Got an empty roof? The city may need it

Mayor Bill White took another step toward a municipal WiFi network yesterday, asking building owners to lease space on their roofs for network base stations. Most of the transmitters for the citywide network would be placed on city utility poles, but White said spots would also be needed for the base stations — between 100 and 150 of them, mainly on top of buildings. "I will be bargaining hard to make sure there's a fair and transparent and competitive deal for the access to the rooftops that we need in the city of Houston," the mayor told business leaders at the Greater Houston Partnership's annual technology conference. He said he thought giving building owners $1,000 a month in exchange for the space would be a reasonable offer — which makes us wonder if the rooftop here at Houstonist World Headquarters is a suitable spot? Mayor White, if you're reading this, we're not doing anything with our roof, and we could sure use an extra G a month. Just saying.

Tuesday's meeting was also notable for what White didn't say: The vendor that will build the wireless network was supposed to be announced yesterday, but delays in negotiations have pushed that announcement back. Five vendors were initially being considered, and the list is now down to two, but their names weren't released. When the network is complete, access will be sold to Houstonians at a competitive rate — last we heard, something around $15 was being discussed — with possible free access at public places including parks and libraries.