Kyle Houchens of Jericho runs a design business from his home. He often sends and receives large computer files over his satellite Internet connection, which promised to be fast. However, Houchens has found it slower than he expected and unreliable.
RYAN MERCER, Free Press
Analysis & commentary on America's troubled transition from analog telephone service to digital advanced telecommunications and associated infrastructure deficits.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Satellite Internet fails to live up to expectations
This item is from Jericho, Vermont courtesy of the Burlington Free Press. The satellite Internet service leaves something to be desired and no, it's not been nuked like in the TV series set in Jericho, Kansas.
Vermont governor proposes state telecom agency
The governor's plan starts with creation of the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, overseen by an executive director and a nine-member board of directors.
The authority isn't looking to get into the business of providing Internet service. It would, however, be able to bond for up to $40 million to help others provide service.
That money would be invested in infrastructure such as fiber-optic cable or small towers to bring broadband and cell phone service to unserved or under-served parts of the state. The bond would be paid back through revenues generated from leasing infrastructure to cellular and Internet service providers.
Geographic market failure, inconsistent regulatory policy stymie U.S. broadband access
The existing large telecommunications providers invest their money where there is maximum return on investment, which results in a patchwork of coverage throughout the U.S. Telecom providers maximize profits and spend millions of dollars lobbying to create laws that decrease competitive challenges, while having little incentive to provide new services to less population-dense areas of the country, or to increase speed and lower costs for those who already do have service. This state of affairs stands in marked contrast to the situation in those nations that are truly broadband leaders.In the absence of widespread government initiatives and incentives to roll out broadband services in rural areas, telecom providers have made the decision to maximize profits by rolling out service in those areas that have the highest population density and lowest cost of build-out per customer. The free market wins in the short term, quarterly profits are maximized, but the customers in less-profitable geographic areas lose, and the nation as a whole loses out over the long term, falling behind other nations with more farsighted policies.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
More "get ready, it's coming" talk on Project Lightspeed
Can Project Lightspeed escape the gravitational inertia of AT&T's many massive broadband black holes? Engine room, get me maximum warp (spin) drive. Here's the latest "get ready, it's coming" promise from AT&T via CEO Edward E. Whitacre Jr.:
Regarding AT&T's Project Lightspeed, which will extend fiber-optic cable into neighborhoods and add video services to telephone and high-speed Internet options, Whitacre said the company plans "a big time ramp up" in the next couple of months. He did not elaborate on the plans for the project, which he acknowledged has been a "little bit behind" in its rollout.
Monday, February 12, 2007
FTC to look into ISP broadband speed claims
About two weeks ago, I predicted that an Australian regulator's concerns over Internet Service Provider claims of providing throughput speeds of "up to" X mbs" when actual connection speeds are far lower would spread to the U.S.
Sure enough, it has. The Federal Trade Commission will be look into the issue in a workshop this week, ars technica reports.
Sure enough, it has. The Federal Trade Commission will be look into the issue in a workshop this week, ars technica reports.
Verizon policy exec calls for federal grants, loans to extend broadband access
Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president for public affairs, policy and communications wants the feds to emulate Kentucky's nonprofit program to expand broadband access to nearly everyone in the state. Tauke also called for federal grants and loans to speed deployment of broadband access and reform the Universal Service Fund to better support high speed Internet service in high cost areas. The U.S. needs to look at broadband incentive programs "sooner rather than later," he said.
Tauke also said the nation needs to come up with a better way to determine exactly where broadband is available and where it's not, suggesting like consumer advocates the FCC's current methodology of using ZIP Codes as measurement units is flawed.
Tauke also said the nation needs to come up with a better way to determine exactly where broadband is available and where it's not, suggesting like consumer advocates the FCC's current methodology of using ZIP Codes as measurement units is flawed.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Cooperative research project proposed to study "acute and growing problems facing the Internet" in U.S.
Internet access in the U.S. is at crisis point and researchers say they need more complete and reliable data to point the way forward. The goal of the the COMMONS Project is to gather "substantial real-world data on Internet traffic at the national level ....to raise the intellectual merit of the entire field of Internet science through increased standards of data collection, curating, and sharing in the research community."
On December 12-13, 2006, the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA) held a workshop to discuss and ultimately propose a collaboration among researchers and networks to simultaneously solve three acute and growing problems facing the Internet: a self-reported financial crisis in the Internet infrastructure provider industry that poses a severe threat to broadband growth and U.S. competitiveness; a data acquisition crisis which has deeply stunted the field of network science; and a dilemma within emerging community, municipal, regional, and state networks, who need (additional) broadband connectivity but face severely limited provider, service level, and usage options.
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