City leaders signed off on a plan that could make high-speed wireless Internet access available throughout Asheville on March 25.

City Council voted 5-0 to endorse the plan presented by the Mountain Area Information Network, which would allow people to share the costs of building hardware “nodes” with neighbors, allowing several homes to share a wireless connection.

These nodes would beam wireless from one neighbor’s roof and allow the group a variety of options, from free connections for 20 minutes to secure, full-service connections for about $35 a month, MAIN Director Wally Bowen said.

However, these nodes are expensive to build — about $500 each. Council’s endorsement of the project may help to draw in corporate or nonprofit sponsors, making the program more affordable, Bowen said.

 Other municipalities have tried to provide free or low-cost Internet, but have had difficulties funding the projects.

Asheville’s proposed system could work and maintain local control, computer consultant Terry O’Keefe told council.

Vice Mayor Jan Davis voiced concern that the endorsement amounted to making MAIN a utility. He also said he worried about whether the technology would work as planned.

But Bowen said that the endorsement from council could help convince certain companies — such as Internet search engine providers like Google — to come set up shop in Asheville.