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City is thinking of providing wireless Internet at some point in the future, to just leave the units <br />and remove them at the time of installation of the new equipment. <br />Topography may be an issue for St. Anthony. The City's elevations are some of the highest in <br />Hennepin County. Again if the City is considering adopting the Chaska model, careful and <br />extensive planning may be required to insure coverage for those residents at the top of the hill as <br />well as for those on the other side of the hill and at its bottom. <br />Trees are another concern. The City has several large, mature and beautiful trees. A complex <br />system of antennas will have to be developed, planned and installed in order to achieve a level of <br />service that St. Anthony residents and businesses will expect and feel comfortable in using. <br />Staff Recommendation. Because St. Anthony exists in a metro area, it has many challenges to <br />providing Internet services but it has opportunities as well. Currently, St. Anthony is a member of <br />the North Suburban Cable Commission, which by anyone's estimation is professionally organized, <br />progressive and visionary. As such, it can be a force to be reckoned with and should employ this <br />leverage for the benefit of the communities that it serves. If by 2013, the 10 -city consortium decides <br />to "take control of their destiny' as one commissioner stated, then each member city's electronic <br />attributes will become part of a larger network of services. If St. Anthony continues to be <br />interested in providing accessible and affordable wireless Internet services to the community, it <br />would be Staffs recommendation to employ only those technologies that will accomplish the <br />City's goals but also to keep an eye to the future. Staff would also recommend that it hire a <br />consultant to assess the feasibility of providing a comprehensive wireless Internet system, develop <br />an idea of what electronics this plan should incorporate and assist in developing an <br />implementation schedule for this wireless Internet system plan. <br />H:\Memos\2005 \Wire1ess Internet 05032005.doc rev. <br />