Making Wireless Work in America

In 2003 I proposed as part of my graduate thesis that the time had come to create a wireless infrastructure for city environments. As a product designer I focused on the product that could make this a reality, by designing the next generation parking meter. The basic concept was that the parking meter has parsed physical space in city environs for more than seventy-five years. And in the digital age the very same device can be extended to parse and create assess points in virtual space. (more on that later)

In the past ten to fifteen years countries without established telecoms or infrastructure have moved more quickly in adopting and exploring the potentials of digital technology, thus leap-froging over countries with existing industries, connecting common folk to one another and to both public and private services.

Changes are now afoot in America. Proposed changes in governmental policy (FCC) and a forward looking business plan by Google have the potential to provide American's with greater access the internet. Overall the result could mean a less restrictive wireless environment, allowing American's usage/adoption rates of mobile devices to catchup to Southeast Asian citizen's whose percentages far exceed ours.

Google has plans to purchase from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) slices of air wave spectrum that they would use to provide wireless assess to the internet.

If Google has its way American citizens will soon be free to select a provider and handset independent of the current restrictions imposed by carriers like: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile etc. whose plans obligate consumers to use only the options offered by that service provider.


Google Wires Mountian View CA

NY Times Article

CNN Article

NY Times Article

USA Today Article

Financial Times Article

NYTimes Article