PHILADELPHIA—The woman who steered Philadelphia’s municipal Wi-Fi project through city politics and battles with incumbent telcos is leaving her post as the city’s communications information officer next month to lead Georgia-based technology consulting firm Civitium’s international practice as a senior partner.
Dianah Neff was hand-picked in 2001 by Philadelphia Mayor John Street as the city’s CIO, and has been the primary force behind the city’s Wireless Philadelphia project to create a 135-square mile citywide Wi-Fi network.
Philadelphia’s Wi-Fi contract went to EarthLink Inc. in October, and the vendor is expected to launch its mesh network late this year.
The contract spells out that EarthLink will provide the infrastructure for the massive hotspot, a project that would have cost the city $20 million if it had conducted the buildout itself. In addition to financing, building and managing the wireless network, EarthLink agreed to provide Wireless Philadelphia with revenue-sharing fees to help support the Wireless Philadelphia Non-Profit Corp.
For its investment, EarthLink will provide the city government, schools and other entities with free wireless Internet access while charging about $20 per month for private access. The project also includes a $10-per-month fee for low-income residents.
Neff’s performance in Philadelphia was often praised. In 2004 she was awarded the Technology Leadership Award by the Public Technology Institute Board of Directors for her “far-reaching accomplishments and the technology leadership you have demonstrated in your capacity as Chief Information Officer for the City of Philadelphia.” She also received recognition from Computerworld and Information Week.
“Without her, Philadelphia’s Wi-Fi project wouldn’t have gone nearly as far as it went,” observed Craig Settles, author of “Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless.” “Philly is the kind of city where a project like this could have easily gotten lost in the political shuffle. But because of her inclusiveness practices, she was able to get people to sit around a table and work as a team, and the Wi-Fi project moved along at a fairly decent clip because of that.”
In light of Neff’s departure plans, city officials named her deputy, Terry Phillis, as acting CIO.
Civitium said Neff’s primary focus at the firm will be increasing business outside the United States.
