internet service providers

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If Your Cellphone Was Useless Today, You're Not Alone

Major carriers appear to have resolved most of the outages, but the cause is still unclear

(Newser) - It's been a lousy day for a lot of smartphones, but the trouble is mostly over: AT&T said late in the afternoon that its network was back again for an hourslong outage across the country, reports the AP . The trouble began overnight, leading to nearly 60,000 outages...

Spy Balloon Sent Data to China on US Internet Link: Officials

Intelligence agencies don't think intelligence was being transmitted

(Newser) - A surveillance balloon that crossed the nation early this year tapped a US company's internet connection to send data back to China, current and former officials said. The communications chiefly concerned navigation, NBC News reports. The balloon was able to transmit high-bandwidth collections of data in short bursts using...

Frustrated AT&T Customer Chides Company in $1,100 Ad

90-year-old says slow Internet is 'major disappointment'

(Newser) - A California man frustrated with slow Internet service from AT&T has spent $1,100 trying to get the CEO's attention. In a quarter-page ad published in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, 90-year-old Aaron Epstein tells CEO John Stankey that he has been a customer since 1960—and the...

East Coast Hit With Internet Trouble

Slowdown affects broad swath of users from DC to Boston

(Newser) - Balky internet service prevented users on the East Coast from loading the software they use to learn and work on Tuesday morning. Google, Zoom, YouTube, and Slack were among the services affected, the Washington Post reports. The source of the problem was unclear, but clues pointed to Verizon, which said...

How You Can React to the End of Net Neutrality
How You Can React to
the End of Net Neutrality
the rundown

How You Can React to the End of Net Neutrality

Some recommended steps, including actually caring about 'terms of service' updates

(Newser) - June 11 isn't just the day that IHOP reveals what IHOb means: It's also the day that net neutrality is officially no more, a move put in place by a December FCC vote . The Obama-era rule forced internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast and AT&T to treat...

21 US States Just Took New Action on Net Neutrality

Lawsuit from attorneys general claims FCC broke the law by voting to repeal net neutrality rules

(Newser) - A lawsuit filed Tuesday claims the FCC broke federal law when it voted to repeal net neutrality rules in a move labeled "arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion," Reuters reports. As promised , a lawsuit filed by 21 state attorneys general, all Democrats, argues the FCC will allow...

Facebook, Amazon, Google Lead Online Charge on FCC
There's a Massive Protest
Happening Today—Online
The Rundown

There's a Massive Protest Happening Today—Online

More than 80K websites oppose FCC plan

(Newser) - There's a massive protest happening Wednesday—and it's taking place entirely online. CNBC reports more than 80,000 websites—including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Reddit, Airbnb, and Twitter—are taking part in a "Day of Action" to oppose the FCC's plan to weaken net neutrality protections....

Trump Officially Nixes Obama's Internet Privacy Rules

President signs repeal, clearing way for ISPs to gather consumer data without permission

(Newser) - In a move the ACLU has decried as putting "profits over privacy," President Trump on Monday signed a repeal of former President Obama's internet privacy rules, removing obstacles for internet service providers who wish to cull web browsing histories or other information from consumers, the AP and...

To VPN or Not to VPN: Protecting Online Privacy
The Tool That Could Keep
ISPs From Spying on You
THE RUNDOWN

The Tool That Could Keep ISPs From Spying on You

There are different schools of thought on virtual private networks, or VPNs

(Newser) - The country now waits for President Trump to put his signature on a bill blocking enforcement of FCC rules meant to keep internet service providers from selling and sharing user data. What people aren't waiting to do, however: freak out about the official loss of much of their privacy...

How Private Is Your Web History? Not Very, Decides Congress

Repeal of internet privacy rule now headed for Trump's desk

(Newser) - A measure to repeal online privacy rules brought in under former President Barack Obama before they take effect is on its way to President Trump's desk after the House passed it with a 215-205 vote. The measure—which passed the Senate 50-48 last week—blocks the FCC from enforcing...

Guy Autotweets Comcast Whenever His Service Stinks

It's happened 16 times in 3 months

(Newser) - Many people have famously poor luck when trying to shout, however publicly , at Comcast customer service. So one user is taking what Geek.com describes as a "passive aggressive" approach by programming his Raspberry Pi to automatically tweet every time his Internet service falls below an unacceptable speed (it'...

Major ISPs Cheating Us on Internet Speeds We Pay For
Major ISPs Cheating Us on Internet Speeds We Pay For
STUDY SAYS

Major ISPs Cheating Us on Internet Speeds We Pay For

Nation's largest ISPs slowing down networks affecting 75% of wireline households

(Newser) - Thanks to new FCC rules put out this year to ensure net neutrality and keep all online data equal, major Internet service providers (think Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner) aren't supposed to hold our Internet speeds hostage. But that's exactly what's happening, per a study by an...

America's Favorite Whipping Boys: Time Warner, Comcast

Now merging into one universally loathed entity

(Newser) - It turns out that that whole proposed Comcast-Time Warner merger would really just consolidate America's rage at crappy customer service under one behemoth roof: According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a survey of 70,000 of your fine countrymen, two industries ruled the gutters: television providers and Internet...

Comcast Plans to Cap Everyone's Data

...At a level so high you'll probably never hit it, company promises

(Newser) - Comcast is reviving the idea of Internet data caps, and intends to roll them out to all of its customers in the coming years. At a conference yesterday, Executive VP David Cohen said he envisioned implementing "a usage-based billing model" for everyone within five years. Customers would have to...

Report: FCC to Allow Internet 'Fast Lanes'

Critics fear move means net neutrality is dead

(Newser) - Is the Federal Communications Commission preparing to kill off the concept of "net neutrality" by allowing Internet providers to offer a "fast lane" for preferred customers? New rules being proposed by the commission would allow major content providers like Netflix or Disney to pay a premium to deliver...

Google Fiber Explores 34 Cities for Expansion

Company announces 9 possible metro areas

(Newser) - Google Fiber : It's not just in Kansas anymore. Google has announced 34 cities in nine metro areas—including San Jose, Atlanta, Nashville, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix—as possible destinations to expand its fiber-optic network, offering lightning-fast Internet and cable. "People are hungrier than ever for...

Netflix Seem Slower? You're Not Imagining Things

Site's bandwidth usage spurs disagreements with providers

(Newser) - If your Netflix account seems to be running slower than usual these days, that's because it very likely is slower. Traffic conflicts between the service and major broadband providers—especially Verizon FiOS—are resulting in a slowdown, Wall Street Journal reports. Netflix says its average primetime speeds for Verizon...

How Yesterday's Ruling Could Alter the Web Forever

Users could see higher costs for services—or lose access to sites

(Newser) - Yesterday was the day net neutrality died , with a court ruling that Internet service providers aren't bound by FCC non-discrimination rules—so they can prioritize some traffic over others. The decision may mean major changes for the everyday user, and today, media sites are offering the details. Among their...

Court Strikes Big Blow to Net Neutrality

Says ISPs can discriminate against traffic

(Newser) - A federal court has rejected FCC Open Internet regulations to ensure Internet service providers can’t discriminate when it comes to web traffic. In Verizon v. FCC, the Washington, DC, court found that ISPs can legally prioritize or block some traffic, the Washington Post reports. The court did, however, rule...

ISPs Kick Off Effort to Stop Your Illegal Downloading

ISPs look to slow, yank Internet access via 'six strikes' system

(Newser) - Many of the biggest Internet Service Providers have a new plan to keep customers from illegal downloading, and they're rolling it out over the next few days. The "six strikes" Copyright Alert System involves six notices, sent with increasing urgency, that your ISP suspects you of peer-to-peer piracy....

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