Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a consortium including IBM and Cisco, has announced plans for an ambitious Wifi network covering 38 cities across 1,500 square miles. The new provider was selected by the San Mateo County Telecommunications Authority, an agency made up of cities and counties across Silicon Valley. The ubiquitous 1 megabit free ad-based service combined with a fee for faster service is present yet again. The project is part public service, part promotion, according to Diana Hage, director of wireless services at I.B.M.