Reconfiguring public Internet access in Austin, TX: Wi-Fi's promise and broadband divides

This paper assesses the ways in which local actors are reconfiguring public access to broadband through the unlicensed spectrum. The process of adoption and configuration of public Wi-Fi networks in Austin, Texas, is the focus of our case study. Austin is one of the most “unwired” cities in the United States and increasingly known as a world-class industrial center in wireless. The development of strategic visions about public Wi-Fi services among user groups and local startups provided a fertile ground for diverse partnerships among nonprofit groups, broadband providers, wireless ISPs, and the city government. We also found that the popularity of the venue-sponsored or free-to-end-user model of access is supported by different providers that see their interests represented in the growth of public wireless broadband. However, the prevailing model of public Wi-Fi has a strong commercial bias. This, combined with the historical socioeconomic divides in the city, has resulted in an uneven geography of public Wi-Fi networks.