Brewed Fresh Daily

Speakeasy, an Internet service provider based in Seattle, wants to turn wireless socialists into neighborhood capitalists. It will allow its customers to charge their neighbors $20 to $100 a month for Wi-Fi access to their broadband connections. Speakeasy promises to handle the billing and will split the fee 50-50 with the subscriber. (In return for its half of the fee, Speakeasy provides the neighbors with access to its technical support, e-mail system and software.) Speakeasy started as a cyber cafe and has evolved into an Internet provider catering to a technologically sophisticated clientele. It says it has 50,000 to 100,000 subscribers nationwide, 40 percent of whom have Wi-Fi systems in their homes. That is in contrast to the nationwide Wi-Fi penetration of about 3 percent of all homes. Unlike most Internet providers, Speakeasy has long permitted its users to share broadband connections over Wi-Fi, largely as a way to provide free samples of its high-speed service.