I’ve done a quick scan of the RFP, and I have to say I am not impressed.

1. There appear to be no requirements for speed or bandwidth for the free service.
2. Privacy is still framed as a “tell us what you’re gonna do” item, not something that a winner should do.
3. There is no mention of a digital inclusion fund
4. As threatened, the whole digital inclusion issue is left completely up to the vendor
5. There is no requirement that the network withstand any disaster more serious than a power outage.
6. There is not indication of city services the network needs to support (like smart parking meters or police connectivity)

The one positive change I see is the inclusion of stronger neighborhood equality language (2.3a).

Overall, though, the RFP is pretty disappointing. The city had a chance to define a vision of inclusion and equality, but failed tragically. We are left hoping some corporate white knight comes to the rescue, and that seems pretty damn unlikely.

UPDATE: See Kimo’s analysis here, and Jackson at SFist here.