A little over a year ago, Earthlink seemed like a new force in telecom, challenging telcos, other ISPs and even wireless carriers on all possible fronts--Internet, municipal wireless networks, mobile virtual network operation and mobile broadband. Several things have happened since: Then CEO Garry Betty died and was replaced by industry veteran Rolla Huff; the MVNO market proved to be more challenging than anyone expected; the case for broad muni-wireless deployment seems to have fallen apart.

Atlanta-based Earthlink announced it's eliminating 900 jobs and closing several offices, and that further restructuring efforts may be pursued. Does Huff have the stuff to turn around a storied ISP operation?

For More:
- Here's Earthkink's announcement [1]
- Here's more coverage [2] in The New York Times