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The idea of a free nationwide wifi network seems like a pipe dream, but with more and more cities installing wifi networks, the future may not be all that distant. As Peter Fleck, a web consultant, discussed in my New Media Culture lecture, USI Wireless has been contracted to create a Minneapolis city-wide wifi network that will provide residents with affordable Internet service. Part of the motivation behind this project is to help decrease the digital divide.

Personally, I feel that Comcast and other like service providers are largely to blame for the current Internet digital divide. Basic high speed Internet service is somewhere around $40.00/month. Since there isn’t much competition, Comcast is justified in pricing their services as such. This is a relatively high price tag for those in lower income brackets. Since the Internet plays such an important role in the daily lives of most Americans, it is imperative that everyone is given an equal opportunity to get online. Minneapolis-wide USI wifi is a giant step in the right direction. While Fleck pointed out that the system is still a bit glitchy, now is the time to start working out the kinks.

In December, NPR reported on the FCC and Internet policy. “Ben Scott, the policy director for…the nonprofit Free Press, says Americans are currently paying more for less. Because of that, the U.S. has fallen out of the top 10 countries in the world when it comes to the percentage of households using broadband, Scott says. Just over half of American homes have it, which puts the U.S. behind Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Korea, Finland, Luxembourg, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Germany.” The article goes on to say that Comcast denies that our country lacks Internet service provider competition and. Hmmm…

Scott also goes on to say that in order to close the digital divide, the government needs to look back to the 1950s at the evolution of our highway systems. Similar to the initial investment in highway infrastructure, we need to invest in broadband infrastructure in order to continue down the path we’re on without leaving more of the nation behind.

To me, the digital divide is a problem that is often overlooked, but extremely important. With city-wide wifi success stories in the making, I feel that the United States will begin to understand the importance of Internet accessibility. President Obama has made statements that he will attempt to increase accessibility as well. The next few years are sure to be filled with changes in United States Internet policy.

For more information on Peter Fleck check out PF Hyper. To read the NPR article in it’s entirety, click here.