Internet Access For All - Privacy for None

Longmont Power & Communications, the city-owned electric utility, is moving forward with a plan to provide wireless internet access throughout the entire city. This requires over 600 shoebox size transmitters, which will be mounted on utility poles. For a fee of about $20 a month, you'll be able to tap into the World Wide Web most everywhere in Longmont. MobilePro/Kite Networks is quietly hoping to have the service ready as soon as February 2007.
While the $2 million project isn't costing taxpayers anything in monetary terms, in the name of safety it will remove a bit on anonymity for those walking the streets. The city envisions having "wireless anti-vandalism cameras", which could now be placed virtually anywhere in town. We've seen how the federal government loves to keep an eye and ear on everything technology gives them access to, regardless of pesky "laws", and local officials are no less inclined to also maximize their snooping abilities.

Hello internet, goodbye privacy. Even people without computers in Longmont can feel safe knowing the internet will be watching them, instead of the other way around.

Longmonters Stirring Up Action

As has been referenced in comments earlier, there is a website called What's In It For Longmont? that focuses on the whole Lifebridge annexation issue. Details go back to April 2007. That one issue can provide the energy for so much rebuttal by one source is worthy of a story itself. Some fans of planning issues would likely be intrigued at the concurrency request of the developers - approve all exemptions in a sweeping decision, instead of individual vetting as issues came forward. Asking Longmont to pay for their $5 million firehouse? Exemptions from affordable housing requirements? What IS in it for Longmont?

That's not all that's happening in the realm of activists Longmonters.

Paul Tiger, a candidate for Longmont has recently written an article extolling the necessary virtue of recognizing you can vote, registering to vote and then actually voting. Plus his passionate challenging of a construction flagger made the Camera's editorial page, highlighting his more libertarian views regarding handgun possesion. (Update: felony menacing charges dropped; misdemeanor is the plea.)

The site Wrongmont.com continues to flare up with comments about both local and national issues. (You may have noticed occasional postings by Wrongmont on the East BoCo blog, here's the most recent.) The details to topics have become more and more pertinent and interesting, such as the Longmont 2007 election info and its subsequent link to another Longmonter's website, and his overview of the candidates in Longmont.

In today's Times Call the outgoing Mayor Julia Pirnack is on the front page describing her need to step away and "regain her faith in the public process and in people." (But holy cow I loathe sending anyone to that website...)

What else, Longmonters? Where is is the debate alive on the internet? Who you going to vote for?

Get Online in Longmont - FREE!

Longmont's plan to offer free city-wide wireless internet access has officially been revealed, although hundreds of surfers have already been using the service after finding it by chance. It will only be free for another month or so, so grab your laptop and head to a coffee shop in Longmont, and send me an email. Let me know how it works. I'm going to send a post from somewhere in the City soon. Read about it in the Daily Times-Call here.

I talked about this back in October, as there are likely to be surveillance cameras set up around town as part of the wireless internet program. My post is here from October 3; unfortunately the article explaining the snooping potential is no longer available. Coincidence?

Longmont to Brainstorm on School Improvements - Plus: Shift Happens!

There is a consistent concern that kids are not leaving high school prepared appropriately for the working world. City officials and business leaders from Longmont, the St. Vrain Valley School District, Front Range Community College as well as parents, educators, and really anyone is invited to an upcoming education summit, “Learn Today, Change Your World Tomorrow.” The summit, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 1850 Industrial Circle. Read more in the Daily Times Call.

In this month's Yellow Scene I have written about the newly created Erie High School Education Foundation, an organization hoping to improve the academic offerings to the students - and graduates - of Erie H.S. Seems educational improvements are surging in interest, at least in some places.

A scary, compelling and fascinating excerpt of a powerpoint program from a futurist called "Shift Happens" is making its way around the internet. There are powerful statistics and projections made in this 6-minute program that should make everyone over 15 years old realize just how fast and exponential change is happening. Just watch it.

Check it out here. This topic is worth way more comments than we've all had on Lowe's or pot possession.

City-wide WiFi for Louisville, Superior & Broomfield

A coalition of ten front range communities including Broomfield, Louisville, Superior and Boulder released a study two weeks ago regarding their efforts to bring wireless internet service to their respective towns starting in in 2007. Colorado Wireless Communities released "Municipal Wireless Broadband and the Digital Community", saying "access to comprehensive low-cost wireless broadband for residents, businesses, institutions and visitors would enhance their ability to sustain vibrant communities and preserve/improve the quality of life."

According to Colorado Wireless Communities website, users of the network will pay the WiFi provider for service. "No taxpayer dollars will be used to build and operate the network. The network will be built using a model where a WiFi provider with the best proposal for the region will be awarded the contract to fund, build, and operate the network."

You can find several documents with information on this project on Colorado Wireless Communities website and you can listen to an interview about this on Colorado Matters.

I wrote earlier about Longmont's WiFi system already providing free (for now) service in that town. So how about Lafayette and Erie? (And Boulder seeing Longmont pull this off before them? Sure, the Pearl Street Mall has wireless, but still...)

Ubiquitous WiFi access will soon become another key community characteristic much like quality of schools and good transportation systems to attract and retain employers and residents. The CWC effort is a smart move for Louisville and Superior.