City of McAllen to Begin Testing WiFi

The city of McAllen is in the early stages of planning a city wide wireless network. Connecting wirelessly to this network, anyone could access the internet anywhere in the city from any 802.11 capable device. What does this mean for home and business wireless networks? With only 14 overlapping, staggered channels available on standard 802.11 and an ever increasing number of wireless networks competing for air space, many wireless networks may receive a great deal of interference. What is your take on the project? Will widespread WiFi coverage make McAllen a city of the future or will the network be a detriment to local businesses that rely on 802.11 infrastructures for their operations.