WiFi Grids as an ISP in the US

What a great idea. If Taipei can come up with a plan to install a city-wide grid of WiFi APs and offer a service where one can get Internet access anywhere, why can't we? People would be all over it, and it wouldn't have to be in lieu of other high speed services, but probably in addition to them in many cases. How great would it be to take your laptop, cruise around anywhere in your city, and be online?

So what's the holdup? Obviously it's a costly venture, but there are plenty of companies who have the moola. Ultimately, I think a case where companies don't want to open the floodgates to something which could end up forcing them to change their direction and bunk a system they've poured so much into already. In the end it isn't really about what the consumer wants as much as it is about how these companies can maximize profit. Is that wrong? Probably not.

I remember being a kid and fantasizing about being able to have my entire music collection in one place, like my computer. Eventually the world caught up, plus or minus some legal issues. Maybe someday I'll be able to be online anywhere, anytime as well.