Chapel Hill Technology Advisory Committee

[chtechboard AT willraymond.org]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- In an attempt to boost its stalled economy, the
hurricane-ravaged city of New Orleans is starting the nation's first free
wireless Internet network owned and run by a major city.

Mayor Ray Nagin made the announcement at a late morning news conference.

Similar projects elsewhere have been stalled by stiff opposition from
telephone and cable television companies aimed at discouraging competition
from public agencies.

Nagin said the system started operation Tuesday in the central Business
District and the French Quarter. It is to be available throughout the city
in about a year.

The system uses hardware mounted on street lights to cover the city.

Most of the equipment was donated by three companies: Intel Corp., Tropos
Networks and Pronto Networks.

The system will operate at 512 kilobits per second as long as the city
remains under a state of emergency.

That will be slowed once the state of emergency is over -- that date has
not been determined -- to 128 kbps in accordance with state law, which
restricts government-owned Internet service.

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Interesting about LA restricting throughput at the behest of the
monopolists. Where were they when NOLA was in crisis?