Two big US municipal Wi-Fi projects abandoned

Now it turns out, perhaps not so surprisingly, that EarthLink is undertaking some heavy-duty restructuring that will result in the cutting of 900 jobs and the closure of offices across the US in general and and San Francisco, in particular.

One of these disappearing posts was, until very recently,  the fiefdom of Donald Berryman, the head of the company’s Muni WiFi sector.

Conspicuously absent from a company statement issued by EarthLink explaining the restructuring plan, Berryman’s firing was instead made public by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “FORM 8-K Current report filing,” that reads, “In connection with the Plan, the position of Executive Vice President and President-Municipal Networks, held by Donald B. Berryman, is being eliminated and Mr. Berryman’s employment with the Company is terminating.”

No explanation for the sudden dismissal is yet forthcoming.

EarthLink had also, just this July, publicly announced that WiFi deployments have been relegated to the back-burner until company financials improved.

By coincidence, it was also officially announced this week that Chicago’s WiFi project is also kaput. According to a statement issued by the mayor’s office, the plan to “blanket” the Windy City with broadband WiFi has come apart at the seams.