USA — The mayors of both Chicago and San Francisco had the sweetest of e-tech dreams when they envisioned visitors and citizens alike surfing the internet, free of charge, on a vast, citywide network of wi-fi signals. Alas, the sad, hard reality of a cash economy has dashed cold water on these fevered hopes. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s vision for a free and public wireless internet network spanning his entire city sounded ambitious when it was first announced, but after three years of wrangling over a contract with EarthLink, it looked like it might actually happen. Unfortunately, before the contract could be finalized, EarthLink decided to take its services elsewhere.

At issue for San Francisco appears to have been a combination of Board of Supervisors-related issues – and the fact that the Atlanta-based company ultimately concluded that citywide coverage simply was not economically feasible. According to company spokesman Jerry Grasso, EarthLink is still willing to work with San Francisco, but not within “the business model where EarthLink fronts all the money to build, own, and operate the network.”

Newson was quick to hold the Board of Supervisors responsible, claiming they had not moved quickly enough during negotiations.

“I’m disappointed, because we had a chance to get it done and it didn’t happen,” he told SFGate.com, adding, somewhat oddly that, “The board delayed it, and now EarthLink could not be more pleased.”

The decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise to industry observers, what with EarthLink announcing recently that increased ISP competition means it will cut its workforce in half by releasing 900 employees and closing offices in San Francisco and other cities.

Newsom, however, mourns what he believes might have been, stating that, “EarthLink would have been legally obligated to fulfill its promises to San Francisco, and we would have had a functioning Wi-Fi system by now.”

Unsurprisingly, members of the Board of Supervisors see things somewhat differently. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is relieved by that the back out of EarthLink, since it means the city will not have to worry that the work might have been substandard or the future of the company performing it uncertain.

“The mayor should be extremely thankful that the board was so investigative and thorough in its review,” Mirkarimi insists. “EarthLink’s meltdown confirms our concerns that the risks outweighed the benefits.”

Chances are good that EarthLink’s new management team came to the same conclusion when it re-evaluated the proposal that recently deceased Chief Executive Office Gary Betty had begun negotiating. Having passed away this year from cancer, Betty’s view of free municipal Wi-Fi as a way to help EarthLink escape from networks belonging to other companies likewise died. Instead, new CEO Rolla Huff chose to re-evaluate the company’s Wi-Fi policies after noticing that cities such as Philadelphia and Anaheim had not yet produced the kinds of profits anticipated.

As negotiated, EarthLink would have paid San Francisco $2 million in exchange for building, installing, and running a free Wi-Fi network and partnering with Google to provide internet services. Those wanting a boost in connection speed could pay $20 a month. The Board of Supervisors had kept the contract from moving forward while attempting to negotiate a faster minimum connection speed, greater privacy protections, and a shorter contract period.

Although EarthLink is no longer involved with the project, Newsom co-submitted a ballot measure for the November election asking voters to speak their mind about establishing a free, wireless network in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune reports that the Windy City is experiencing a very similar fate thanks to the falling price of residential broadband and contract problems with EarthLink and AT&T. Fortunately for consumers, Sprint Nextel Corp. hopes to offer its wireless WiMax network next spring.

Chicago had hoped to be the first major city in the United States to flood its streets with wireless internet signals, allowing full access to the internet from anywhere within the city limits.

Perhaps both cities would have had greater success had they aligned with Solis Energy, a startup that claims to be able to supply 12, 24, and 48 Volts DC capable of being used in surveillance cameras and outdoor Wi-Fi via its Solar Power Plant – which uses the power of the sun to fuel routers located in remote areas otherwise without wireless networks.

According to Solis Energy, its large solar panels are connected to generator units which can keep devices juiced for as long as a week without sunlight. On good days, the large panels are said to be capable of running a system all day and through the night, thanks to stored power. Tap adaptors can feed 120 volts of AC power to Wimax and Wi-Fi, as well as other outdoor systems. The company’s Outdoor UPS can provide sun-fueld battery backup for municipal Wi-Fi and other essential infrastructure.