THE INTERNET

St. Petersburg resident Howie Myers displays his support for wireless internet access.

Florida Homeless To Get Free Wireless Internet

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. (CAP) - As cities around the nation cut the internet cord and begin offering residents wireless access to the web, Florida is taking it one step further. The legislature has passed a resolution that will provide free wireless internet to all of the state's homeless by early next year.

"I figure it's the least we can do," said Sen. Paula Dockery. "I mean, I have withdrawals when I go a day without checking email. I can't imagine never being able to access it."

Homeless advocates are applauding Florida's efforts to aid the downtrodden, but question how well-placed their intentions are. Some have wondered publicly if the money would be better spent on purchasing iPods for the homeless to help relieve the monotony that comes with doing nothing but sitting on the sidewalk asking for handouts.

The new measure is the brain-child of Sen. Tom Lee, who noted that because of the nomadic tendencies of the state's homeless population, any cable or DSL connections would be useless to them.

Lee said studies have shown that many homeless struggle financially, which is why lawmakers decided to make their access free.

"Ultimately we'd like to see a situation where the homeless are networking with each other," Lee told CAP News as he dished out a quarter for a man to wash his windshield. "Where are the best places to sleep, in which alleys can you urinate without being caught, who recently tossed away a half-eaten Big Mac, that sort of thing."

To that end, the state has begun taking bids to design and host a new website called MyCardboardBox.com. The site is expected to go live in time for the arrival of cooler weather.