Neighborhood residents interested in the future of wireless technology in Boston are invited to attend a community forum on the planning of the city’s first WiFi Summit scheduled to be held in May.

The community forum will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19 in Conference Rooms 5 and 6 of the Johnson Building at the Boston Public Library Copley Branch on Boylston Street in the Back Bay. Boston WAG (Wireless Advocacy Group), a volunteer organization that supports and encourages open, community wifi networks in Boston, will sponsor the event, which is free and open to the public.

BostonWAG is one of several local organizations involved in a special task force formed to plan the WiFi Summit, which will be held on Thursday, May 19 at the Museum of Science, Boston. The task force is now seeking input from community residents on how they think wireless technology could be used to make Boston a more attractive place to live, work, go to school and conduct business. Representatives of local community groups, grassroots organizations, and non-profit agencies are invited to participate in the forum.

The WiFi Summit is being organized and sponsored by the City of Boston, the Office of Boston City Councillor John M. Tobin, Jr., the Boston Foundation, and the Museum of Science. Planners hope to draw hundreds of representatives from the community and the academic, business, technology and public sectors to explore how wireless technology could be expanded to benefit residents, workers and businesses across the city.

"The Boston Foundation is very pleased to support this effort to bridge the divide in communities where access to internet connectivity and services are difficult and expensive," said Paul S. Grogan, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. "This project has the potential to differentiate Boston as a community that leverages its technological advantages to create economic opportunity, enhance information access, and boost educational advantage. It will benefit the Boston community as a whole, improve Boston's image as a business-friendly city, and benefit the city's huge student population. Most of all, we appreciate that this Summit ensures that there will be a strong community voice in shaping this work.”

The event is the outgrowth of an order filed in August 2004 by City Councillor Tobin, who represents West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. Councillor Tobin’s order called for hearings to discuss how the City of Boston could use wireless technology to bridge the “digital divide” and provide the infrastructure to support residents’ growing need for access to new technology.

“The summit will give us a great opportunity to find out what’s already been done to create more access to wireless technology in Boston and where we need to go,” said Councillor Tobin. “It is my hope that residents from across the city will get involved, ask questions, and share their information, ideas, and expertise with us.”

The centerpiece of the half-day summit will be the presentation of the results of a survey and analysis of wireless technology in Boston by the consulting firm of BTS Partners. BTS is now conducting the survey with a $25,000 grant from the The Boston Foundation in conjunction with the Museum of Science.

Museum of Science President and Director, Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis said, “We are carefully developing a business model that outlines the economic and social benefits of wireless access in Boston, and works to address community questions and concerns by partnering with law enforcement and public safety experts, to ensure a secure and sustainable model.”

For more information about the community forum e-mail info@bostonwag.org or call Susan Kaup at (781) 420-9660.

Anyone interested in participating in the summit planning, contact Councillor Tobin’s office at (617) 635-4220 or e-mail elaine.gowdy@ci.boston.ma.us.