I need to invest some additional time in the topic of "free" municipal WiFi. A few of the possible principles involved:

1. Will such networks turn into government-granted monopolies along the lines of cable TV and telecom? It's possible, perhaps even likely, particularly as terms such as "public utility" continue to be attached to the concept

2. It definitely provides a "free" (in some cases, tax-supported) service that will be good enough, I predict, for a significant slice of the market, thus reducing the incentive for creating the next generation of ubiquitous broadband Internet access.

Again, though, this topic requires more thought. It bugs me on a fundamental level; I'll need to do some digging before I can identify precisely why...