On Tuesday, March 8, from 6:30 – 8:00PM, I will be appearing on a panel at the Municipal Arts Society’s Wireless City: Can All New Yorkers Get Connected? event. The discussion will be an engaging discussion with a number of experts in the field of Broadband and Wireless in NYC and the north-east.

Internet access, once a luxury, is quickly becoming a key livability issue for New York. Other cities have tried to implement free wifi access to all of their citizens, but with varying success. The Municipal Art Society will present a panel of experts who will explore some of the models employed, as well as the challenges in making wifi access a priority.

Together, they will address the following questions:

• What would expanded wireless access enable New Yorkers to do better, more efficiently, and more cost effectively?
• What is the difference between muni-wireless (as was done in Philadelphia and other cities) and public space wireless (as offered in NYC and in Montreal)?
• What are the roles of the city government, BIDs and other organizations, and private/non-profit developers in providing free wifi?

There will also be a Keynote given by Rachel Sterne, NYC’s Chief Digital Officer, and an Introduction given by one of our favorite people, City Councilmember Gale Brewer.

Be sure to register at http://wirelesscitymasnyc.eventbrite.com/