Last week the city of San Francisco accepted a joint bid from Google and Earthlink to bring universal wireless access, or “Wi-Fi” to that city by the bay. Residents will be able to log in wirelessly to the Internet from home, work, cable car, or wherever. San Francisco is among the first cities of a number going “muniwireless”- that is, citywide free Wi-Fi; Philadelphia has already cut a similar deal with Earthlink, while Austin, Boston, and Chicago have also announced plans to do the same. I believe this trend will continue and foresee the spread of Wi-Fi connection to most cities in upcoming years.

This endeavor, a pet project of San Francisco’s mayor Gavin Newsom, is good for his career and, more importantly, good for San Francisco. The civic adoption of universal Wi-Fi is rather progressive as it tackles a hi-tech social issue by providing Internet access for all. I truly believe this to be a kind act and, additionally, believe San Francisco’s stature in the tech community will be greatly enhanced. Let’s not hold our breath waiting for free laptops, however.