When it was conceived in 2004, Wireless Philadelphia was considered a ground-breaking way to put Philadelphia a step ahead of other U.S. cities in the field of technology.
Now, however, the organization is - at best - on shaky footing.
A press release from Wireless Philadelphia announced that Earthlink, the company operating Wireless Philadelphia, is breaking their contract and discontinuing its operation of the municipal wi-fi network in Philadelphia.
"There was nothing in the agreement that permits Earthlink to shut down," said Wireless Philadelphia spokesman Ryan Nichols, referencing the original 10-year agreement Earthlink made with the city of Philadelphia.
Part of this agreement was "Digital Inclusion," a program aiming to bring the Internet to Philadelphia's lower-income families through providing laptops and pre-paid Internet service for one year.
Earthlink set a June 12 deadline to find a new buyer for Wireless Philadelphia, but has recently offered its customers the alternative of a dial-up Internet connection, Nichols said.
"We are working to find a new operator for the network," he said, adding that Wireless Philadelphia is "definitely fighting to make sure that [the dial-up fall-back] doesn't happen."
Nichols said that the organization is "guardedly optimistic that we will have some good news . within the next couple of weeks," but not everyone involved is quite so sure about Wireless Philadelphia's future.
Though Mayor Nutter's office is very supportive of Wireless Philadelphia's mission - "Who could be against Digital Inclusion?" said Doug Oliver, Nutter's press secretary - city officials don't know where the organization is headed.
"We have not yet found that right set of circumstances that benefits the provider, Wireless Philadelphia and the city," said Oliver.
Oliver echoed Nichols' prediction that the next few weeks are crucial to the future of Wireless Philadelphia.
"The verdict is still out as to what will happen," he said. "There's a lot of work that still needs to be done."
Regardless of the outcome for Wireless Philadelphia, Penn's wireless networks will not be affected because they are privately run - which is a source of comfort for students.
"I'm glad that we have our own networks separate from Wireless Philadelphia so if it folds, we can still use the Internet," said Christie Heidelberg, a College and Wharton sophomore.
Eliana Turner, a College sophomore who has tried - unsuccessfully - to use Wireless Philadelphia's internet service while rehearsing in the Iron Gate Theatre, said that even if Wireless Philadelphia finds a new buyer, she's not sure how effective it will be.
Turner added that "the whole concept [of Wireless Philadelphia] is obviously amazing, because the world revolves around the Internet . but I don't see it being effective."
