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On Monday, Columbus City Council Member A. Troy Miller will introduce legislation authorizing the City’s Department of Technology to apply for a $37.9 million grant to fund the implementation of a new wireless broadband internet network aimed at improving city services and driving economic development.
An example of one type of service upgrade would be the implementation of new wireless water meter reading systems. “Currently, we have individuals who are out on foot to read water meters, “explained Miller. “This wireless system could allow us to operate a single vehicle driving down the street to collect data remotely. It would also reduce errors and help with compliance, as we could easily monitor excess usage and detect system leaks or tampering.”
Other cities have used similar wireless networks to connect everything from police and emergency services to traffic signals to transit system operations to wireless parking meters. “This network will open doors for high tech companies in Columbus to approach the city with new ideas and build applications that we can use not only in our city, but all across the country,” said Miller.
Currently, the city is focusing on a three-part plan designed to maintain neighborhood services and develop our economic future. One part of that plan is the income tax increase, but another important part is the streamlining of existing city services and operations to make local government more efficient. “This network will allow for efficiencies that we didn’t have before,” said Miller, who chairs the Administration Committee which includes the City of Columbus’ Department of Technology.
The grant submission is due by August 14th, and Miller was confident that Columbus is a great candidate for receiving these resources. He expects to hear more in November on the status of the funding.
Now if you want to attract and retain then offer the wireless service free to downtown residents. Win Win!!
Will it just be downtown, or the 315 tech corridor too? I agree with Coreroc- some free wifi like Boulder CO has would be rather sweet.
I hope it flys.
What does Big WiFi have to say about this? If there’s free internet everywhere, Time Warner is poised to lose millions every month ($30 x what, maybe 100,000 subscribers?)
I would imagine any suburb that gets city water would be able to latch on if the water-meter deal is what’s driving this.
lin Says: Will it just be downtown, or the 315 tech corridor too?
Troy said 100% of the entire city limits, and the PPT that was sent to me says 200 square miles. So it should include all of Columbus proper.
HogRoaster Says: What does Big WiFi have to say about this? If there’s free internet everywhere, Time Warner is poised to lose millions every month ($30 x what, maybe 100,000 subscribers?)
This isn’t free wifi for the public. This is a network for city services and specific businesses. The benefits and impact to the public are more indirect. Time Warner and WOW have nothing to worry about. ;)
Is there a problem if one of the guys touting the system thinks you would still have to drive down the street to collect information from water meters? If it’s WiFi, there’s no need for a truck at all.
I think Dublin uses theirs for festivals so that some of the vendors can wirelessly accept credit card payments, not positive, but that’s what I heard.
I thought about that as well (in regards to the water system).
My guess is that the applications just haven’t been thought 100% through as it all hinges on actually getting the grant money before any types of new systems can be put in place.
shoot. i’ve been wireless for years. unless you count that one wire.
Yikes!!!! I guess I assumed most of that stuff was already wireless in Columbus!!
I have been waiting many months to read a story like this about Columbus. My keyboard fingers are smiling!!!!
So, all the meter readers will now lose their jobs? And the city is trying to keep jobs w/the tax increase?
Please see this website to see just how amazingly wireless Columbus already is: http://www.wirelessmapping.com/Google%20Maps3.htm.
No, the city doesn’t need to invest in this separately. Maybe in software to use existing wifi systems, but certainly not in hardware!
Mr. Thanks: Why would the city need to fire people in those positions? I’m pretty sure you can’t remove quarters from a meter and write tickets for expired meters wirelessly. If anything, making money collection more efficient in city government via improved technology services should allow for the reallocation of personal from existing outdated positions into new ones and potentially also provide the ability to hire new people through increased revenue.
I understand that this grant is only available for certain purposes, but I’d rather see something like Summit and 4th go two-way before even discussing spending money on having the city go wireless.
As an entrepreneur (with at least 10 startups in the last 12 years and the founder of Sandbox Coworking) I’m obviously a fan of inspiring/attracting new businesses to Columbus, however do not think free wireless Internet would attract or inspire. Businesses need reliable, dedicated and secure connections from experience providers… not municipal wifi.
Think about it… who would a business call if Internet goes down? 311? That would be silly.
I would suggest the city repackage this plan not just for businesses and the city use but to allow all residents of Columbus free access to the wifi mesh network. Why? Because free and public Internet gives all unlimited access to information. Information is what makes us all smarter. And smarter people make for smarter communities. And smarter communities make for smarter talent pools. And smarter talent pools attract business. Get it?
David – I totally agree with you about providing a better internet superhighway to create smarter communities. I hope we are moving toward that and this is the tipping point. I don’t think the funding could create an infrastructure that would meet the needs of all the residents. My ideal would be to allow people ‘quick hits’ for free like anywhere outside. Example – I’m at the new bike parking areas (coming soon) and I want to check a store address or send a quick tweet – I could jump on the wifi, get my info and be on my way. I got quick info and I’m not using much bandwidth. If the city provided my residential wifi, they’d be getting hit with my daily podcast downloads which is more bandwidth intense. It would be nice, but the muni wifi’s that tried that did not work out well.
This note (below) just went out from City Hall to national tech publications. Hopefully we should see some national press coverage on this in the next month or two:
Wanted to make you aware of some very exciting economic development/technology news here in Columbus, Ohio as the City continues to construct what is believed to be the largest city owned fiber network in the nation.
This past Monday evening, the Columbus City Council approved the next step in enhancing greater fiber and broadband connectivity in Columbus. Unlike other municipalities that lease conduit and fiber, Columbus has taken the more cost effective approach and has purchased some 200 miles worth of infrastructure. The acquisition will allow Columbus to use the network as an economic development tool to attract and retain high-tech businesses to our city. The network will also enhance the ability of our public safety forces to communicate in the field and can be used by numerous city departments, local educators and those in the medical field to better share information and data.
City leadership is extremely proud of Forbes Magazines’ designation of Columbus as the “#1 up-and-coming tech city†in 2008 and with assets such as the Battelle Memorial Institute, The Ohio State University, and small business incubator Tech Columbus, we are working hard to maintain that momentum as a leader in the national and global marketplace.
Smart meters not foolproof way to save
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
BY ALEX DOMINGUEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Smart meters alone are not enough to save energy and money, a new study finds. Significant savings are possible, however, and consumers save more when given information tailored to their use. Programs that focus on energy efficiency and conservation also produced more savings than those that sought to move energy use to off-peak hours.
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