New Orleans Free Wi-Fi Service Threatened

I just came across this article on RedHerring discussing how BellSouth is trying to force the city of New Orleans to stop providing free wi-fi Internet service. I just can't believe that corporate greed has become so bad (and acceptable) that BellSouth can get away with this.

New Orleans has been beaten up enough already. First they got nailed by a bitch of a hurricane. Then they got neglected and provided with pathetic and incompetent "relief efforts" after the hurricane. Our delightful government is still spending insanely huge amounts of money in Iraq and insanely tiny amounts of money on New Orleans. And since the fine people of the Big Easy haven't been dicked around enough yet, BellSouth comes in and threatens to shut down the city-provided wireless access.

This free wi-fi access is essential to the success of many New Orleans businesses, and to those brave few who have dared to return to their devastated city. According to the article, "about a third of the city is still without even basic phone service," which is absolutely insane. It seems to me that BellSouth's time, money, and energy would be better spent restoring basic phone service to those without rather than trying to deprive the city of high speed wi-fi.

I have no problem with corporations making money. That's what they do, and that's fine with me. But when the line between corporate profit and corporate greed is crossed so clatantly, as we see here, I just can't stand it. Unfortunately about all we can do is send New Orleans' Wi-Fi network a nice batch of funeral flowers. ;)