[PLUG] UNWIRE PORTLAND SCHEDULES PUBLIC WORKSHOP

Jim Karlock Jkarlock at earthlink.net
Tue Jul 19 23:21:58 UTC 2005


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           CONTACT: Toni Severe Marcelin, PDC
July 11, 2005                                   503-823-3326

UNWIRE PORTLAND SCHEDULES PUBLIC WORKSHOP;
City Commissioner Sam Adams Keynote Speaker
__________________________________________________________________

A public workshop has been scheduled to provide the public an opportunity 
to learn about the Unwire Portland project and for project partners to 
gather community comment for an upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) 
process. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, July 28 from 5:00-7:00 
p.m. at the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, 4134 N. Vancouver 
Avenue. City Commissioner Sam Adams will be the keynote speaker at the 
workshop.

On June 29, Portland City Council approved a proposal for a citywide 
wireless Internet network, hoping to give the city and its residents a 
lower-cost alternative to high-speed Internet services springing up across 
the metro area. The City will now issue an RFP for services on a citywide 
wireless network.

Commissioner Adams will welcome participants and talk briefly about why 
Portland City Council unanimously supports this effort. "This project will 
bring universal access to Portland, making us better connected to the world 
and better connected to each other," Commissioner Adams said. "The end 
result is increased prosperity for the city's residents, small businesses, 
schools and transit system."

City of Portland's Chief Technology Officer Matt Lampe will present 
information regarding the project mission and the RFP process. "The project 
is a great example of public agencies coming together to leverage their 
strengths to promote a new technology deployment while creating new 
commercial options for the public," said Matt Lampe.


-More-

Unwire Portland
Page 2


Attendees can find out more about the project and its benefit by visiting 
five input stations staffed by members of the Steering Committee 
representing TriMet, Portland Public Schools, small business, technology 
and city services.

The City is pursuing the development of a network through an innovative 
public-private partnership. The three core public partnersthe City of 
Portland, Portland Public Schools and TriMetdeveloped the RFP to attract a 
private company or partnership to install and manage the network using no 
new public funds. The selected network developer would build the network 
using the public partners' assets, such as street lights, traffic signals, 
school buildings or radio towers to install the wireless equipment. The 
partners would also be early users of the network, providing the developer 
revenues to support network development while providing cost-saving access 
solutions to the City and other public agencies. The network would be open 
to multiple Service Providers to provide retail Internet access for 
Portland businesses and residents.

After considering public input from the workshop, the Committee plans to 
release the RFP in late August. More information on the workshop and Unwire 
Portland can be found on the web at: www.pdc.us/unwire.  Sponsors of the 
workshop include the City of Portland's Bureau of Technology Services, 
Portland Development Commission (PDC), and the Unwire Portland Steering 
Committee. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from the 
Mayor's office, the offices of Commissioners Sam Adams and Erik Sten, 
Bureau of Technology Services, Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business 
Associations, Portland Public Schools, TriMet and PDC.



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