Jul 09 2007
Milwaukee Wireless Initiative Update: Test Area Completion Deadline Come and Gone
The extension of the deadline for completion of the “testing area” of the Milwaukee Wireless Inititiative passed last March (more here) has now come and gone without fanfare.
The official update site for the project from the City still has the 120 day extension as the most recent news item as well.
There was a short article in last Saturday’s edition of the MJS which doesn’t provide much new information other than the admission from Midwest Fiber Networks (the company building out the network) that on-time completion of the entire project due next March is “not a feasible option”.
For those who’ve been following this story for the past two and a half years, this is hardly a surprise as the project has been stymied by delays and missed benchmarks from the beginning. And while the completion of the testing area, which hasn’t yet been confirmed, is an important milestone in this project, it’s unfortunate that the goalposts for completion of this potentially exciting project keep getting moved back.
The next update I assume we’ll receive will be at next Wednesday’s Public Works Committee meeting. There’s no agenda available as yet for the meeting, but one can only assume that Midwest Fiber Networks will be appearing to give an update on their progress regarding the testing area and the overall buildout of the entire city-wide network. I plan on being there and will provide more information as I find it.
Yeah, this seems to be pretty par for the course when it comes to public works projects, even when private companies are involved. It’s a shame too, because citywide WiFi access would be a boon for the City of Milwaukee, as far as I can tell. Even though I don’t live in the city, I hope they do finally get the citywide WiFi network up and running sometime in the not too distant future.
Sorry to blog-whore, but I’ve just issued a blogger’s challenge that I would like you to consider.
Thanks,
Mixter