Although municipal WiFi networks are popping up all over the country, the Wireless Philadelphia initiative continues to draw the most attention and the most scrutiny. Details on the project's cost and how it will be paid for are still being worked out. The plan calls for residents to pay between $16 and $18 a month for the service. Dianah L. Neff, the city's CIO and the leading voice force behind the project, is scheduled to appear before a city council committee today. From all indications, she could be in for a tough grilling.

To make things a bit more difficult for Wireless Philadelphia, Verizon just lowered it's DSL broadband service to $14.95 a month for local customers, though the rate is good for only 12 months. Plus, Closed Networks is already selling wireless broadband to residents at $20 a month, with a service area covering about half the city's population. In other words, Ms. Neff needs to do well today at her committee appearance by providing specific details about the project. If she doesn't, the city may just pull the plug on Wireless Philadelphia.