Wi-Fi Update

Earthlink moves in.

This afternoon I spoke to Donald Berryman, the President of our Municipal Networks, to get a sense of where this stands now and what it'll take for us to maintain and improve the New Orleans municipal network. He explained that in the next couple of days we're applying for a telecommunications franchise license. Hopefully that application will be voted on in the next few weeks, and if approved, we'll start adding our Motorola and Tropos hardware to the existing infrastructure. We're looking to serve two audiences with the enhanced network:

* Residents - We'll provide a 15 square mile zone of free wireless access at 300 kbps (upload and download) for the residents of New Orleans. This network will make it easier for them to do things like communicate with friends and relatives in the outside world, schedule appointments, find grants and government aid programs, and connect with essential city services. Once hardware providers bring Wi-Fi phones to the U.S. market, this could also bring affordable telephone service to tens of thousands of people currently without it.
* Commercial - We'll also provide a premium 1 megabit service throughout the city primarily for the 140,000+ city workers and businesses. That service should cost users around $20 per month.

We have the support of the Mayor's office and are hopeful that our franchise application will be approved quickly. Berryman said that we see the project as a long-term investment in the city. "We were pleased to answer the call. We believe in the revitalization of the city of New Orleans, and we think this project will pay off for the citizens of New Orleans and for EarthLink."

And again... where is the local media coverage of this story?