first city in the nation to provide its residents with free Wi-Fi. The municipality owns the system, which is operated by Hewlett Packard.

Owensboro, Ky., added Wi-Fi to the other services provided by Owensboro Municipal Utilities because affordable broadband wasn't available in the community at the time. The service isn't free, costing residents $29.99 a month. Of the utility's 25,000 electric customers, 3,009 subscribe to the Wi-Fi service.

Sonya Dixon, a spokeswoman for OMU, said the system grew quickly. "It blew any of our projections out of the water," she said.

"Being a municipal utility, we were able to keep the cost low. It was not designed with the bottom line completely in mind."

Now Owensboro residents have more broadband options than when the system was introduced, Dixon said.

Locally, Southeast Missouri Hospital and Saint Francis Medical Center both provide Wi-Fi to their entire facilities. Among the local businesses providing Wi-Fi are Grace Cafe, Panera, Buffalo Wild Wings, Barnes & Noble, both McDonald's locations, Broadway Books Roasting Co., Cozmo's Coffee & Cream and Cup 'N' Cork. Cup 'N' Cork has offered Wi-Fi since opening in September 2005. "Now people have come to expect it. It's just another little tool to get them in here," said Kim Robinson, co-owner of Cup 'N' Cork.

A number of Web sites help find a Wi-Fi hot spot. Anchorfree.com, jiwire.com and rv.net are good places to start.

-- Sam Blackwell