The Times-Picayune's Pam Radtke Russell reports that the City of New Orleans will be taking down its free Wi-Fi network once EarthLink's system is up.

Mark Kurt, the city's director of information technology, says it's about avoiding interference. "Once EarthLink has deployed their network, we will remove our equipment, and redeploy elsewhere as the situation warrants," he says. "The other wireless networks that have been set up by the city for temporary facilities and public safety will continue to be operated by the city as long as they are necessary and funding is available."

The city had put up its own small Wi-Fi network immediately following Hurricane Katrina, but that effort had been opposed by service providers, which said the city was taking business away from them. "The city tried to push through state legislation that would have allowed it to continue operating its system indefinitely, but those laws weren't approved by the state Legislature," Russell writes.

EarthLink's plan is to cover 20 square miles of New Orleans with its network by the end of the year. The company intends to offer lower-speed access for free and high-speed Internet for an additional fee -- at least "as long as the city rebuilds."