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EarthLink may be unplugging from muni Wi-Fi
Atlanta-based EarthLink Inc. in recent years has been one of the biggest boosters of municipal wi-fi networks. But now, it looks like the Internet provider may be bailing out of the business.
EarthLink issued a very brief statement -not coincidentally late on Friday when it probably hoped it would get scant notice - that said it was beginning “a process to consider its strategic alternatives for its municipal wireless business”
EarthLink once had grand plans to build wireless Web networks that covered cities from Atlanta to San Francisco. Muni Wi-Fi was a pet project of late CEO Garry Betty and a big bet of his to transform the company from a dying dial-up Internet provider into communications company for the future.
But those plans never really panned out, and EarthLink ended up with only a few money-losing networks in places like Anaheim, Calif., Corpus Christi, Texas and Philadelphia. New EarthLink CEO Rolla Huff has been cutting expenses, employees and money-losing businesses trying to get EarthLink back on its feet, and he has made it clear on several occasions the company’s muni Wi-Fi efforts weren’t working.
In its statement, Earthlink said the assets of its muni Wi-Fi business were worth about $40 million.
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By Cable Rocks
November 19, 2007 7:28 AM | Link to this
Earthlink can shrivel up and blow away for my concern. They ticked me off several years ago when they took over some other ISP and offered those customers mucho perks to sign up with them. When I tried to get some of the DSL upgrades as an existing user they treated me as a stepchild. It was as if they were saying, We already have you so we don’t have to offer you any enticements, we are trying to get these other folks as new customers so they get all the new stuff. I quickly dropped them and switched to cable at 6 times the speed for just a few bucks more. Then they tried to keep hanging on to me by keeping my email account active and charging me for it without authorization. Fortunately the credit card the account was linked to expired at the same time so they were not able to get any additional money. They just wouldn’t let it go. Finally called and got it resolved but it took several months. Haven’t looked at DSL since.