Begin forwarded message: > http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70943-0.html?tw=rss.technology > > By Debbi Gardiner| Also by this reporter > 02:00 AM May, 31, 2006 > > 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." --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TELECOM-CITIES Current searchable archives (Feb. 1, 2006 to present) at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Old searchble archives at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
