If the local San Francisco government had queried the local technology voter base instead of immediately selling out for a franchise deal with Google/Earthlink,

If the local San Francisco government had queried the local technology voter base instead of immediately selling out for a franchise deal with Google/Earthlink, we'd probably have city-wide networking (not just WiFi) by now. I've done this kind of work professionally (including wiring a multi-acre outdoor campus), and I would have happily donated my evenings/weekends to wiring my own neighborhood. I also know quite a few other technology-capable individuals that would have pitched in as well. It's the kind of project that needs a central municipal hand to provide an organizational and management framework, right-of-way, etc. I wrote my city supervisor about it when the WiFi idea was languishing, but unsurprisingly never received a response.