Philadelphia Proceeds With Wi-Fi Expansion

Wireless laptop users in Philadelphia are finding more “hot spots” throughout the city, as a planned expansion of the municipal Wi-Fi network proceeds, the Associated Press reported.

EarthLink Inc., the company hired to build the network, has completed the initial 15-square-mile pilot project, AP said. The Wi-Fi network will eventually reach the rest of the city’s 135 square miles.

Philadelphia will be the largest U.S. city to offer its residents high-speed, wireless Internet connections. In announcing the plan in 2005, Mayor John Street said he hoped to bridge the digital divide by providing affordable Internet service to city residents, AP reported.

The EarthLink service costs $21.95 a month, though low-income customers pay just $11 a month, AP reported.