Can The World Handle Free Wi-Fi?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis on Tuesday, 25 of March , 2008 at 7:59 am

Google has proposed to the FCC to use undedicated white space to nationwide free wi-fi. What would the world look like if that happened?

First, it won’t go unnoticed that Google would, of course, be the sole provider of Internet service for that wi-fi if they managed to finagle a deal with the FCC. Even if the FCC allowed other search engines access to wi-fi traffic, Google is already poised to capture over 90% of the market share for that free wi-fi with its Android technology.

There are a lot of issues that will have to be addressed if this took place, namely:

• Privacy
• Antitrust
• Privacy
• Technical Support (who would provide it?)
• Government regulation?
• Changing face of Search Engine Optimization
• Social marketing
• Privacy

While Net neutrality would no longer be an issue, how much privacy would everyday people give up in order to be able to access the Internet at any time by broadband? Furthermore, how much of that broadband usage would be subject to blatant advertising messages? My guess is, a lot.

People who are not online now and have never heard phrases like “conversational marketing” and “permission marketing” would have no frame of reference or defense against banner ads, pop ups, and other blatant advertising come ons that those of us who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s have grown tired of and what to be free of. The Internet would become one massive advertising medium for corporate America, much like TV is and would, in fact, be integrated with television to deliver even more powerful messages than ever. Would it be a good thing? Yes. But there’d be a lot of baggage that comes with it.

Category: Search Engines

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