I can answer with a resounding "it depends." Not all municipal WiFi hotspots are protected equally. Some cities will encrypt their hotspots, while others leave the network unsecured in favor of ease of use. New York City offers two WiFi networks throughout the city. Both are free and require only an email address to register to use them. However, one is unsecured, while the second network is encrypted and requires you to download a digital security key. Last time I checked, the secured network could only be accessed from Apple mobile devices.