Bettendorf considers building city-wide wifi Internet access

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By Wayne Ma | Monday, June 19, 2006 11:41 PM CDT | () comments

A task force will be assembled by the City of Bettendorf to determine whether wireless Internet access should be provided citywide to residents.

The technology, called WiMAX, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a wireless system that can cover a much larger area than existing wireless technology.

Bettendorf resident Dick Kleine gave a presentation Monday night about WiMAX to the Bettendorf City Council. Kleine is a retired vice president for quality for Deere & Co.

Kleine’s presentation discussed how cities of comparable sizes, such as St. Cloud, Fla.; Moorhead, Minn.; and Chaska, Minn.; have offered WiMAX to residents and city employees.

WiMAX can help cities run more efficiently by giving residents easier access to city services, automating electric, water, sewer and gas meter readings and helping with police, fire and emergency medical access, Kleine said.

“I’m just interested as a citizen that we keep up with technology,” Kleine said.

Cost savings from WiMAX services have allowed cities such as Austin, Texas; Aurora, Ill.; and Fort Wayne, Ind., to offer the WiMAX service free to residents, Kleine added.

Although Bettendorf might not take the same route, the task force will study whether there is a market for the service and whether the city or a private entity should provide it, Bettendorf Mayor Mike Freemire said.

Freemire said although he has a bias against city-owned enterprises, he is open to what the task force comes up with.

Although Internet access using WiMAX would be new for the city, the Bettendorf Police Department has been using WiMAX for communication between mobile data computers in squad cars, City Administrator Decker Ploehn said.

Freemire said the task force likely would include Kleine, along with representatives from the city council, information services department, economic development department and business groups.

“We’re looking for ways to differentiate Bettendorf from everyone else,” Freemire said. “We believe that we have a demographic that, generally speaking, does use the Internet probably to a greater extent than other communities do.”

The task force will be assembled within the next few weeks and report back to the city council at a later date, Freemire said.

Wayne Ma can be contacted

(563) 383-2360 or wma@qctimes.com.