Orlando pulls the plug on free downtown WiFi

As free municipal WiFi services spring up around the world, Orlando has taken its system down. City officials say the service, which was closed last Sunday, was too expensive to run for its limited number of users. The pilot program was originally scheduled to last six months, but the city kept it running for 17 months. According to Orlando officials, only about 27 people a day took advantage of the service. That wasn't enough to justify the $1,800 the city paid every month to operate the system, which was designed to support up to 200 people at a time. The service may return, officials say, but only if they can find a way to expand the service beyond a few downtown blocks and get an outside company to shoulder the cost.

For more on Orlando's failed WiFi service:
- read this Associated Press article

PLUS: Schenectady, New York, sets a downtown WiFi plan. Article