Concluding its review of proposals to create a citywide wireless broadband network, San Francisco has selected the EarthLink/Google proposal among the six finalists, and will begin negotiations with the winner to hammer out a contract, the city's Department of Telecommunications and Information Services (DTIS) announced Wednesday, according to WebProNews. If the city cannot reach an agreement with the winners, DTIS may end the negotiations and go to the next-highest-ranked proposer.

"San Francisco has undertaken a thorough, innovative, and transparent process to reach an audacious goal: free wi-fi for our residents," said DTIS Executive Director Chris Vein. "Today's announcement will take us one step closer to making universal and affordable broadband a reality."

"Our goal sets the city apart: the most important purpose for the network is to provide all San Franciscans, especially low-income families and residents of disadvantaged communities, with equal access to the social, educational, and economic opportunities available online," said Vein. "We intend to reach this goal in a way that protects privacy and security of all users, and provides consumer choice through open access."

The 174-page proposal by Google and EarthLink provides for 95 percent outdoor coverage and 90 percent indoor coverage, and free basic service with speeds of around 300kbps; a companion paid service would be faster, according to WebProNews. Google has touted the benefits of the network for local businesses, saying it can "enable effective and affordable advertising solutions for small businesses and small proprietors for whom traditional advertising may be too expensive."

Prior coverage:

- Google Seeks Wi-Fi Ad Targeting Patent
- Google, EarthLink Partner for San Francisco Wi-Fi
- Google Offers Free Wi-Fi to Mountain View
- Newspapers Wary of Google San Fran WiFi Plan
- Google Makes Wi-Fi Proposal to San Francisco
- Google Apparently Planning Wi-Fi Service