said by Karl Bode:First off, Verizon didn't scuttle the WiFi network in Philly... it was going to go through... until it collapsed on its own.
Verizon certainly played a role. The right of refusal law they passed in that state was a joke. The crap business model didn't help that network of course, but to say Verizon didn't play a role is wrong.
I know it's trendy for carriers to fight tooth and nail against these projects using lawyers, think tanks, and lobbyists -- and then with a straight proclaim that ALL such projects will never work. But that doesn't make what they're saying true.
How did they play a role? The project for Philly's wifi was already in motion. Even if Verizon was totally responsible for that bill, how did that prevent the competion of that network? You can make the case that the legislation would have stopped FUTURE such deployments, but how did that legislation kill the existing system?
