18th Aug 2003
Free Wifi, or I Fly
The September 2003 Wired mag has a little blurb about
free Wifi in certain establishments, such as Schlotzsky’s Deli.
And I say: Go Schlotzsky’s! (even though I don’t live near one)
In my area, there’s a local coffee house across the street from a Starbucks. I
can sign up for “Sip N Surf” for access in the local place, or I can go to Starbucks and use T-mobile.
I’m not going to sign up for either! The whole notion of having to pay for access that is only usable in certain stores is ridiculous.
What about a plan that lets you roam from one WISP to another?
Know what most WISP support calls involve? Billing. Yep.
Hey WISPs: interoperate! It’s one of those “duh” things.
Can you imagine ATMs being run this way?
In the meantime, I’m going to make a point of patronizing places
that provide free Wifi access with my coffee, or books, or whatever it is
that I am buying. I’ll also make a point of thanking them.
