NYC Replaces Payphones with City-Wide Free Wi-Fi, Calls

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
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It’s a good time to be a New Yorker, especially for Wi-Fi users. The city of New York is in the process of replacing all of the city’s payphones and updating the outdated boxes with brand new Wi-Fi hotspots, up to 10K of them, all across five boroughs.

With this proposal for the fastest and largest municipal Wi-Fi network in the world -- accessible to and free for all New Yorkers and visitors alike -- we’re taking a critical step toward a more equal, open and connected city -- for every New Yorker, in every borough.
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Excellent, now they can track even more citizens without having to deal with phone companies or warrants.
 
There is going to be a corresponding drop in internet subscriptions. Major ISPs were running wireless hotspots for their customers as well, Comcast subscribers had access to Comcast hotspots throughout the city. They also had some bandwidth sharing system on their wireless gateways.
 
Never lived in NY but sorda like the idea in spite of “the man” and hackers
 
People complain that there is no free WiFi. People complain that there is free WiFi. People complain. That is what we learned here today.
 
Why do I see this ending badly?

Also was going to say these will be vandalized til I read the part they'll be checked twice a week.
 
Use your own favorite VoIP app instead. Almost all of them use encryption from the device to the service, so no worry about NYC snooping. It's not a full replacement for cell service, but it's usable if the WiFi speeds aren't pathetic.
 
xIronCrossx said:
People complain that there is no free WiFi. People complain that there is free WiFi. People complain. That is what we learned here today.
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People that work hard for a living tend to complain that they have to buy all their neighbors Wi-Fi access, when they could just get their own phones and there's already free 911 dialing.

People that vote for Obama like the idea of "free" anything, because the before mentioned people wil pay for it. :)
 
Only 150 feey radius and AFAIK most people in central NYC live in apartments that are usually significantly farther than 150 feet from phone booths.
 
Ducman69 said:
People that work hard for a living tend to complain that they have to buy all their neighbors Wi-Fi access, when they could just get their own phones and there's already free 911 dialing.

People that vote for Obama like the idea of "free" anything, because the before mentioned people wil pay for it. :)
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Funny how those that think most everything should be free tend to be the same ones who deride fossil fuels for environmental reasons. There is an obvious conflict there which I'm sure they've never given a thought to (like so much else which their ideology encompasses).
 
PersonalJ said:
There is going to be a corresponding drop in internet subscriptions. Major ISPs were running wireless hotspots for their customers as well, Comcast subscribers had access to Comcast hotspots throughout the city. They also had some bandwidth sharing system on their wireless gateways.
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Of course you have to pay for subscriptions to use those, and most people won't be able to use these new setups at home.
 
Ducman69 said:
People that work hard for a living tend to complain that they have to buy all their neighbors Wi-Fi access, when they could just get their own phones and there's already free 911 dialing.

People that vote for Obama like the idea of "free" anything, because the before mentioned people wil pay for it. :)
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I think it's funny that if it isn't pro-corporate dick sucking, it's pro-Obama with you tea baggers. :D and we all know that if you're too dumb to protect your Wi-Fi from being used by others, you deserve it.
 
IMO people who are so cheap they would tap into what will probably be garbage speed wifi probably were not buying any home internet anyway. I know a number of people like that. Trying to leach off of a nearby business etc..... And besides new Yorkers should get something for their obcene tax rates.
 
timta2 said:
I think it's funny that if it isn't pro-corporate dick sucking, it's pro-Obama with you tea baggers. :D and we all know that if you're too dumb to protect your Wi-Fi from being used by others, you deserve it.
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We "tea baggers," as you thieving lazy-asses like to call us, just don't want you people hanging on our shoulders all the time, or don't you realize that the people who make between $50,000 and $150,000 per year pay half the taxes in this country?
 
I am sure taxpayers are going to love that and so will hackers. Heck the police will probably tap the spectrum and listen in with the NSA, brilliant.
 
PCunicorn said:
Only 150 feey radius and AFAIK most people in central NYC live in apartments that are usually significantly farther than 150 feet from phone booths.
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Didn't phone booths only have like a 3 foot long cord for the handset and only work for one person at a time? 150 feet and lots of people seems like an improvement.
 
Like the idea of free WiFi spots. Even if they are tracking ad supported. Those in the know can take precautions, those that don't know or don't care can provide the tracking data for the companies.

One aspect that I think is a poor choice is not using a traditional handset for folks using the booth itself as a phone. Both sides of the conversation will be loud enough for passerbys to hear even with 'directional mics and speakers'. And what about folks with hearing or speech issues? A handset is very good at allowing at least one half of the conversation to be mostly private and accommodating folks of greatly varying heights and hearing abilities.

Keep in mind that sadly, one of the uses for these booths will be 911 calls reporting the seconds ago theft of shiny new iphone7s.
 
dgingeri said:
We "tea baggers," as you thieving lazy-asses like to call us, just don't want you people hanging on our shoulders all the time, or don't you realize that the people who make between $50,000 and $150,000 per year pay half the taxes in this country?
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Well that's because they aren't making enough to afford the expensive tax consultants to be able to jump through hoops and shelter their money from taxes like the people making over 150k who aren't paying their share. Also, people making under 50k are most likely living paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to lost any more income..

It's funny you think the only people getting handouts are democrats who want everything free. Lets just ignore all the republican handouts in the form of huge tax breaks, which cost the country far more.

But this all boils back down to the severe need for tax reform. Care to guess which party would never allow that to happen?
 
spintroniX said:
i love how every thread devolves into political bickering.
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Perhaps Obama can issue an Executive Order banning it, after all, if he can naturalize 5 million+ illegals without congress' approval, why not?

Thanks Obama! :)
 
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