Free Wifi?

Driving on Interstate 90 across the state of New York this Christmas break, I noticed that the service signs for rest stops not only included gas and food, but "Free Wifi" as well. In the middle of upstate New York, where there are probably more cows and truck drivers than actual residents, the state of New York found it necessary to provide free wireless internet to highway travelers; interesting. Reading through chapter 12 and 13, with the focus on education in a cyberspace world, I began to wonder what my community was providing me with, to help further my education in a generation that is rapidly becoming digitalized. I came across a website called NYC wireless which is a non-profit organization working to promote wireless community networking. If the digital world is rapidly becoming so influential that it can (and may be needed) to help satisfy human needs, then isn't the job of our community and government to provide us with public access to this digital world? Would this mean that I wouldn't have to worry about stealing wireless internet from my neighbors anymore? Check out the NYC Wireless mission statement and decide for yourself.

http://www.nycwireless.net/about/mission/