Should Local Governments be Obligated to Secure their Public Wi-fi Networks?
Does your city or county provide free wireless networking for its citizens (and perhaps for anyone else who is within range of the access point)? More and more local governments are doing this now. Some have implemented city-wide wi-fi coverage, turning the whole town into one big, happy Internet caf. Others offer wireless hot spots at specific locations: city hall, the county courthouse, the library, the community center, parks. Some cities treat wi-fi like other public utilities. They buy bandwidth and resell it to citizens much as they do with water or, in some places, electricity. Others offer it as a “free” service, with the cost coming out of the entity’s budget. A couple of years ago, I wrote here about the trend and asked whether readers thought this was something that should be funded by taxpayer dollars. A lively discussion ensued. Today I want to go beyond that question; like it or not, these “free” networks exist. Now my question is whether the local governments that sponso
