New Orleans' Free Wi-Fi Is Scarce By Debbi Gardiner Wired News
02:00 AM May, 31, 2006 http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70943-0.html NEW ORLEANS -- Returning to work last October was tough for Andrea Thornton, marketing manager of New Orleans' Hotel Monteleone. Nine feet of water destroyed her Lakeside home, and the French Quarter where she works looked like a ghost town. But after some repairs, the hotel, known for its regal marble floors and crystal chandeliers, reopened in mid-October. Guests, of course, wanted wireless internet access, and the hotel was ready with a $10 per day service. Customers don't seem to mind the fee. But Thornton would have preferred to offer her customers the well-publicized free wireless access promoted by the New Orleans' mayor's office. Then the hotel could have spent the $10,000 it cost to set up its system on repairs instead. But no one can access the city Wi-Fi inside the hotel. They also can't find it outside, or in most other New Orleans neighborhoods. "Everyone thinks the free service is working, somewhere," Thornton said. "We're just not exactly sure where." New Orleans' Chief Technology Officer Greg Meffert said a thousand people use the system, which runs on donated equipment at 512 Kbps -- faster than dialup but not as speedy as broadband. But Joe Laura, owner of local internet provider Superior Wireless, is not so sure. Laura said his thriving business is proof that not many people are using the city's free wireless. He's swamped with 95 percent corporate clients, a big increase from before Hurricane Katrina. They gladly pay for his service, he said, because the free one is inaccessible or weak. "The city is making it sound like everyone can have free access," he said. "But with New Orleans the way it is right now, we have problems even helping an RV park with full connectivity." Laura does not think the problem is unique to New Orleans. Other cities are struggling, too. "Hooking up an entire city with free Wi-Fi access is just not logistically possible, especially with the state our city is in." Confusion over the city's wireless system has been so great that radio station WIST has been bombarded with callers asking for info about coverage and availability. The New Orleans station planned to clear things up during a talk show May 6 with Chris Drake, the project manager for the Mayor's Office of Technology. But Drake canceled his appearance. Meffert admits that the mayor's office has been short of time and staff to inform the public how to access the service. He also admits the Wi-Fi is functional in only two concentrated areas: downtown and half of the French Quarter, covering a total of about four square miles. He offers several examples of people using the system: a law firm working from a coffee shop and another business operating out of a bar. But neither could be reached for comment. Most small-business owners remain displaced since Katrina. Of 25 companies approached from the New Orleans online Yellow Pages, only a handful replied. Many people still live in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers, stay with friends or family, or have moved away. For those who have stayed, wireless internet access would be a huge help, said web designer Sherri Henne. Henne now runs her company, Mardi Gras Design, out of Florida. She remains a member of the New Orleans Personal Computer Club, but says most members have disappeared. Meanwhile, EarthLink announced Friday it will help New Orleans build a broader wireless network. Meffert said the deal should add an additional 15 square miles to the present coverage, including all of uptown and the city's West Bank. "Seeing where New Orleans first was, it was a miracle we even got this free service up. From here it will be very nice to get the professionals in," Meffert said. For locals, ubiquitous free internet that they can really access could not come soon enough. "What better way to bolster internet advertising and bring together families torn apart?" said Henne, the web designer. "If ever there's a city that needed free wireless, it's New Orleans." ================================================= George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923 Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927 Political Science Internet: antunes at uh dot edu University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-3011 Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
