After winning a bid to build a WiFi network for Pierce County, Wash., local telecom provider CenturyTel has decided such a business isn't viable. CenturyTel, which was one of 10 bidders for the project, concluded that its one-city test worked technically but wouldn't provide a good return county-wide. The test in Steilacoom will end this week, and CenturyTel will begin charging users who want to keep using the network $30 per month. CenturyTel said two months after it offers residents the chance to pay for wireless Internet access, it will decide whether enough have signed up to continue the service. But Steilacoom government officials plan to revoke CenturyTel's right to have free access to the town's utility poles, electricity and fiber-optic capacity. Pierce County officials say they will pursue other options for building the county-wide WiFi network.
Read more about CenturyTel's decision:
- take a look at this article from The News Tribune
- more on muni-WiFi here