The head of EarthLink, Garry Betty, will take medical leave due to a "serious form of cancer": Betty has led the company's move away from the dwindling dial-up account business into partnerships with DSL and cable provides, voice over IP (VoIP) services, and, significantly for this blog, metro-scale Wi-Fi networks in Anaheim, Philadelphia, and other cities. Mike Lunsford will take over during the "undetermined leave of absence." EarthLink doesn't appear to have any split in terms of direction the company is heading, so it's unlikely Betty's absence will affect strategy.
As someone who beat cancer back in 1998, I can only sympathize with Betty, his family, friends, and colleagues, and wish him a safe and rapid recovery. The company characterized his cancer as "a serious form," and provided no additional details in press reports.