New York City Subway Wi-Fi Plan Resumed; New Yorkers Already Complaining

(July 30) -- For those avid underground commuters in New York fed up with awkward stares and silences, too tired to read a book or suddenly uninterested in all 1,000-plus tracks downloaded onto the iPhone you boarded with, relief is coming: Wi-Fi on a subway near you!

Bloomberg reports the $200 million plan gives Transit Wireless, one of the main partners in this New York City Transit project, two years to wire six subterranean stations (including those along 14th Street at Sixth, Seventh and Eighth avenues and 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue) and another four years to install antennas in the remaining 271. Upon completion of the project, riders should expect to enjoy mobile phone and Wi-Fi service on the platform, mezzanines and portions of the tunnels, said Chris Jaeger, managing director of Broadcast Australia. Transit Carriers, such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp., will pay Transit Wireless for access to the network.

Travelers in Singapore, Berlin and Tokyo have enjoyed Wi-Fi in their subways for years. The effort to bring cell phone and wireless Internet service to New York subways began in 2007 but then stalled out because of a shortage of funding. The savior of the scheme -- at least to those who will see it that way -- is Australian mobile infrastructure operator Broadcast Australia.

Here's how initial reactions to the revival of the venture are breaking down:

WEB

A cure for Bay Area envy:
"I spent the weekend enjoying working wireless in San Francisco's BART over the weekend, so it's nice to hear underground wireless is happening elsewhere in the states." -- Adam Pash, LifeHacker

A set-up for an easy punchline:
"This is a travesty. For many people the subway is the only place to not only get away from the nagging of your own iPhone or Droid, but also to end all the chattering, inane conversations of your fellow citizens." -- Brian Moylan, Gawker

A bitter irony:
"Sure, this announcement comes after a summer where budget constraints have caused lines to be discontinued and the MTA has considered no longer selling unlimited tickets but, hey, now I don't have to wait till I get all the way to work to surf porn on the internet!" -- Jon Bershad, Mediaite

TWITTER

A fresh means to pursue ingrained New York habits:

New and Interesting Ways to Avoid Eye Contact! rt @Gothamist: Subway Cell, Wi-Fi Service Will Work in Most Tunnels http://bit.ly/c0c5iYless than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®Max Lakin
maxlakin

A new reason to hate cell phones, and the people who use them:

My commute was lacking jackasses talking on their phones! RT @Aerocles: Cell service, wi-fi coming to a subway near youless than a minute ago via TweetDeckKen Wheaton
kenwheaton

An (inevitable) meditation on how this will effect real-estate prices:

Does having wi-fi/cell service in the subway make ones commute more or less attractive? Prob more = $$$ housing in the outer boroughsless than a minute ago via UberTwitterMichael Traynor
mjtraynor

A variation on the nattering strangers complaint, with a mental health twist:

Like there aren't enough crazies talking to themselves already: Subway Stations & Tracks To Have Cell Service, Wi-Fi http://bit.ly/dlyF5lless than a minute ago via webDamion Noel
bknowledge