Town Residents Look Gift Horse in Mouth, Reject Free Wi-Fi
Apparently the citizens of Sebastopol, California know something that the rest of don't or are very fearful of new technology. Last week the Sebastopol City Council voted to back out of an agreement with Sonic.net that would have provided free Wi-Fi for the entire Sonoma County town of about 8,000.
According to mayor Craig Litwin, town residents voiced concern over possible adverse health effects from increased radiofrequency signals. He did, however, thank Sonic for a "very nice gesture."
There is really no evidence on which these fears are based. In fact, according to Sonic CEO Dane Jasper, exposure to Wi-Fi signals would be a "drop in the bucket" compared to the amount of radio signals that come from TV, radio and cell phones on a daily basis. Jasper also said that Sonic detected 25 different Wi-Fi signals already active in Sebastopol.
With wireless technology growing in leaps and bounds in both supply and demand, it seems to me that Sebastopol will be left behind if they continue to make such decisions. Either that or they will outlive us all.
[via Topix]
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25 wifi signals? That was just a one-block radius. There are hundreds of access points in the town as a whole.
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