Big news today is the City of San Francisco's selection of Google, teamed with EarthLink, to be the provider of free Wi-Fi Internet access throughout the city.

"In choosing to negotiate with the Google-EarthLink team, the city is going with two Internet giants with marquee names," writes Verne Kopytoff of the San Francisco Chronicle. "Both firms have deep pockets and proven track records online, but only limited experience building a large wireless network."

Google will offer free access, while EarthLink will provide an alternate option of faster access for a fee of about $20 a month. For Google, it's a chance to provide location-based advertising -- and a possible starting point for a nationwide Wi-Fi network.

Losing bidders were MetroFi Inc., Razortooth Communications LLP, NextWLAN Corp., Communication Bridge Global Inc. and SF Metro Connect, a nonprofit group backed by Cisco Systems Inc. and IBM Corp.

While the hope is to have the network up and running by the end of the year, Wi-Fi Networking News' Glenn Fleishman warns, "Beware timetables. Philadelphia and EarthLink have spent months negotiating, and then the mayor's office apparently dumped hundreds of pages of detail about five city contracts and a sixth private one on city council members' desks hoping for a rubber stamp. Those contracts are not yet approved by the council."