NETWI testifies before Texas State Legislature

SaveMuniWireless.org notified NETWI of legislative hearings on HB789 being held at the State Capitol by the House Committee on Regulated Industries , Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005. SaveMuniWireless is a coalition of Texas organizations and citizens concerned about the provisions in HB 789 that would outlaw any municipal involvement in networks or information services. The proposed language of HB789 could have outlawed public/private partnerships such as the NETWI project, which benefit Texans in rural communities. You can watch the proceedings via a video archive maintained by The State of Texas. Watch David Davault testify on behalf of NETWI!

NETWI would like to thank Rep. Phil King and the members of the House Committee on Regulated Industries for listening to our concerns and, for their assurances that projects like ours will not be adversely affected by this legislation. NETWI also submitted a letter to the members of the committee, and would like to thank Chuck Mains from the office of our Sen. Kevin Eltife. We also had an opportunity to visit with Rep. Stephen Frost while in Austin, and would like to thank him for taking time to visit with us and hear our concerns.





Lynn and Dave are pictured here surfing the internet on the Public Access to Wireless Internet in the Capitol Complex in Austin, Texas the evening before hearings commenced.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Mar 23, 2005
Representative Robert Puente introduces an amended version of HB 789 that bans municipal wireless services.

Community Support

The NETWI network would not exist without the support of many local businesses, individuals, and the Cities of Atlanta and Queen City. NETWI would like to give special thanks to Heather Hall, owner of the Dixie Maid, and Joe Harrison(KA5VOG) for providing the bucket truck so that we could help reilluminate the DIXIE MAID sign, a landmark in Atlanta since 1967. The Dixie Maid was one of the first WiFi Zones in Atlanta. We would also like to thank Ms. Denise Kirby for her contributions to the project.

User Group Meeting

NETWI holds its first User Group Meeting at City Hall in Queen City. Members and Guests in attendance discussed the NETWI "to do" list, antenna configurations, and network software.

Node Deployment

Node "Apollo" temporarily deployed along the north end of Corvette Lane in Queen City. THIS INSTALLATION IS TEMPORARY. Environmental conditions are the primary concern when deploying Mesh Access Nodes. We have discovered that Mesh Nodes should be deployed when natural foliage is near to full bloom in order to ensure network stability. Apollo has been deployed primarily because the location is unique with apparent visibility across town to "Demeter" on the Queen City Water Tower as well as via "Artemis" which is deployed on Glendale Street in Queen City. Service currently available on Ruby Street, Shelva Street, and Vernice Street down to CR3433. Further notices regarding "Apollo" will be posted here.
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