Muni WiFi in a city blanketed with competition is curious indeed. However, chances are there is a business case somewhere that indicates its benefits. Often to the operations of the City even though no one ever says it. In rural areas where there is definite need for Municipal contribution to aid broadband start (often providers need a boost for that initial first capital). In some cases the justification comes from internal needs that County or Townships have. Believe it or not GIS creates a huge demand. Not to mention with all the changes in recent years Townships are responsible for much more but lack the tools to deliver adquately. Having aided in the deployment of no less then 24 sites of rural broadband in Ontario, I can tell you tehre is an absolute need for those rural areas. If they could only get there hands on teh kind of money Toronto has to cover their territories, then we may stand a chance of regaining our most connected Country status with the ITU (it fell in the last survey, well out of the top ten) and perhaps position our children for a fighting chance in the shifting global economy. Or we can leave the rural areas and farmers to rot and do without and we can all perhaps start relying on other sources for our food and prosperity.... I think we can imagine what that might mean in another 50 years or so.....