Wi-Fi Planet interviewed Rich MacKinnon and I about the Austin Wireless City project, a nonprofit we're involved with that's building a network of wireless hot spots in Austin. At the time of the interview, the network had 800 registered users; it's almost doubled since then, now 1500. AWC has built a volunteer organization to identify venues that want to provide free wi-fi and work with them to make it happen. Other volunteers maintain the sites to ensure quick response to technical problems. Rich's idea was to build a model that other cities can replicate, so at some point we'll document the structure and process. [Link]