on 9/5/01 7:34 AM, Rick Speer at rspeer@lplonline.org wrote: > Sounds good to me also, the main problems would involve time and $$$$. The $$$$ for a pilot project are well within our budget. Once we had a pilot going, then we'd need additional funding. Time commitment from technical people certainly would have to be a top priority, initially. Once the kinks are worked out and a standard procedure developed, setting up additional bases should be pretty easy, involving running cable, setting up an antenna, and configuring the base station. Then, the main thing is to generate enough "buzz" to get more workers and funding for equipment, as well as soliciting sites in strategic locations. Adelphia and/or Verizon could be real showstoppers, though, couldn't they? If their subscriber agreements prohibit sharing access with anyone outside the "household". Even if they don't, now, they could add that proviso if they saw a "free network" as a threat to their revenue. Since the library has its own connection, a pilot project could be done without running into this obstacle. But, wouldn't we want to have a solid strategy in place to mitigate this problem before investing time and money? Is this the next frontier for community FreeNets? Would it redefine/re-energize interest in community networking? What are the appropriate goals and implementation steps? Who would be likely targets for funding? Would LPL share its Internet connection with users who aren't physically in the building, assuming security concerns can be addressed? Are there enough laptop computers in use in downtown Lewiston for such a service to be useful? How do we find out? What other questions should we be asking? --- Jim Hart, Server Administrator Androscoggin Valley Community Network "Working together we _can_ make a difference."
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