Boston's wireless plans move forward

Boston plans to create a nonprofit called openairboston.net, as part of Mayor Thomas M. Menino's wireless Internet access initiative.

Last summer, Menino unveiled his plan to blanket Boston with wireless Internet connections. Today, he said the Boston Wireless Initiative has filed incorporation papers to create the nonprofit. Menino said Boston will be the only city in the nation to offer a not-for-profit wholesale network, open to business and technology innovators, while also delivering some of the lowest-priced broadband service in the country.

"The creation of openairboston is a significant milestone in our efforts to bring inexpensive, open wireless service to Boston residents while also creating a unique model for others in the region, the country, and around the world to follow," he said in a statement.

In October, wireless hot spots that give Internet access to anyone with a computer or other wi-fi- enabled device were activated in City Hall Plaza, Quincy Market, and the North End's Columbus Park.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)

The North End's Columbus Park is a wi-fi hotspot.