Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

That So, Rizzo?

In response to [Loose Canon, "What happened to WiFi?" Bruce Schimmel, March 3, 2005], I offer a few points about Dianah Neff's proposal for a wireless Philadelphia. The column mentioned that I "might have checked with Neff" before stating that the taxpayers could end up footing the bill on this. Neff will not answer this question of ultimate liability for business risk. Neff does not know how the system would be funded. When pressed during her testimony to City Council on March 2 about who would be liable if revenue from the wireless system falls short of what is expected or needed, she said the answer is being vetted by the mayor's office. Well, the mayor's office has been vetting the answer for months. That Neff did not come to City Council prepared with an answer highlights the apparent risks of this venture.

Cable and phone companies may lose as much as $50 million a year in revenue. As has been shown in areas such as Ashland, Ore., and Marietta, Ga., the city could stand to lose much more if the project fails. In a time when we are facing a tremendous budget challenge, we cannot afford to lose more money, and this is serious money.

Regarding the statement that "with each doubling of speed, the cost is cut in half," I point out that since 1996, cable and phone companies have spent some $90 billion to keep up-to-date. Having made investments of this magnitude-- and they are the experts — what makes Neff think that she can do all of this and stay current for $10 million initially and $1.5 million annually? It just doesn't add up.

The big costs are not Neff's initial investments; the big costs are ongoing: Building out the system, creating the necessary redundancy, maintaining the system, replacing quickly changing technology, etc. The real issue is: Who will be responsible when the system loses serious money because it is driven by a misguided and imperfect vision of supplying a need that does not exist instead of being driven by the discipline and business risk of the marketplace? There is no point in creating a WiFi presence in areas where the necessary hardware and software do not exist and cannot be afforded.

No doubt "techies" and naive politicians covet the reputation for Philadelphia being the first major WiFi municipality, but it wouldn't be responsible and it wouldn't be appropriate to proceed with the Neff Municipal WiFi Plan.

The private sector will meet — and is meeting-- the need where it exists and can be afforded, and will create the need where and when it makes sense. In her CNET piece, Neff writes, "When was the last time [local telecom carriers] were elected to determine what's best for our communities?"

They weren't. I was.

Frank Rizzo Jr.

City Councilman At-Large

Clarification

Responding to [Cover, "In the Name of His Father," Brendan McGarvey, March 3, 2005], Justice Department spokesman John Nowacki says he did not characterize where George Martorano's petition for commutation was currently located, specifically, the statement that it was on President Bush's desk. Nowacki only confirms that the petition is pending action.