When talking about the Velvet Underground’s first record, Brian Eno supposedly said something like only a few people bought the album, but almost every single one of them was inspired to start a band.

Wireless Ypsi isn’t responsible for a cover-band (yet), but it is the reason for three new Meraki networks in southeastern Michigan with those being Open Dearborn, Wireless Trenton, and a network getting ready to come on line shortly in Lincoln Park.

One of the aides from a local congressman put the Downriver Communities in touch with us and invited us to talk to them about wireless. Long story short, we were given a seat on the panel for a wireless discussion at their Downriver Summit in May. After only a few months, Open Dearborn finally went public last week with a newspaper article.

The most interesting thing about all of this is the West Dearborn DDA gave the wireless project $5,000.

Hmmmm. The DDA giving money to a wireless project in the downtown? I’d never even considered such an idea. I would have thought there would be all sorts of legal questions surrounding such a proposition, but apparently at least one other community has been able to get the idea to work.

UPDATE:
Wireless Ypsi is also partially responsible for a wireless network in Downtown Dexter. With the help of one of Dexter’s Village Trustees, I was able to spread the gospel of Merkai to our friends to the west.