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Should Cities Provide Free WiFi For Economic Development?

Posted by: Brenda Meyer
Thanks to: Charles Kaylor
13 December 2005 - 11:00am

Telecommunications giant BellSouth withdraws an offer to the city to use one of its buildings to house the city's police department after New Orleans officials announce a plan to provide free citywide Wi-Fi to stimulate economic development.

"Hours after New Orleans officials announced ... that they would deploy a city-owned, wireless Internet network in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, regional phone giant BellSouth Corp. withdrew an offer to donate one of its damaged buildings that would have housed new police headquarters, city officials said yesterday.

...Around the country, large telephone companies have aggressively lobbied against localities launching their own Internet networks, arguing that they amount to taxpayer-funded competition. Some states have laws prohibiting them."

Full Story: Angry BellSouth Withdrew Donation, New Orleans Says
Source: The Washington Post, December 3, 2005
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