Growth and innovation mark municipal WiFi movement.(Survey)

The number of municipal wireless networks in the United States offering high-speed Internet access is rapidly growing, according to a recent report by associates of a citywide wireless broadband portal that tracks wireless broadband projects around the world.

The June 2006 MuniWtreless.com report on wireless regions in the U.S. lists 247 dries and counties offering some form of WiFi--local networks that use high frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over long distances--capabilities or are currently deploying service. This number has more than doubled from the past year and increased by nearly 20 percent in the past two months. And as the number of networks grows, municipal governments are experimenting with more innovative and diverse …