Meffert has met with officials from one of the two providers, Cox Communications, and said he "thinks they realize we're not competing with them" because Cox offers broadband service at 1.3Mbit/sec. A Cox spokeswoman, Stephanie Davis, said today in an interview that Cox still backs the state law which would slow the city's WiFi speed. "Nothing's changed," she said.

Bell South, the other provider, sent a letter two weeks ago to Meffert saying that it "is not trying to shut down" the city's WiFi system, but still wants him to follow the law for the competitive telecommunications industry. The letter was signed by Merlin Villar, regional director for Bell South in New Orleans. "They conveniently left out the fact they mean we would have to run Wifi at 128 [Kbit/sec]," Meffert said.

Meffert said he would support citizens who fight for the higher WiFi speed, even if Mayor Ray Nagin -- who appointed Meffert in 2002 -- gets replaced in the May 22 election. Nagin faces 23 opponents, and if he loses, Meffert expects to need to find another job.

Even though Nagin is a past general manager of Cox, he has supported Meffert's efforts. And regardless of what happens in the upcoming election, Meffert believes the groundswell of support for fast and free WiFi will remain. In fact, Meffert said he plans to stay active in the fight from his storm-damaged home. "If I have to go to jail over this, I will," he said.