Alexandria has closed the free wireless hot spot it operated on King Street near the waterfront since April 2005. After new federal legislation took effect in May, the city attorney recommended disconnecting the service, said Craig Fifer, the city’s E-government manager. The new legislation required Internet providers to give law enforcement officers a backdoor access to monitor users, similar to wiretap procedure. To comply would have required extra equipment and cost, Fifer said. That seemed shortsighted since Earthlink is contracted to take over and expand the city’s Wi-Fi network.

Meanwhile, Arlington continues to operate its free Wi-Fi hot spots. The county attorney determined that the new law isn’t applicable to Arlington, said Rob Billingsley, Arlington’s IT manager. Earthlink is also expected to take over Arlington’s free Wi-Fi zones.