City officials are negotiating with two finalists for the contract — Earthlink, an Atlanta-based Internet service provider (ISP), and U.S. Internet, a Minnetonka-based ISP.

The companies have beaten out several other Internet service providers who responded to a request for proposals (RFP) earlier this year. The company that wins the bid will build and manage the wireless network, while the city will serve as the main network user.

Minneapolis is following the lead of Chaska and Moorhead, which already have municipal wireless networks in place.

A final recommendation on the proposed wireless network is expected sometime in March with a City Council review process to follow, said Councilmember Gary Schiff (Ward 9).

“The overall goal is to make Minneapolis a premier wireless city,” Schiff said.

The city’s RFP has two key objectives, Schiff said, including the creation of a city Intranet that would be particularly useful for police, firefighters and city inspectors, and the development of a plan to decrease the city’s digital divide.

With a wireless Intranet, police officers could access images from building security cameras from laptops in squad cars, as could firefighters looking to scope out the source of a fire. City inspectors could also do field work on laptops, saving trips back to their offices.

There will be community meetings the next couple of months to focus on ways to make sure the new wireless technology is accessible to as many people as possible.

The city’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) and the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability will be involved with the community engagement process, Schiff said.

The wireless technology, or Wi-Fi, will be available to Minneapolis businesses and resident anywhere within the city limits. City officials are negotiating for below-market rates, which could be in the neighborhood of $20 a month, Schiff said.