San Francisco No. 1 spot for wireless ‘Net service

The San Francisco Bay area is the nation’s top market for wireless Internet hot spots, according to a new study sponsored by Intel Corp.

The region was followed by Orange County, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. Last year’s “most unwired” area, Portland, Ore., was bumped to No. 5 on the list compiled for the semiconductor giant by “Best Places” author Bert Sperling.

The Kansas City area was ranked 42nd in the survey.

Wi-Fi is no longer limited to airports, coffee houses and home networks. Hot spots are springing up in truck stops, RV parks and malls.

Sperling also found:

• Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., is the nation’s most unwired campus. It’s followed by Purdue University, the University of Texas at Austin, Case Western Reserve University and Dartmouth College. Kansas University was not in the top 100, but Kansas State University ranked 47th.
• Dallas-Forth Worth is the best U.S. airport for Wi-Fi access, followed by New York LaGuardia, Atlanta Hartsfield, Chicago O’Hare and Baltimore-Washington.

Pictured above, Mark Brooks works at his laptop computer using the unlimited, 24-hour free Wi-Fi service at a doughnut shop in Palo Alto, Calif.

Lawrence

Forum to connect legislators, residents

The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will play host to the final 2004 Kansas Capitol Connections forum from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Robert Dole Institute of Politics.

The forum, which is sponsored by the Lawrence Journal-World, SBC and the Chamber’s Government Communications committee, gives residents an opportunity to interact with state legislators. The Douglas County delegation will discuss legislative issues and answer questions of community interest.

The event is open to the public and the fee for the program is $13 in advance and $15 at the door. The cost includes breakfast, which will be catered by the Hereford House. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday; call Bobbie Clark at 865-4483.