NOLA Free Wi-fi Prompts BellSouth to Withdraw Donation [View All]

First BellSouth's CEO starts talking up his plans to destroy the Internet by erecting anti-competitive speedbumps to companies that don't pony up the cash for "premium" access to it's broadband customers. Now the cold hearted company is going back on a promise to give flood-destroyed NOLA a building.

From Slashdot: "Shortly after learning of the New Orleans plan for free city-wide wireless internet, Bellsouth Corp. withdrew an offer to donate a damaged building to be used for police headquarters. According to the Washington Post, 'Bill Oliver, angrily rescinded the offer of the building in a conversation with New Orleans homeland security director Terry Ebbert.'"

From Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201853.html

"Hours after New Orleans officials announced Tuesday 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.

According to the officials, the head of BellSouth's Louisiana operations, Bill Oliver, angrily rescinded the offer of the building in a conversation with New Orleans homeland security director Terry Ebbert, who oversees the roughly 1,650-member police force.

City officials said BellSouth was upset about the plan to bring high-speed Internet access for free to homes and businesses to help stimulate resettlement and relocation to the devastated city. 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."

I wish I was a BellSouth customer so I call and cancel all my accounts and switch to a provider.