The Houston WiFi plan may benefit some folks who are not residents of Houston - in particular, the cities of Bellaire, West U, and Southside Place.
In a section called "interlocal agreements" the contract said Houston, as the anchor tenant on the project, may offer wireless broadband Internet access to "other political subdivisions" located within its coverage area.Earthlink will be set up to provide service to 90 percent of residential and commercial buildings within an area that covers about 640 square miles, under the terms of the agreement. West University Place, Bellaire and Southside Place are already included in one of six zones that fall within that area.
"We sincerely appreciate the city of Houston providing the ability for West University to participate, if it is found to be beneficial to both cities," City Manager Michael Ross said.
[...]
In December 2005, West University Place council talked with Plano-based RedMoon, Inc., a provider of broadband Internet service, about the cost of the company providing access.
Spokesman Brian Thompson said the cost to his company per unit household would be $300 to $400 each, while being able to place a "Wi-Fi umbrella" over the whole city would be between $275,000 and $300,000.
Houston City Council, before you set WiFi up, you need to look at the following research and do whatever additional research needs to be done NOW to make sure this technology is not killing bees.
Because planetwide we may have to choose between having bees and the food that they pollinate vs what--not plugging into an outlet?
Please be wise.
Via:
The Bees Again by lightseeker
From:
The Independent
Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?
Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?
Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees
By Geoffrey Lean and Harriet Shawcross
Published: 15 April 2007
snip
They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.
The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home.
snip
The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 per cent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast.
snip
The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".
No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks.
snip
Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
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70% of the bees in Texas are already gone. We have to make sure they recover.
Bees should be put on an endangered species list NOW.