As San Francisco's Board of Supervisors mulls a proposal for a citywide wireless network, it faces a question being asked by cities nationwide: Is municipal Wi-Fi an overhyped technology in search of a problem? Dozens of U.S. cities, including Alexandria, Va., Houston, Philadelphia, and Portland, Ore., have built Wi-Fi networks, and many others are evaluating them. The lure is that Wi-Fi is a relatively easy way to bring broadband Internet access at little or no cost to the municipality, funded in-stead by subscription fees and advertising. Many of these projects, however, were begun in haste as radio frequency fever gripped mayors' offices and city councils across America. As a result, they're based on dubious "build it and they will come" economic models.

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