Summary
Santa Clara is the first U.S. city to take high-tech advantage of the conversion from electric meters to smart meters to give free outdoor Wi-Fi to all of its residents. Santa Clara debuted this service after installing nearly 600 transmitters in the city. The name of the network is "SVPMeterConnectWifi." Most of the U.S. is converting from electric meters to smart meters, but Santa Clara is the only city that has been installing a separate Wi-Fi channel in addition to the usual capability of sending household electricity and water usage reports. This addition has cost the city very little and the service is unencrypted, meaning it's not as secure as a private paid-for home service.
Reason for choosing this article
I chose this article because Santa Clara stood out to me. I grew up down the street from Santa Clara, so I like to know what is going on in the South Bay. Free Wi-Fi stands out to almost everyone with a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. It is appealing and makes our lives easier.
Personal and Social Values at stake and ethical implications
Larry Owens, a manager with Silicon Valley Power, stated "It's been up less than a week and we're seeing 3,000 users a day." This is a huge increase in people using Wi-Fi. I already see enough people on their phones and tablets in the Silicon Valley. I think this is an unethical addition to the smart meters. The Wi-Fi is best outside, that means more people that are walking/running and driving will have their eyes on their electronic device. This will cause more car accidents and people to become less social. Also, most people using this service probably don't even know how unsafe unencrypted Wi-Fi is.
On the other hand, this issue could also be looked at as an positive addition to Santa Clara. Internet is needed to do almost everything these days and is vital for learning, communication and success. Without access to the Internet, people can't do much of anything. Santa Clara understands this about the Internet, that it is just as important as normal household utilities. Electricity used to be offered by different companies and you could only get it if you could afford it. Then they made it available to all at a low cost. Access to the Internet is going in this same direction, and Santa Clara is making the right steps. Hopefully other cities will also see how important it is for everyone to have access to the Internet.
Credibility of its sources
The article is very credible because it comes directly from the source. The Mercury News is in the Bay Area.
Santa Clara is the first U.S. city to take high-tech advantage of the conversion from electric meters to smart meters to give free outdoor Wi-Fi to all of its residents. Santa Clara debuted this service after installing nearly 600 transmitters in the city. The name of the network is "SVPMeterConnectWifi." Most of the U.S. is converting from electric meters to smart meters, but Santa Clara is the only city that has been installing a separate Wi-Fi channel in addition to the usual capability of sending household electricity and water usage reports. This addition has cost the city very little and the service is unencrypted, meaning it's not as secure as a private paid-for home service.
Reason for choosing this article
I chose this article because Santa Clara stood out to me. I grew up down the street from Santa Clara, so I like to know what is going on in the South Bay. Free Wi-Fi stands out to almost everyone with a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. It is appealing and makes our lives easier.
Personal and Social Values at stake and ethical implications
Larry Owens, a manager with Silicon Valley Power, stated "It's been up less than a week and we're seeing 3,000 users a day." This is a huge increase in people using Wi-Fi. I already see enough people on their phones and tablets in the Silicon Valley. I think this is an unethical addition to the smart meters. The Wi-Fi is best outside, that means more people that are walking/running and driving will have their eyes on their electronic device. This will cause more car accidents and people to become less social. Also, most people using this service probably don't even know how unsafe unencrypted Wi-Fi is.
On the other hand, this issue could also be looked at as an positive addition to Santa Clara. Internet is needed to do almost everything these days and is vital for learning, communication and success. Without access to the Internet, people can't do much of anything. Santa Clara understands this about the Internet, that it is just as important as normal household utilities. Electricity used to be offered by different companies and you could only get it if you could afford it. Then they made it available to all at a low cost. Access to the Internet is going in this same direction, and Santa Clara is making the right steps. Hopefully other cities will also see how important it is for everyone to have access to the Internet.
Credibility of its sources
The article is very credible because it comes directly from the source. The Mercury News is in the Bay Area.