BART Wi-Fi plan unplugged
The latest casualty of the credit crunch: BART's in-progress rollout of Wi-Fi on its trains. “People won’t loan risk capital until you have a contract,” says an executive for Wi-Fi Rail, the startup tagged with the job. Commuters were promised "ten times faster than DSL" access on BART trains within the next two to three years. A test program had already wired four stations in downtown SF, and 13,000 riders had registered for the service. But BART's schedule was contingent on Wi-Fi Rail raising $20 million, which in itself was contingent on BART signing a contract. Now, of course, even a signed contract won't unlock the big bucks. For BART riders, that means no Internet access during your commute, not for years. Good thing you're getting laid off. (Photo by The Examiner/Cindy Chew)