Chicago drops plan for a city wide Wi-Fi network

Chicago’s chief information officer, Hardik Bhatt has said in a statement that they have now dropped plans to install a Wi-Fi network in the city.

He said in a statement: “We realized — after much consideration — that we needed to reevaluate our approach to provide universal and affordable access to high speed Internet as part of the city’s broader digital inclusion efforts.”

The plan was originally announced last year when the city official revealed plans to cover the Chicago’s 228 square miles with wireless Internet access.

Bhatt added: “But given the rapid pace of changing technology, in just two short years, the marketplace has altered significantly.”

Tom Hulsebosch, a vice president of EarthLink’s municipal sales had this to say on this new development: “We’re seeing this evolve as we learn more about these networks, and the city needs to think about this again from its own business perspective.”