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Conflict Brewing Over New Orleans Wi-Fi Network

6:00 am on March 24, 2006 | Category: Business, Internet, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

The Louisiana Legislature is currently threatening to turn off the free Wi-Fi network in New Orleans, which was initially create as a temporary communication measure in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The network was successfully used to link security cameras, revive businesses, and get the cityâ€™s communication infrastructure back up and running. It was launched on the assumption that it would eventually be taken over by a corporate partner, and turned into a paid service.

So far, however, such a partnership hasnâ€™t been found, and the city is prohibited from running its own public Wi-Fi network that is faster than 128 kbps, as this could pose an unfair competitive threat to broadband providers in the area.

New Orleans chief information officer, Greg Meffert, however, argues that the network is still necessary to the cityâ€™s damaged infrastructure.

â€œNow it is the lifeblood for so many businesses,â€ Meffert said. With regular internet access still unavailable in most of the city, he estimates that over 15,000 people make use of the 512 kbps mesh wireless network.

Meffert says that regardless of orders from the legislature, he and the Mayor have agreed to keep the network running until under city jurisdiction until other arrangements can be made. This could certainly lead to conflict, but city administrators believe that discontinuing the free network would be a lot more damaging for citizens of the area.

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