New Orleans Seeks Lift from Wi-Fi

[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Linda Moss]
With the announcement of the free city-wide Wi-Fi network in New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin will be competing against his former employer, Cox Communications. Cox offers Internet access as part of bundle of services, along with video and voice, in New Orleans. Nagin is the former general manager of that Cox system, which had 270,000 video subscribers when Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29. The Wi-Fi network is already up and running in the French Quarter, the central business district and the Warehouse district of the city, and it is expected to be available throughout the city within the next year. Mayor Nagin said the city hopes the wireless network will speed up the rebuilding process and for that reason, Cox voiced support for the Wi-Fi initiative, even though it’s a potential competitor. The Wi-Fi network will be a “permanent amenity,” according to the city. As long as the city is under a state of emergency, the service will have download speeds of 512 kilobits per second. After that, per restrictions under state law, the speed will decrease to 128 kbps.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6288389.html?display=Breaking+News
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