Posted: 08th Sep, 2009 By: MarkJ
The Scottish Labour Party has called for FREE wireless ( Wi-Fi ) broadband services to be made available on all public trains and buses in Scotland. The party hopes the move will form part of the presiding government’s new plans to encourage '
greener' transportation alternatives to the car. Indeed the government itself appears to have a similar idea.
A Scottish Government spokesman told BBC News Online :
"Although the provision of wireless internet access on buses in Scotland is solely a matter for individual bus operators, the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland is already developing a business case for wireless provision on ScotRail services as part of the franchise agreement, which will report in due course."
It is always very easy for an opposition party to promote a populist idea without really considering whether or not it can actually work. Certainly such a service should be possible in urban areas, though we suspect it would become both economically and technically rather more difficult to deliver through remote and rural routes.
One potential downside could be that Rights Holders might sue public transportation operators when dubious customers start downloading illegal music tracks or child pornography. Perhaps then the government might begin to understand the technical difficulties of identifying the correct offender.