Wi-Fi Planet's Eric Griffith today looks at the likelihood of a political showdown in San Francisco regarding the nature of its much-delayed Wi-Fi network.

According to the San Francisco Examiner's Adam Martin, "The Board of Supervisors may soon vote to make San Francisco's proposed public Internet service the property of The City. The move would fly in the face of efforts by Mayor Gavin Newsom's office to contract with Google and EarthLink to create a free wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, service citywide."

Wi-Fi analyst Craig Settles of Successful.com says the city has no one to blame but itself. "Had the people driving this initiative taken their time to first do the type of focus groups Philadelphia did with the diversity of constituent groups, plus executed one or two pilot projects, there would not have been the steady drumbeat of constituent and activist discontent that has lead to the Supervisors' current decision," he says.

Still, at MuniWireless.com, Esme Vos points out, "The SF Board of Supervisors is doing what boards of supervisors (or similar bodies) in other municipalities do -- which is to question the reigning mayor's decisions."

And Griffith notes that San Francisco is at least being far more fiscally responsible about the decision-making process than Philadelphia appears to have been. "Philadelphia... recently sent out invitations for a $200 per person launch party for Wireless Philadelphia to take place next week," he writes.