* Also: BellSouth expands small business services with data backup and remote access; and Think tank offers 'Net neutrality compromise
Chicago is the next big city looking to deploy a metro-wide Wi-Fi network. As colleague Denise Pappalardo and the Chicago Tribune report, the city issued a request for proposals last week to construct a citywide Wi-Fi network so its citizens can easily and cost-effectively access the Internet. The wireless network will be built using on top of city-owned infrastructure where access points can be deployed. The network will require about 7,500 antennas and cost $18.5 million.
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BellSouth last week announced that it is offering data file backup and remote access applications for small businesses. Online Backup from BellSouth allows small business customers to choose the data files they wish to protect and send them to a remote server where they are encrypted and updated daily. In the event of a PC failure, customers can access a designated BellSouth Web site to choose the files they need restored. For remote access, customers can download BellSouth’s PC 2 Go software on a business or home PC, which becomes the host computer. They can then access files or work in programs stored on that host computer from anywhere with Internet connectivity through a BellSouth portal.
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A new Washington, D.C., think tank has offered a “third way” for Congress to deal with a controversial debate on whether laws should prohibit broadband providers from discriminating against Internet services from competitors. IDG News Service’s Grant Gross reports that the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) plan would allow broadband providers to offer exclusive, high-speed services to customers of their choosing, but it would also guarantee a level of broadband service that all Web companies and customers could access without paying new fees. The ITIF proposal attempts to bring a “nonpartisan, objective and pragmatic” view to the so-called net neutrality debate.
