New Orleans is about to lose its municipal Wi-Fi network as EarthLink plans to halt its participation in the citywide project on May 18, reports InfoWorld and the Times Picayune.
First, EarthLink tried to sell the network outright. Second, it sought to transfer ownership of the network to the city of New Orleans. Finally, it tried to transfer the network to a third party. All three approaches failed.
“We were unable to find a buyer — either the city or an outside buyer,” Marshall said, noting that New Orleans city officials and customers have been informed that EarthLink will remove its network. Subscribers are being offered alternate EarthLink high-speed broadband or dial-up services in place of Wi-Fi.
Earlier this month, EarthLink finalized moves to transfer its Wi-Fi networks in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Milpitas, Calif., to those cities’ governments.
EarthLink still has Wi-Fi network arrangements with Philadelphia and Anaheim, Calif., and while those arrangements remain in place, EarthLink has indicated it would like to terminate all of its municipal networks. The company has said it is in discussions with Philadelphia and Anaheim concerning the networks.
Related New Orleans articles on DailyWireless include; Earthlink Restructures, MuniFi Holds Breath, New Orleans Goes Live, New Orleans Gets Earthlink Cloud, New Orleans Haults Cloud, Katrina: 1 Year After, Anaheim Turns On, Big Stink in NOLA, New Orleans Gets Free Cloud, Intel On Katrina, BellSouth/Navini in NewOrleans, Katrina Telcom: One Month Later, FCC Talks Katrina, FEMA = Death, Lousiana: Broadband Trial By Fire, and Katrina Telecomunications Report.
