Chicago is ending its plans for citywide Wi-Fi, after talks with both EarthLink and AT&T led to a stalemate.

According to the Chicago Tribune's Jon Van, the city had offered infrastructure but no cash to a carrier that would build a citywide Wi-Fi network. "The companies sought a commitment from Chicago to be an 'anchor tenant,' agreeing to pay to use the Wi-Fi network to support city services, but the city declined," he writes.

"We realized - after much consideration - that we needed to reevaluate our approach to provide universal and affordable access to high speed Internet as part of the city's broader digital inclusion efforts," says city CIO Hardik Bhatt.

More here from TechWhack ... more here from MuniWireless ... more here from WBEZ ... and more here from Wi-Fi Networking News.