Matt Richtel
8/20/2006

LOS ANGELES - Garry Betty, the chief executive of EarthLink, has an expression he uses to talk about companies that, despite obvious flaws, enjoyed success during the Internet bubble: "Even turkeys can fly in high wind." The question is whether that maxim might now apply to his own company: do EarthLink's investors have a turkey on their hands?

EarthLink's core business is dial-up Internet access, and it soared during the dot-com boom, becoming a widely known brand and the second-largest Internet on-ramp after America Online. But that business is threatened with obsolescence in the era of broadband, and without a network of its own, EarthLink has had trouble competing with the cable and phone companies in selling high-speed access.

Continues @ Financial Express