Canadian college curbs Wi-Fi due to health risks

Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, has only a limited Wi-Fi connections at present, in places where there is no fiber-optic Internet connection. And that, according to president Fred Gilbert, is just fine.
"The jury is still out on the impact that electromagnetic forces have on human physiology," Gilbert told a university meeting last month, insisting that university policy would not change while he remained president.
"Some studies have indicated that there are links to carcinogenetic occurrences in animals, including humans, that are related to energy fields associated with wireless hotspots, whether those hotspots are transmissions lines, whether they're outlets, plasma screens, or microwave ovens that leak."
Lakehead University published a transcript of Gilbert's remarks on its Web site. Spokeswoman Eleanor Abaya said the decision not to expand the university's few isolated wireless networks was a "personal decision" by Gilbert.
But the president's stance has prompted a backlash from students and from Canadian health authorities, who say his fears are overdone.
"If you look at the body of science, we're confident that there is no demonstrable health effect or effects from wireless technology," said Robert Bradley, director of consumer and clinical radiation protection at Canada's federal health department.
He said there was no reason to believe that properly installed wireless networks pose a health hazard to computer users.

Free WiFi Hard to Beat

My friends Chuck and Penny, who live down the street from me in Cupertino, have won the free WiFi lottery.
Their house is next to a light pole topped by a transmitter belonging to MetroFi, the Mountain View company now offering free wireless Internet service in much of Cupertino, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.
Because Chuck and Penny are so near the transmitter, they can receive MetroFi's broadband signal anywhere in their home using nothing more than a notebook computer with built-in WiFi or a desktop computer with an inexpensive WiFi adapter.
I demonstrated this freebie for Chuck last week, using my notebook, and his eyes popped wide open.
``I wonder when my contract for DSL is up,'' Chuck said. AT&T, the phone company known until recently as SBC, may have just lost a customer.
Not that everyone is so lucky. Most people in neighborhoods served by MetroFi -- including me -- need extra equipment to connect.
But free is still a price that's hard to beat. With broadband Internet access costing $30 a month or more, setting aside short-term teaser rates for new customers, MetroFi could shake up the complacent duopoly of AT&T and Comcast.
MetroFi is a pioneer in the hype-filled field of municipal wireless, where proponents give starry-eyed speeches about a blanket of free or low-cost WiFi service covering urban and suburban regions throughout the nation and the world.
This is the same WiFi technology used for home wireless computer networking, although with fancier transmitters typically installed on street lamps or phone poles.
Citywide WiFi networks have pluses and minuses.
WiFi transmitters are inexpensive, allowing service at much lower costs than competitors such as cell-phone systems. But WiFi signals have limited range and are easily blocked by walls or dense foliage.
If you're going to use the MetroFi service, it's important to understand these limitations up front.

London Goes WiFi

The City of London Corporation announced plans to install a dense and comprehensive WiFi internet network throughout London's Square Mile. The city is entering a partnership with The Cloud, Europe's largest WiFi network operator, to install and manage the network. The new project in the Square Mile will reinforce its status as being a technologically advanced World financial and business centre. Expected to go live in the next few months with virtually all the city covered within six months, the WiFi network will be installed in existing street furniture including lamp posts and street signs, allowing city workers and visitors with WiFi-enabled devices to access the internet on streets and in open spaces. The Cloud's unique open network concept means any service provider can use this new WiFi network to provide services to its customers. Supported applications include high speed internet access, rich email access, music, video and other entertainment services, and voice over WiFi services "We feel it is important to provide this technology to maintain our position as the world's leading international financial centre. City workers and visitors will be able to use wireless broadband to work more efficiently; staying in touch with their office via hand-held devices while on the move,” says Michael Snyder, Chairman of the City of London's Policy Committee. "The City is a fast-moving and dynamic environment and we are responding to the increasing time pressures faced by city workers by providing the technology for them to stay up to date, wherever they are in the city." "Our network will significantly enhance the capabilities of the 350,000 or so City workers by providing easy access and user friendly terms for City businesses, workers and visitors alike," says George Polk, CEO of The Cloud. "Increasingly corporate users are turning to WiFi for a range of services, including converged voice services and we have strong demand from existing customers for coverage in high density and high profile locations like the City of London. We expect this trend to continue. In addition, the network is designed to support secure access and private data networks for the emergency services and other public services customers in the City of London such as transport authorities." The City of London Corporation provides local government services for the Square Mile, the financial and commercial heart of Britain. Its responsibilities extend far beyond the city boundaries and include management of the Barbican Centre, Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, three wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health Authority. The Cloud offers sophisticated national wireless LAN coverage in hotspot locations throughout the UK, Sweden and Germany. The Cloud's infrastructure is a multi-service provider platform, which allows providers such as ISPs, mobile operators and cable companies to offer a fully branded wireless LAN experience to their customers. Launched in mid 2003, The Cloud actively partners with O2, BT, Vodafone, Skype, Nintendo and Intel, among others, to facilitate the growth of wireless broadband services across Europe. The Cloud's investors include 3i and Accel Partners, Europe.