VIRGINIA BRIEFING

METRO

Riders Can Talk to Officials at Open House

Metro's board of directors and senior managers will hold a public open house and meeting tomorrow evening in Arlington.

The event will be held at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theater, 1611 N. Kent St., two blocks east of the Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines.

During the open house, which starts at 6:30 p.m., Metro riders can view exhibits and talk to officials about new bus projects, new rail cars, safety and job openings. The meeting, from 7 to 9 p.m., will be moderated by Metro board member Christopher Zimmerman and the chairman of a riders advisory council, Dennis Jaffe.

-- Lena H. Sun

ALEXANDRIA

EarthLink Chosen to Build Wireless Network

Alexandria has selected EarthLink to expand the city's wireless network, the Atlanta-based Internet service provider announced yesterday.

EarthLink will build a citywide wireless network for a 16-square-mile area, with free wireless connections available in more than two dozen public locations. The provider also has worked on municipal WiFi in cities including Philadelphia and New Orleans.

EarthLink will bear the cost of installing the $4 million system and will provide an additional $9 million for wireless access for student computers and other municipal uses in exchange for the right to build the network on city property. It will recoup its cost by marketing the service to homes and businesses, city officials said.

The City Council is expected to approve the contract Dec. 16.