Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

Well, maybe. Google might want to.

From Business 2.0
What if Google (GOOG) wanted to give Wi-Fi access to everyone in America? And what if it had technology capable of targeting advertising to a user’s precise location? The gatekeeper of the world’s information could become one of the globe’s biggest Internet providers and one of its most powerful ad sellers, basically supplanting telecoms in one fell swoop. Sounds crazy, but how might Google go about it?

See article
Googlenet free Wi Fi

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

it is my understanding that these guys have been buying up dark fiber for some time now (or want to). Maybe that has something to do with it.

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

Never in a million years.

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

[ QUOTE ]
Never in a million years.

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yeah, I don't think WiFi is the best platform to use but the free internet thing could work. U'd be suprised what adds pay for...free TV, Radio....why not internet access?

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

Because it's fisically impossible to cover the entire US. City-wide wi-fi systems are going belly up left and right, and those only cost a few million to put in and administer.

Google would bankrupt themselves trying to do this.

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

[ QUOTE ]
Because it's fisically impossible to cover the entire US. City-wide wi-fi systems are going belly up left and right, and those only cost a few million to put in and administer.

Google would bankrupt themselves trying to do this.

[/ QUOTE ]

something tells me the people at google might be better at figuring this kind of stuff out than your average Wi-FI installer and city planning committee.

Re: Free Wi-Fi for everybody in America!
 

Telecom companies have been doing this for decades. They ain't close to covering the US. And believe it or not, they've got more money than Google.