Saving Toronto Hydro Telecom's One Zone project from itself: alternative models for urban public wireless infrastructure

Abstract

This field note examines the development of a major municipal Wi-Fi service and how its private-sector financial and governance model has reduced its potential benefit to the public.  It discusses the case of Toronto Hydro Telecom, a publicly owned corporation, and its One Zone WiFi project, which appears to be faltering despite initial optimism and technical success. Had the company chosen to pursue a more publicly oriented model, rather than a commercial competitor approach, it could be using the same technologies and publicly-owned assets but yielding much greater financial and social benefits in the long term.  In this regard Toronto Hydro Telecom can serve as a cautionary tale that encourages other municipal governments with similar assets to take a different route.