Bradley University, City of Peoria, Muni WiFi

What Bill Dennis dreams about at night

13 Comments

Actually, I have no idea what Bill Dennis dreams about at night — nor do I want to know — but I found this video about Peoria Wireless on YouTube and it immediately made me think of Billy. It’s a project that was done at Bradley University and uploaded to YouTube by our old friend Kevin Reynen, and it presents a utopic vision of what Peoria could be if only we had citywide WiFi:

13 thoughts on “What Bill Dennis dreams about at night”

  1. Starring some of our very own Iona Group employees. Brings a tear to me eye. I don’t know… I go back and forth on this topic. After hearing some of the advocates for Peoria Wi-Fi, it makes sense to me. I think it should be handled as a public utility though. I think we need to recognize that this could actualy be a plus for Peoria and not a fringe movement. Singapore just became one big “hot spot.” Maybe a little forward thinking on our part could benefit. But I agree this video does seem a bit utopic.

  3. I often dream that I am in my car driving through cities I don’t know to get to a new home or apartment buildings, which I explore for the first time. They are invariably large, old homes in older neighborhoods. It’s a recurring dream. I have no idea what this dream means. I’m sure it has something to do with sex.

    I don’t dream about wi-fi. I also don’t dream about blogging, per se. I often dream that I have some task to do and I can’t get my computer to work.

  4. Pingback: The Peoria Chronicle looks at Muni Wi-Fi and finds a utopia » Peoria Pundit

  6. Although I would like to see Peoria get muni-wifi, the video shows the really ugly side of it. Everyone walking around with their head down, looking at a cell phone, blackberry, video device, interupting their lunch or the person they are talking to, etc. How great is that?

  7. Interesting also that the video was posted by our favorite trail freak.

    I wonder if Bradley GCC and/or Bradley management has authorized this kind of activism under their aegis?

  8. Vonster, stop spreading misinformation. Most muni-wifi projects are corporately funded. They operate similar to cable monopolies, where a certain ISP is given a franchise to operate a blanket wireless network across a certain jurisdiction, but that ISP pays for most or all of the infrastructure and operation. I’m not saying it’s the perfect arrangement, but it sure beats letting the gov’t run things!

  9. Gee, Ben. How will Peoria Heights for example control the franchised operation of WiFi nodes sited in Peoria but with ranges reaching deep into the Heights?

  10. There does seem to be a conflicting story here. The video put out by Peoria Wireless implies that anyone — even visitors to Peoria — can hop on the internet and see what’s happening around town. Yet, to be profitable, a corporate/franchised WiFi would need to be secured and available on a subscription basis. So, I’m not sure what the business model is based on what Ben has said.

  11. Where’s Anon??? He should be all over this post. He slams muni Wi-Fi on every post he makes.

    I think municipal Wi-Fi is necessary infrastructure to remain competitive in the modern economy. Wi-Fi access to the internet is an essential artery of commerce like roads or rail service – not just a nice perk like a hike & bike trail.

    As for the business model in play, cell phone companies have contracts with other providers to insure seamless coverage when their customers move outside their service area. I’m sure Wi-Fi providers could make similar arrangements.

  13. Ben: Thanks for the link. I put it in your original comment and deleted your other two attempts. I have no idea why it didn’t let you put in a URL in the first place — I’ll see if I can fix that.

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