Will there ever be universal wifi?

I don’t think it’s likely in rural areas. In cities and suburbs there are already some parts of the country if you subscribe to a certain provider, like Comcast is one example, you can use their wifi around town.

I’m pretty sure you mean the government providing access as part of the infrastructure and I do think some cities will go to that, but I doubt it will universal at the federal level.

Not only is it difficult in rural areas, but I think people will worry about privacy issues and many people will still have their own wifi. Rural areas can’t easily get 5G either, which is what government and business has decided is the next phase for connecting people.

I’ll be interested to see other people’s answers. Good Q.

Probably, anything is possible in this age. Forty years ago, cell phones were something you’d only see in sci-fi movies, or a Dick Tracy comic. So, who can say?

No. Too many networks. Although it seems like it ought to be easy, there are too many providers, too many routers, too many modems, and so on, to have a universal wifi system.

If they could streamline it, for those who wanted it, I’d be in favor of not paying $100 a month for internet at home, or whatever the internet portion of my bundled cable bill amounts to. Especially with kids needing it now for online schooling, and even if the Covid becomes less of a threat after the vaccine is rolled out, there may be pandemics in the future where everyone needs WiFi access and not everyone could afford it. For those who are concerned about privacy, they could always get their own, additional package.

No. The air waves are too full of signals now.

Good point there, @jca2

Downtown section of my city has WiFi for free. City is an internet provider but has free WiFi on city properties including downtown.

There is a strong movement in certain states to prohibit municipal wi-fi. 22 States have roadblocks or outright outlawing of such networks.

But Musk’s Starlink might be a solution, although it is pricey, at $99 a month and a $499 hook up fee.

Here are the WiFi networks in different USA cities

@zenvelo that is for Broadband networks (Competing against ATT&T or Xfinity . . . et al) the question is about WiFi in general.