Fuentes-Bautista, Martha and Nobuya Inagaki (2005). Wi-Fi’s Promise and Broadband Divides: Reconfiguring Public Internet Access in Austin, Texas. The Telecommunications Policy and Research Conference. Arlington, Virginia, September 2005. web.si.umich.edu/tprc/papers/2005/445/Fuentes_Inagaki.pdf
This is a detailed study of public wireless in Austin Texas, and whether the city’s community driven initiatives are helping to bridge the digital divide (in short, they are not). The study works to understand the roles of the many players in Austin’s wireless scene – from community group Austin Wireless, to the local government, to for-fee hotspot companies like Wayport and T-Mobile.
It finds that “the legacy of anti-munitelecom laws, the predominance of the commercial, venue-sponsored model, and the lack of clear solutions to extend connectivity in low-income areas are preventing the use of public Wi-Fi for enhancing access in poorer areas of the city.” The study seems to indicate that wireless infrastructure is not an automatic fix for the digital divide, and that local government may have an important role to play in ensuring that all members of a community have access to wireless infrastructure.
The study’s methodology for surveying Austin’s wireless landscape may be a useful tool for communities who aim to understand what types of wireless connectivity already exist and where there are gaps as part of developing a wider broadband strategy.