It doesn't grow on trees
That free wi-fi cloud that's supposedly going to cover all of Portland? The news from Silicon Valley is that MetroFi, the company that's supposed to build Opie's New Toy, looks shakier in the money department this week than it did before. Another great call by Portland City Hall, eh? Can you say "water billing system"?
| Posted at 1:06 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (8)
That figures. Any other interesting ideas we can screw up?
Posted by Ghost Dog | October 13, 2006 2:02 PM
Look on the bright side. At least private investors are concluding that this particular public utility (unlike, say, one of our local electric companies) is not just a cash spigot for them.
Posted by Allan L. | October 13, 2006 2:14 PM
And when it's half-built and totally screwed up, guess who will "invest" to bail it out? The city's taxpayers, of course. Throw another $20 million on the fire, Opie.
Posted by Jack Bog | October 13, 2006 2:15 PM
And don't those WiFi transmitters downtown look great, cheaply u-bolted with galvanized hardware onto the bronze painted traffic signal mast arms?
By the way, yet another Republican from Oregon finds himself in hot water over his sex life:
http://tinyurl.com/ykxzst
Posted by PGM | October 13, 2006 2:46 PM
By the way, yet another Republican from Oregon finds himself in hot water over his sex life.
Isn't HE just a sweetheart... What with the pictures and the CraigsList and the hey hey hey.
Posted by Chris Snethen | October 13, 2006 3:05 PM
Well if the venture capitalists are running scared, WHO ELSE (besides the City of Portland) can bail them out? If the capitalists won't take one for the team, then the good people of Portland will.
We're not talking about the lowly paving of neighborhood streets or opening jails (that what LID's and bond levies are for)...No, no: we're talking about something the private sector would never do without incentives from the City.
Universal access to Wi-Fi is like voting rights were in the 60's: there can be no freedom without Wi-Fi connectivity from every pothole in Portland.
Maybe we should threaten condemnation and make them a PUD? At the very minimum, we should make sure the installation vehicles are running on Eastern Oregon Grown Clean Burning Bio-Diesel.
Posted by Mister Tee | October 13, 2006 7:53 PM
Sometimes, Mister Tee, you actually make me laugh. Well done, sir.
Posted by Frank Dufay | October 14, 2006 6:53 AM
At the very minimum, we should make sure the installation vehicles are running on Eastern Oregon Grown Clean Burning Bio-Diesel.
Wow...I hope Fireman Randy doesnt see that.
Posted by Jon | October 14, 2006 11:58 AM