sine die

The 79thTexas Legislative session is over. The NETWI network in Atlanta and Queen City was happy to do our part in ensuring that HB789 as proposed by the Texas House of Representatives was NOT passed into Law.

Thanks in part our supporters efforts, Texas cities will remain free to deploy wireless networks, which reach Texans who are outside the infrastructure of the phone companies broadband network.

We would like to thank our supporters who wrote numerous letters, sent faxes, and made phone calls to our elected officials. NETWI would also like to thank Rep. Steven Frost, Sen. Kevin Eltife and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst for thier courage and leadership. The Austin American-Statesman is reporting that the failure of the measure is a rare defeat for one of the most powerful lobby forces in the Legislature.

Legislative Update:
The tide is turning!
Recently Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois joined Texas in defeating Anti-Municipal Wireless Legislation as reported by FreePress.net

Special Session Alert!

Qcode Installation Complete

Qcode installation completed at 5:57PM

All nodes in the Queen City segment of the network are online and functional, new security protocols will be implemented on this segment of the network over the next few weeks. Users will notice redirection at login. If you experience any problems accessing the network, or to obtian a USERID and PASSWORD email us:
info@netwi.org

Notes:
Radio Failure in node "Hermes"-replaced with node "Apollo".

Upgrade Notes

Nodes HERMES and ATLAS are currently down this effects the Becky Edition in Queen City, and the High School Area in Atlanta. Updates will be posted here when available.

Software Upgrade

NETWI is upgrading the Queen City segment to Qorvus.net's Qcode, updates will be posted here as available

Testing in Texarkana

Texarkana Water Utilities has agreed to participate in testing of 2.4gHz WiFi "Mesh Cloud" in the Texarkana area. Thanks to Bill King and the whole IT crew at Texarkana Water Utilities, we look forward to participating in the tests.

Those of you that are following the NETWI project have noticed a new gateway "PHOENIX TEXARKANA" online for the last couple of weeks. This gateway is a WiFi Zone in the Landmark Gorumet Cafe, located at 901 North State Line (directly across from the Bi-State Justice Building) in Texarkana, Arkansas.

NETWI is sponsoring a new web site which will offer many features such as a BBS Forum, HotSpot Listings, Software Downloads, and much more.

TexarkanaUnwired.com

Stay Tuned...




NEW HOT SPOT
Landmark Gorumet Cafe
901 North State Line Avenue
Texarkana, Arkansas 75502

Senate Committee Strikes Municipal WiFi Ban

HB789 was heard this morning in the Senate Business and Commerce committee. The commitee substitute was based on Chairman Fraser's earlier SB332, which imposes tests for suburban and rural markets before deregulating.

Chairman Fraser's committee substitute did NOT have any language about city-supported network services

Nobody testified in favor of adding the provision back.

Thanks again to Chairman Fraser for listening to his constituents in Belton, and other communities, in continuing the current policy of local control over the decision to provide high-speed internet infrastructure.

There is some chance the provision will be added back as an amendment on the Senate Floor. The next step is to communicate with the rest of the Senate, to help prevent a recurrence of the municipal ban amendment.

Special thanks to Adina Levin and all the folks at http://www.savemuniwireless.org. Her testimony which mentions the NETWI project began at 2:25:33 in the audio stream from the Texas Senate link above for May 16, 2005.

Now the battle moves to the floor of the Texas Senate !