Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city has been relying on a rigged 'mesh' WiFi network mounted on street lights providing free 512Kb bandwidth to the residents. However, this strategy fell foul of a Louisiana law lobbied for by Bell South, which prevented local authorities running any public network faster than 128Kbps.

The Earthlink WiFi mesh network will provide high-speed Internet access for residents, businesses and visitors within a 15 mile area of New Orleans.

EarthLink says it will offer a free service for a limited time during the city's rebuilding efforts at speeds up to 300Kbs, and users will be able to access the Internet without having to view advertising. The ISP will also move towards a 1Mb paid service costing $20 for customers that want more bandwidth and customer support.

It is thought that any rival service from Bell South would not prove to be profitable.

Source: PC Pro