[MLB-WIRELESS] Is Melbourne Wireless dead?

[David Ashburner]

>These are very good questions.  We the proponents of community wireless
>networking must continually ask ourselves "why are we doing this?" and also
>ask "What attraction does wireless networking have for the average user?"

I like this question. From a personal perspective, it is scratching a 
technical itch through tinkering with relatively cheap hardware to try 
building low cost communication nodes.  As we "mesh up" I  like the idea of 
being able to connect back to my "office" from a cafe or the library without 
having to go through a fee charging ISP.  Ultimately I think we are putting 
in place infrastructure that will serve the community at large. This may be 
through establishing access points in community locations or on the roof of  
housing commission buildings (like the guys in San Diego) and makinf the 
Internet available to those who can afford it the least but could benefit 
greatly from having access.

>The main attraction of a CWN is that it is Free.  Certainly the hardware
>costs aren't free, but they are relatively cheap and are getting inevitably
>cheaper.  And these are a one-time cost, whereas ISP fees go in forever.

So, an under privileged family can get internet access through an old 
(donated?) PC with a wireless card that costs less than  $40.

>A CWN can stay within the law and still be a major benefit to the city in
>which it is located.  It can be free for personal use amongst all its
>participants, but I would argue can also supply free data services to
>non-profit and community organisations.  As Dawid Ostrowski pointed out in
>his post - public libraries could benefit.  I would also add community
>centres, charities, volunteer organisations, community legal services,
>community radio and TV stations, student unions, disability and health
>support groups, animal welfare groups - the list is almost endless.  And
>when each of these organisations adds a node to the roof of its building,
>the network as a whole expands and increases in capability.

Hear , hear!!!

At some stage  in the future if we go down this path we would need to get 
some type of direct internet access (not through individuals personal 
broadband connections) but  if we have some of the network in place and can 
demonstrate how we are adding value to the community I'm sure we will find 
sources of funding for establishing and maintaining the pipe.



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