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Grand Rapids may be added to the growing number of communities with citywide wireless Internet service.
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The city plans to spend $19,000 to develop criteria for building a network that could blanket the entire city.

If successful, the project could dramatically lower the cost for city residents to get high-speed Internet connections while playing into Gov. Jennifer Granholm's "Cool Cities" initiative.

Earlier this year, Ottawa Wireless unveiled what it called the first citywide wireless system in the nation in Grand Haven.

That service now is approaching 1,000 regular users, said Tyler Van Houwelingen, Ottawa Wireless' chief executive.

Such WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) networks can compete against wired dial-up or broadband Internet services on desktop, laptop and handheld computers.

The wireless project has become a high priority for Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, who formed a task force earlier this year to study the issue.

Having citywide technology infrastructure such as a wireless network is important to attract and retain businesses and young people, Heartwell said.

"The cities that thrive these days are cities that stay ahead of the curve where local government and the bureaucracy of city hall breaks out of the old patterns of waiting for someone else to do it."

Grand Rapids' Downtown Development Authority, which Heartwell sits on, agreed to pay one-third of the cost of the fee to study the issue. Recent changes in state law allow DDAs to spend money on Internet services.

General city funds and the city's Smart Zone Authority are expected to pick up the rest of the tab.

The Community Media Center is in line to get the no-bid consulting deal thanks to Executive Director Dirk Koning's knowledge of such networks.

Koning said the potential impact of such a network could change the way the city communicates more than the widespread adoption of wireless telephones.

"I think it's got fantastic potential," he said. "It's not that uncommon. It's a progressive move on the city's part to assess the community's interest."

A citywide wireless system could bring a lower-cost option to the region's broadband Internet market because such networks generally cost far less to deploy and maintain than wired ones.

Emerging wireless technology standards, such as Intel's WiMax, offer the potential to make the creation of large wireless networks even cheaper.

Cable television provider Comcast provides high-speed Internet in the region for prices starting at $43 a month with a cable television subscription.

Other companies that provide phone-based digital subscriber lines currently dominate the market with services that typically start at $25 when bundled with other services.

In Grand Haven, Ottawa Wireless' rates start at $20 to a month, although customers also can buy a daily pass for as little as $6.

Downtown Grand Rapids already has a number of independently operated free WiFi "hotspots" at places such as Rosa Parks Circle, Four Friends Coffeehouse and It's a Grind Coffee House. Downtown-area college campuses also provide wired and wireless high-speed Internet services to registered students.

Koning said a major goal of a city-backed wireless network will be to ensure all neighborhoods have equal access to the system.

While a private operator or public-private partnership is likely to end up building and owning the wireless network, the goal is universal service just like any other utility.

"If the city approached electricity or water or sewer or roads in a totally open environment, it's not necessarily going to benefit all of the citizens as well as if there is a little bit of structure," Koning said.

Copyright © 2004. The Grand Rapids Press.