Google, Earthlink file joint San Francisco WiFi proposal

Yesterday, EarthLink and Google jointly submitted a ‘Request For Proposal’ (RFP) to the City of San Francisco to build a citywide wireless municipal network.
This joint RFP offers a two-tier business model that combines a free service, offered by Google, and a paid service at higher speeds, to be offered by EarthLink.
Statement from Don Berryman, president of EarthLink's municipal networks unit:

“Yesterday, EarthLink and Google jointly submitted a ‘Request For Proposal’ (RFP) to the City of San Francisco to build a citywide wireless municipal network. This proposal presents a unique opportunity for both companies. By coming together to leverage the strengths of both companies, we will be able to offer services to different customers on the network that fit with their own individual needs and wants.

Fundamentally, this RFP is in line with EarthLink’s belief in ‘open access’ – that these municipal networks should offer the tools, services and applications that businesses, governments and consumers want to use to enable, enrich and empower their Internet experiences.

Customers shouldn’t be tied to their desks, or to a single provider, to get the Internet experience they want. Both EarthLink and Google recognize this and are attempting to provide great service and choice in San Francisco.”

Other proposals were submitted by MetroFi, Communication Bridge Global, NextWLAN, Razortooth Communications and SF Metro Connect, which is an alliance of SeaKay, Cisco Systems and IBM.

We'll be watching reactions, and reporting...