Google must feel a little bit of respect for the town that made it a global phenomenon, because today the search engine giant will announce its plans to offer free Internet access to all of Mountain View, California. With over 72,000 city residents, it will be the largest city in the country (and likely one of the biggest cities in the world) with all-encompassing free Internet access.

It's a big undertaking, but if there's anyone who can handle it, it's Google. One of the always eloquent Google execs, in charge of the project, says, "We aren't concerned about being able to handle the load. We think we have built a pretty cool, robust network." Municipal Wi-Fi is beginning to make a buzz around the country, with cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Anaheim developing similar infrastructures. However, offering the service for free is still a very radical concept. Most cities with such plans will be charging residents a monthly fee to tap into the network.

With Google's plan in Mountain View, all you'll need is a log on name and password provided by Google. In case you haven't figured it out, the reason for Google doing this is to get as many people online as possible. As long as they've got thousands of people using the 'net that couldn't afford it before, or just make it easier for people to connect, they'll be able to increase their revenue.

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Report Published by: Mark Raby