Meraki - FreeTheNet!
You can't beat pedigree like that! Merki creates a wireless mesh network, meaning that the more nodes you add to the network the stronger it will become. San Francisco is fast becoming a free internet zone, with Meraki and the community starting to cover residential areas with Meraki mesh networks.
They provide a number of options, the standard set up gets you a piece of hardware, that you plugin, set up, place on a map and join to an existing network if there is already one nearby. You can set up unrestricted access for your computers, iPhone, handheld device, fridge etc, and limit the speed and usage of users of the free segment.
The Pro setup allows for charging of use on a time based scale, much like you find now in cafes or hotels. Meraki charge you more on your initial purchase for the hardware, but thats because they provide all the software online for management, billing and so forth.
It has other uses too, in my apartment the Wireless access in the back rooms is flaky at best, so hooking up 2 Meraki repeaters will not only allow me to use some of my unused bandwidth each month to serve the community, I can also sit at the dining room table and look out over the yard while I work.
Here in Australia its not as widespread, but I am doing my bit. Go to the Meraki website, purchase yourself one or two network repeaters, and plug 'em in. If there is already a network nearby and you want to help extend its reach you can do that, you dont even need to be a DSL subscriber.
If you have a DSL connection already and (like me and 80% of DSL subscribers) you dont use all your bandwith each month or 24 hours a day, then set up your own network and call the free portion "freethenet" (Following on from Lachlan Hardy's suggestion).
Once you are set up go and place your nodes on the public map for reference.
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