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  • From: Terri Buckner <tbuckner AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: Chapel Hill Information Technology Advisory Committee <chtechcomm AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Chtechcomm] Daily TarHeel: A wi-fi wonderland
  • Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 09:11:37 -0400

http://www.dailytarheel.com/vnews/display.v/ART/4333779f8156e

A wi-fi wonderland
Wireless internet access along Franklin Street would be a boon to both the University and town communities — and also good for businesses.
September 23, 2005

DEDC, or the Downtown Economic Development Corporation, rebranded itself as the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership on Monday. While we’re sure that the board wanted to disassociate itself from a certain Middle Eastern body of water, there are other, more pressing issues that we would like the corporation — sorry, partnership — to look at. Such as bringing wireless internet access to Franklin Street, for instance.

The partnership has talked a lot about setting up wireless in the past year but has done little to nothing so far. It’s not because there’s opposition to the plan — Student Body President Seth Dearmin told us, “Everybody wants this to happen.” The University, the town and local business owners all stand to gain. If students can do their work and check their e-mail at local businesses, they’ll spend more time — and money — on Franklin Street. A lot of students are excited about the initiative, and we can’t understand why the partnership isn’t pushing harder.

Luckily, we’re not alone in this opinion. Board of Trustee member Roger Perry and Mayor Kevin Foy, both CHDP members, called on the board to put up or shut up on the issue. Perry called on the partnership to “organize this thing, provide the seed money for this thing or quit talking about it”.

Carrboro doesn’t have as many resources as Chapel Hill, and yet it’s already providing limited free wireless access, making its sister town’s paralysis more glaring.

The partnership isn’t alone. UNC’s Information Technology Services doesn’t seem to think it’s much of a priority, either. Dearmin, who made wireless access on Franklin Street one of his campaign planks, said that “there’s been no real cohesion between the two groups.” ITS is more concerned with expanding wireless on campus and doesn’t see itself getting around to Franklin Street for “one to two years.”

That’s ridiculous, and it could be done by the time classes start next fall if someone would take the initiative and answer Perry’s call to action.

As for Dearmin himself, he admitted to us that he hasn’t been pushing very hard, either — but that he and the other players “are gonna catch up and talk.”

We hope so. But we also hope that the next meeting of the CHDP results in something more tangible than more talk.






  • [Chtechcomm] Daily TarHeel: A wi-fi wonderland, Terri Buckner, 09/23/2005

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