Free WiFi is a selling point in NoMa, but why isn't the Internet free wherever we'd want it?

Utopia announces itself in magenta and margarita green. "Free Outdoor WiFi," say the placards shellacked to the sidewalks of First Street NE. Their cheery color scheme and matter-of-fact wording makes WiFi seem like both an amenity and a necessity, at least when pondered to the sound of water cascading over the stone facade of a nearby palace of swank apartments (sorry, residences). NoMa claimed this month that it's the first D.C. neighborhood to connect the air we breathe to free Internet, and ...