Wi No WiFi in Chi?

Actually, we have plenty of WiFi in our meeting space (thank you Business Section!). What I refer to is the new op-ed (registration required) from the NY Times about the town of Hermiston, Oregon and surrounding environs. The city has contracted with a private provider to set up what appears to be the world's largest WiFi Hotspot -- no cost service over a 600 square mile area.

Driving along the road here, I used my laptop to get e-mail and download video - and you can do that while cruising at 70 miles per hour, mile after mile after mile, at a transmission speed several times as fast as a T-1 line. (Note: it's preferable to do this with someone else driving.)

Author Nicholas Kristof noted the irony of a rural area in Eastern Oregon pulling this off while bigger cities are still stuck in the mud. I suspect we shall see this issue (or similar concerns about next generation wireless broadband such as WiMax) coming up more and more in the next years.