Newsom Brings the Earthlink Wi-Fi Plan to City HallPaul Hogarthbyline‚ May. 15‚ 2007Eager to portray himself as an innovative policy maker and the Board of Supervisors as obstructionists, Mayor Gavin Newsom brought busloads of low-income supporters to City Hall yesterday to champion his Wi-Fi proposal. The contract was negotiated with Earthlink, and would allow the Internet service company to install receptors throughout the City. With a hearing at the Board’s Budget and Finance Committee, Newsom created the perfect opportunity to assemble “more than just the usual suspects” in calling on the Supervisors to approve the plan now. The largely black and Asian crowd put on a powerful case about the need for Internet access in low-income communities, and some even accused opponents of the proposal as racist. But the devil is in the details about the contract – leaving progressives on the Board wondering if there isn’t a better way to tackle this problem. |