The city of Anaheim is talking with EarthLink Inc. on how best to wind down their wireless Internet venture.
EarthLink’s wireless network covering 80% of the city is set to be shut down, sold or turned over to another operator after the Atlanta-based company recently started backing out of wireless deals with several cities.
Anaheim started working with EarthLink on the network in 2005. The deal and similar ones in Philadelphia and other cities saw a lot of fanfare a few years ago as part of a wave of efforts by cities to offer wireless Internet access.
In Anaheim, Mayor Curt Pringle has held up the EarthLink network as an example of tapping the private sector instead of having the city run its own network.
The thinking hasn’t changed, said Tom Wood, assistant city manager.
“The city is not going to operate the system,” he said.
Early this year, EarthLink pulled out of four of the five cities where it built full or partial networks,Corpus Christi, Texas; Milpitas; New Orleans; and Philadelphia.
The company still is in talks with Anaheim.
Two companies have been looking at a possible purchase of the Anaheim network, according to Wood.
For more on this story, see the May 26 edition of the Business Journal.
