The project is being managed by Wireless Philadelphia, a city-sponsored nonprofit group which plans to contract with a private firm to build and maintain the network, and then will rent access to service providers.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"Wireless Philadelphia represents a compelling opportunity to provide affordable broadband Internet access to the people who visit and live and work in the city of Philadelphia, and we believe EarthLink, as a leading national ISP, is ideally positioned to lead this effort, " said Daniel Greenfield , an EarthLink spokesman.

FORBES: Philly Finally Ready To Unwire

It's not gargantuan in terms of dollars, but it is an important symbolic win for either company, since other municipalities considering implementing public wireless will closely watch the Philadelphia rollout--the first of its kind--as a test case.

FORBES: Magazine Article