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<br /> 151 <br />The network cost approximately $6 million to install, $300,000 of which was provided by the <br />HUD grant. Annual operating costs are approximately $100,000. Near term plans include <br />expansion to approximately 300 access points in total. It is an outdoor network, with <br />bandwidth limitations, supporting speeds up to 1 Mbps. The network is managed and operated <br />by the City’s Department of Innovation and Technology, who contracts out some functions to <br />private companies. The Wi-Fi service has been presented as an “as-is” service, in part to avoid <br />creating user demands on administrative capacity. <br /> <br />Corpus Christi, Texas <br />Population (2016 Estimate): 305,215 Area: 503.6 sq mi Population Density: 610/sq mi <br />The origin of the city-funded project was to enable Automated Meter Reading (AMR), in 2002, <br />for the city’s gas and water meters. The network spans the city through 1,700 access points, <br />supporting speeds of up to 54 Mbps, although typical usage is 3 Mbps symmetrical. Costs at <br />the time were $7.1 million, and specification and deployment of the system was supported with <br />outside resources. City infrastructure (e.g., traffic signal poles) and 200-mile city fiber network <br />is used to support the outdoor network. Annual maintenance costs are approximately <br />$500,000, under management of the City’s CIO. The network was purchased by EarthLink in <br />2007 for subscription-based use, but abandoned by EarthLink and reclaimed by the city the <br />following year. <br />The system has provided the expected efficiencies of AMR, including safety, convenience, <br />precision, cost economies, and the ability to monitor and manage resource usage. Following <br />implementation of AMR, it became clear that bandwidth was also available for public Wi-Fi use, <br />which was enabled in 2005. Beyond use by the public, this has fostered efficiencies and <br />collaborations among government departments and city workers. <br /> <br />Minneapolis, Minnesota <br />Population (2016 Estimate): 382,578 Area: 58.4 sq mi Population Density: 7,485/sq mi <br />The city met with key stakeholders in the early days of wireless to explore options for the city. <br />It was concluded that the best approach was through a Public-Private Partnership, using an RFP <br />process for selection. The network was fully complete by 2009. Requirements and objectives <br />included that the entire city must be covered, pricing must be reasonable to assist in addressing <br />the digital divide, and city uses must be supported, such as enabling remote data collection by <br />field staff, and more. In addition, the operator provides ongoing funding for efforts to increase <br />digital literacy. Support for public safety applications is also viewed as crucial. The operator <br />pays the city a fee for use of city assets including light poles and traffic signal standards. The <br />city pays $1.25 million per year for use of the network as an anchor tenant. <br />Network speeds range from 1 – 6 Mbps, and higher speeds (25 – 40 Mbps) are being tested in <br />pilot projects, which would also require higher subscription prices. There are approximately <br />120 free public Wi-Fi areas in parks and business districts. Three thousand wireless devices