Hacker News Reader

Comment by drcode | Hacker News Reader

Something tells me the will actually be ""free"" Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

(i.e. if you have 2 valid forms of ID proving you live 4 blocks from the hot spot and you are willing to spend 5 minutes filling out web forms and you only want to visit one of 50 sanctioned websites and you are willing to receive notification emails and your computer is Windows 8.1 but doesn't have the incompatible service pack installed that the java applet crashes on and you happen to catch it on a day when it's working and you can get the webbeams login url to redirect properly and you don't accidentally scroll down while the login page is loading and you click through the screens about the new street sweeping schedule you will be able to browse the web for 17.5 minutes.)

View on HN

That's extreme. This is just a swing toward turning internet access into utilities like electricity and water which are available without being tied to your residence. You still have public street lights and public water fountains outside your home. Likewise, internet is slowly moving away form this "thing" you always have to pay for to stay connected.

Verizon, TWC, Optimum, Comcast et al require that you have an account with them to use their hotspots. But you don't need an account with ConEd to be able to read your newspaper or book out on the street. This is where internet is headed.

McDonalds, Starbucks, and many other private companies, all do not require an account, many don't even require you buy anything.

Counting street lights as electricity is a bit of reach. Last I checked to have electrical service or water service I actually had to have an account. After all, where would they provide it?

I downvoted you for excessive cynicism but then I saw that this company is providing the Wi-Fi: http://www.transitwireless.com/what-we-do/wifi-advertising/

Anybody knows how this "advertising on WiFi" model actually works?

I really hope it is just advertising on a captive portal, and not content injection

"Advertisers can reach subway riders in many ways such as sponsorship of Free Wi-Fi, landing page banner advertisements, video advertisements and application downloads"

Here's some info my dad sent me he's actually involved in the project on the Transit Wireless side

http://www.link.nyc/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2ziLFANXR9deEJPMmZQcUNUT0l...

Don't worry about providing id, just walk around a bit - they will work out who you are soon enough.

http://www.channel4.com/news/shopping-centre-wifi-tracking-s...

Indeed; if the city runs the network, they wouldn't have to request the data from a third party when they want to investigate somebody.

Do you live in New York? The subway wifi's not that impossible, though it's a slight hassle.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com