Wireless Washtenaw stimulus application gets county's endorsement despite Wireless Ypsi's emergence
Washtenaw County chose to pursue economic stimulus funding to expand its own years-old community wireless initiative instead of partnering with an Ypsilanti-based firm that has built a larger base of users.
Startup firm Wireless Ypsi wanted to strike a partnership with the county last year to file a joint request for federal stimulus dollars, but the county rejected the entreaty, officials acknowledged.
That decision came as Wireless Ypsi’s networks continue to grow and Wireless Washtenaw, the county’s program, has stagnated.
Wireless Ypsi’s networks have attracted some 40,000 users since the company started in early 2008, including 800 daily users at its free network in downtown Ypsilanti. About 2,000 people use the Wireless Ypsi networks in a given week.
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By contrast, about 550 people regularly use Wireless Washtenaw’s network.
The county’s decision to endorse a stimulus application in August by Ann Arbor-based 20/20 Communications, which manages Wireless Washtenaw, angers Wireless Ypsi co-founder Steve Pierce.
“That’s sort of frustrating,” Pierce said. “We had talked with the folks at the county saying we wanted to be part of that. We felt like we got shut out of it. We were told that we would be given a chance. I think they should have allowed other companies to partner with the county in an application.”
Wireless Ypsi co-founder Steve Pierce said his company is profitable.
File photo by Robert Ramey | For AnnArbor.com
Pierce said the county decided to “dust off a plan from five years ago” that “never worked.”
James McFarlane, the county’s Wireless Washtenaw project manager, confirmed that Pierce brought his request to him and David Behen, a former deputy county administrator who still chairs the Wireless Washtenaw committee.
“20/20 Communications opted not to partner with additional organizations due to the time sensitivity of the application process and the aggressive timelines for the stimulus disbursement period,” McFarlane wrote in an e-mail. “Partnering with organizations can take several months as business models, technology, support and funding all need to be considered.”
The tension between Wireless Ypsi and Wireless Washtenaw is hard to dispute, although county officials maintain that they believe both initiatives are independently viable and worth pursuing.
“I don’t think these are competing technologies,” McFarlane said in an interview. “These are technologies that complement one another and offer the residents of our community options.”
Wireless Ypsi and Wireless Washtenaw have fundamentally different objectives. Wireless Washtenaw was designed to provide wireless Internet access to the entire county. Wireless Ypsi aims to extend access to users in crowded areas such as downtowns, apartment buildings, schools, churches and parks.
Wireless Ypsi, unlike 20/20, is not an Internet service provider. The firm’s strategy revolves around installing Meraki mesh radios at existing Internet access points where the ISP allows “sharing.” The radios extend the wireless cloud, creating a broader network.
Wireless Ypsi, established in early 2008, quickly earned grassroots
support from the downtown Ypsilanti business community. The firm
convinced business owners to buy a radio and allow Wireless Ypsi to
install it at their business.
Due to these efforts, free wireless Internet has been available throughout the entire downtown Ypsilanti area for about two years.
That was a community service, Pierce said. But the company’s business model involves creating similar networks at apartment complexes, communities and other areas. The firm charges apartment complex owners, for example, to install and monitor the service. The apartment complex still has to pay an Internet service provider for connectivity, however.
Pierce said Wireless Ypsi has about 800 daily users in downtown Ypsi. But most of its users are from other networks, such as the 480-unit River’s Edge Apartment complex in Ypsilanti and a recent installation in an Albuquerque, N.M. neighborhood.
Wireless Ypsi is “profitable,” Pierce said, although he wouldn’t provide specifics.
Esme Vos, founder of MuniWireless.com, said community wireless networks like Wireless Ypsi can work. But she said customer service is critical.
“Let’s say everyone decides to love your network and everyone signs up for it,” she said. “The minute you start paying for it, the customer needs to be able to scream at somebody when they’re mad. That’s where a lot of these initiatives fail, these community-based networks.”
Pierce said Wireless Ypsi, which has just a few employees but hopes to grow, has built a rapid response process to address network problems.
“We have customer service, we provide technical support via e-mail, we have dedicated phone lines for customers to call,” he said. But “the big portion of the people that want to scream,” he said, “have some sort of problem with their computer.”
Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
Comments
ypsirocks
Fri, Jan 15, 2010 : 5:51 p.m.
Ironically, the Washtenaw County Administrator position is currently posted on the county website at www.ewashtenaw.org Anyone interested?
M.
Wed, Jan 13, 2010 : 9:26 a.m.
Also, I pick up a network sometimes CALLED "Ugly Mug" so I wonder if you're not mistaken.
M.
Wed, Jan 13, 2010 : 9:25 a.m.
So I assume it is only meant for Ugly Mug customers? I'm only two doors down!
M.
Tue, Jan 12, 2010 : 10:22 a.m.
I always see the Wireless Ypsi and Wireless Ypsi-scanning networks on my list but they never work for me. Do you need to sign up for this free wireless? When I try it I always get a Meraki page that says I need to contact the network admin. I live on W. Cross between N. Adams and Hamilton so I'm sure I'm in range.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Jan 11, 2010 : 10:39 a.m.
From the article: "The tension between Wireless Ypsi and Wireless Washtenaw is hard to dispute, although county officials maintain that they believe both initiatives are independently viable and worth pursuing." It seems to me that Wireless Ypsi is "independently viable and worth pursuing." But I'm not so sure about the other plan. As I read it Washtenaw County aka 20/20 Communications, has muddled along for 6 years and now needs the feds to step in with some "stimulus". I'm not so sure that fits my definition of " independently viable." It seems more like a patient on life support. By way of disclosure: I live in Ann Arbor, I pay Comcast for my Internet and I do not own a laptop.
John Gallias
Mon, Jan 11, 2010 : 1:16 a.m.
Look, I understand that Pierce feels "Left Out", but did the article really need to lean so heavily in his favor? To be absolutely honest, Wireless Ypsi is most similar to Wireless Washtenaw in its obvious under-funding of both projects. Please keep in mind that one is a municipal project, while another is a business trying to make a profit margin. Who's really out for their users best interest? It's all good and well that these businesses are so "loyal" to their customers, but who is actually paying unemployment checks at the end of the day? Exactly.
Nathan Bomey
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 10:36 p.m.
Craig, yes Wireless Ypsi networks are available in some parts of downtown Ann Arbor.
Dave Strenski
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 10:34 p.m.
Yes Wireless Ypsi is in Ann Arbor. It growing and in multiple states. It also works in less densely populated areas. I've worked with Steve and my neighbors to cover most of the Historic East Side Neighborhood in Ypsilanti. Using the Meraki's radios with the taller antennas and putting them on neighbor's chimneys we can get longer hops between houses. How can we get Wireless Ypsi a slice of that stimulus money? Give them 30% of the money and 20/20 and keep the other 70% and Wireless Ypsi will still add more nodes.
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 1:10 p.m.
So wireless ypsi has a presence in downtown Ann Arbor?
GoblueBeatOSU
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 10:08 a.m.
"Thats sort of frustrating, Pierce said. We had talked with the folks at the county saying we wanted to be part of that. We felt like we got shut out of it."...Pierce..of course you got shut out..you presented something that was successful. The government in Washtenaw County will do everything they can to prevent a successful private group from expanding. It is all about control. This is yet another reason why the people in Washtenaw Government need to be replaced. As for Wireless Ypsi it works great!. I use it several times a week. Quick easy connection that has always worked for me in downtown AA. Most of the time I connect to Wireless Ypsi within a block of 20/20 Communications office in downtown AA. I've tried but have never been able to connect to Wireless Washtenaw.
norainnorainbow
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 8:52 a.m.
Yet another reason why Ypsi is so awesome.
Craig Lounsbury
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 8:25 a.m.
It appears from my read that Washtenaw county aka 20/20 Communications is looking for a Federal hand out to subsides their incompetence. In the bizarre world of Governments throwing our money around this hand out might be in jeopardy if they teamed up with a working, functional, competent company. I tip my hat to Mr. Pierce and Wireless Ypsi.
Cash
Sun, Jan 10, 2010 : 7 a.m.
It's like a starving homeless person turning down a piece of cake because they are on a diet. Yes, we know Wireless Ypsi is a success, but we want to have things our way, failure or not. Yet another example that our county needs LEADERSHIP. Where is it? We need to look at a strong county manager system like Oakland and now Macomb have adopted. Leadership is key. Washtenaw County seems to run around and chase it's tail rather than move forward. There is no sense of direction. In the meantime, anytime you want to see success....come to downtown Ypsi,sit down at Pub 13, Beezy's, KeyStone Underground, J Neils etc....open up your laptop and having a fun working lunch.