Larry Magid writes in the San Jose Mercury News that, “The era of ubiquitous Internet access is fast approaching and it can't arrive soon enough.”

“I'm writing this column from 35,000 feet on a flight from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco aboard Virgin America, which has Gogo Internet access on all of its flights. American, United, Delta and U.S. Airways are among the airlines that have access on some flights. Virgin America also has standard power outlets at every seat, which makes it possible to use a laptop for the duration of a cross-country flight.”

Magid goes on to explain how wi-fi access is becoming more readily available through smart phone hot spots and accessible wireless hubs at public marketplaces, but that faster speeds and true universal access are still needed:

“Not only do we need more access, we need faster access and we need more affordable access … Until then, most people, when away from home, will continue to hunt around for Wi-Fi access when they need to get online.” Read the full editorial here.