After some grumbling, Council signs off on LAX's Wi-Fi deal

Some semblance of sanity remains at City Hall. On an 11-1 vote, the council approved the airport's contract to provide wireless access. The only no vote came from Councilman Joe Buscaino, who initially objected to airport officials not bidding out the service. The current provider, T-Mobile, is pulling out next month; a competitive bid could take two years. Even so, several council members suggested that the LAX folks had cut a lousy deal. "This is a horrible situation," said overwrought Councilman Richard Alarcon. (Perhaps some perspective is in order - we're talking about a two-year $663,000 agreement for an airport whose annual budget runs several billion dollars.) Under the contract with Advanced Wireless Group, travelers will get 45 minutes of free wireless access after watching a few ads. (T-Mobile charged $9.99.) John Wayne, Bob Hope and Long Beach airports all provide free wireless service.

Earlier: Free Wi-Fi at LAX could be back on track