UNC wireless plan causes java jitters.

It's a college tradition older than football weekends: whiling away the hours with a book and cup of coffee in a small cafe. But substituting that book with a notebook -- the computer kind -- curdles the blood of some Chapel Hill merchants, fearful that the University of North Carolina's desire to link their coffee shops to its high-speed data network might mean slow death for their businesses. "If people with laptops come in a 8 o'clock in the morning and stay until 4 o'clock and drink one cup of coffee, I'd go out of business," frets Jan Lawrence, who owns Coffee Mill Roastery with her husband, Richard. "I need some turnover."

Right now, East Franklin Street stands between Marian Moore, vice chancellor for information technology, and her dream of a far-reaching wireless network for Carolina students and faculty. She's targeting five coffeehouses across Franklin Street from campus as the first step in widening its range. So far, no luck. By mid-August, her...