The Broadband Militia Download PDF

A new breed of underground Internet entrepreneurs could end the recession. If only Washington would let them.  

On a recent crisp sunny day in Manhattan, I strolled up to a faded wrought-iron bench in Tompkins Square Park, flipped open my new Sony Vaio laptop, and as I sipped a cappuccino, began downloading my email. While new messages zipped into my PC at speeds many times faster than a dial-up connection, I scanned the day’s headlines on CNN.com, then clicked over to E*TRADE to eye the market. In a handful of New York City’s parks, coffeehouses, and other public areas, many are doing the same: getting online, surfing the Web, and checking email. And, like me, they’re doing it wirelessly. What’s more, they’re avoiding the aggravations typically associated with getting high-speed Internet: no more waiting months for DSL providers to switch on service or for cable providers to upgrade your building. Wireless broadband is happening now, and best of all, it’s free. Continue reading →