Are we on the same planet here?

El Dorado County inhabitants who have been left hanging on the wrong side of AT&T's digital divide with sluggish 24K dial up connections to the Internet over aged copper cables must be wondering if they are living on the same planet as this item in Thursday's Sacramento Bee business pages:

AT&T expands broadband service

Seeking to stay competitive in the hotly contested broadband market, AT&T said Wednesday it will offer a new tier of service with download speeds of up to 6 megabits per second and uploads of up to 768 kilobits per second for $27.99 a month.

Sac Bee: Drive for faster online access boots up in El Dorado County

Here's Bob Walter's column on the AT&T "upgrade or divest" petition drive that appeared in today's Sacramento Bee.

AT&T spokeswoman Vanessa Smith says the company is committed to expanding broadband offerings in the the county. Your blogger is quoted expressing a healthy degree of skepticism given years of promises and no action. I'm from Missouri on this issue. "Show me."

Telecommuting interest rises with fuel prices

That "down the hill" commute getting more costly with rising fuel prices? Telecommuting (and a telecommuncations system in El Dorado County that allows for reliable broadband Internet access) is looking better and better.

See related story Fuel Prices have workers eyeing telecommuting

Florida town's problems with wireless Internet pose implications for topographically challenging deployments

Here's a link to a story on problems with a wireless Internet deployment that illustrates the technology's weaknesses compared to a wire line-based system. And keep in mind this is in relatively flat Florida, not topographically challenged El Dorado County.

Illinois municipality joins with AT&T to offer broadband

Starting next week, high-speed Internet connection will become a basic municipal service available to Bedford Park residents, much like garbage collection, police protection and library access.

The southwest suburban village has struck a deal with AT&T Inc. to deliver digital subscriber line connections to all residents who want it, paid for by the village.

Story in the Chicago Tribune.

AB 2897: Millions being spent on regulatory battle instead of service improvements

Here’s an analysis of legislation, AB 2897, that would give the California Department of Corporations sole authority to grant cable and video franchises, preempting the existing authority of local governments to grant the franchises.

The bill’s proponents including AT&T and other telecom vendors want one stop shopping to obtain video franchises from the state rather than having to separately negotiate agreements with cities and counties.

There’s nothing in the analysis that suggests AB 2987 would do anything to expand broadband Internet access in El Dorado County despite the bill’s stated purpose to promote competition among providers. It’s unfortunate that these vendors are spending millions on regulatory food fights rather than investing those dollars in urgently needed improvements to upgrade and expand their services.

Americans commuting farther, longer than ever

Another story on Census Bureau research that points up the need for modernized telecommunications in outlying residential areas to allow people telecommute to their jobs.

Presently, however, too many can't get on the information highway from home, trapped on the wrong side of the digital divide and relegated to sluggish and outdated dial up connections to the Internet.