Another step toward citywide wi-fi?

Houston seems to be moving forward in its plan to build a citywide wi-fi network: Today, the Chronicle reports the city may pick a vendor for the first phase of the network by the end of the year. The initial coverage area would include downtown, enabling the planned wireless parking meters to work. Covering the whole city could take about two years, officials said.

Several cities are planning similar systems, including Chicago, D.C. and Philadelphia. Houston's system would be available to anyone willing to pay — the rates would be lower than most commercially available broadband services, perhaps as low as $15 a month, city IT Director Richard Lewis told a City Council committee yesterday. The network could include some free zones, such as city parks, planners said. For businesses and private citizens, citywide wi-fi could be a good deal; for city agencies, it could help improve communication and be a vital link in case of a disaster.

A city-selected company would build and maintain the network and the city would regulate the rate users would pay. Officials said the system would not be built using taxpayers' money. The first planned coverage area is described as "downtown," but Lewis told councilmembers that the initial network would likely cost between $50,000 and $75,000 per square mile, or $1 million total — putting the coverage area between about 13 and 20 square miles, much bigger than the actual CBD.