Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter

NEWS ABOUT: Internet access

Internet access stories: 24 news summaries

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

Switch to grid view »

FCC Eyes Hiking Phone Bills to Expand Internet Access

Feds want to open networks, but would tax your phone bill to do it

Nov 18, 09 6:48 AM CST
(Newser) - Al Gore may think he created the Internet, but it's the FCC that's looking to make it available to all Americans—and it's considering taxing your phone bill to pay for it. Federal regulators will outline their case today for stepping up government control of Internet and phone services, the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • FCC • broadband Internet • network speed • Internet access • open access • National Broadband Plan

 Free Holiday 
 Airport WiFi 
 From Google, 
 Microsoft 

Fight for market share finds willing fodder in snow-delayed fliers

Nov 10, 09 2:03 PM CST
(Newser) - There’s a new public option in town: free wireless from Google for the holidays. The search giant has partnered to provide WiFi gratis in 47 airports nationwide from now until the middle of January; the generosity even extends to in-flight access on continental Virgin flights, PC World reports.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Google • Microsoft • wireless • airport • search engine • WiFi • holiday travel • Internet access • Bing • snow delay

Internet Access Now a
Legal Right in Finland

Telecom companies must bring speedy broadband to all

Oct 15, 09 8:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - In Finland, broadband access isn’t a privilege, it’s a right. The Ministry of Transport and Communications has pushed through a law requiring telecom companies to offer speeds of at least 1 megabit per second to all of the country’s 5.3 million citizens. While 96% of Finland’... More »

MORE ABOUT:
broadband Internet • Finland • telecommunications • Internet access

Homeless Use Street
Smarts to Stay Wired

Street, shelter dwellers feel compelled to stay connected

May 30, 09 6:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - A growing number of middle-class Americans are being forced onto the streets, creating a homeless population that increasingly values an Internet connection, the Wall Street Journal reports. Big-city shelters have responded by adding computer terminals, and some determined people manage to keep their laptops with them despite the problem of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • homeless • poverty • Internet access

(Newser) - Time Warner is scrapping plans to test a new way of billing for Internet access in the wake of a furious backlash from consumers and politicians, BusinessWeek reports. The No. 2 cable provider had planned to bill people in a handful of test markets based on how much bandwidth they... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet service providers • billing • Time Warner Cable • Internet access

ANALYSIS

Why US Broadband
Is So Slow

Population density, delivery methods give Asia, Europe a leg up

Mar 10, 09 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - In terms of broadband, the US seems to lag behind the international pack, with slower, more expensive, less available Internet. As President Obama campaigns to improve America’s lot, Saul Hansell compares connection speeds in the New York Times. The US is middle of the pack, with an average speed... More »

MORE ABOUT:
broadband Internet • DSL • Internet access • fiber optic cables • President Obama

 Hackers Zap Kyrgyz Internet 

Latest Russian assault in cyber warfare

Jan 28, 09 5:21 AM CST
(Newser) - A Russian "cyber-militia" has shut down access to the Internet in Kyrgyzstan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Service providers in the former Soviet republic have been swamped with traffic during the past several days, in a denial of service attack that has downed websites and crippled email delivery. Motivations... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Afghanistan • Russia • Internet • Kyrgyzstan • SecureWorks • Internet access • cyber militia

Libraries a Cheap Refuge, But Top Target for Budget Cuts

Popular books see huge waiting lists, while unemployed line up to use computers

Jan 15, 09 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Whether you’re looking for a job, or just a cheap respite from the horrors of the economy, the public library has become the place to be, the Wall Street Journal reports. But even as attendance swells, the same financial crisis that brings patrons has left many branches cash-poor. One... More »

MORE ABOUT:
recession • unemployment • job search • WiFi • Internet access • library • financial crisis • economic downturn • public library

 Cable Cut Takes Egypt Offline 

Broken connection off Sicily affect most of country

Dec 20, 08 8:09 AM CST
(AP) - Egypt suffered a large-scale Internet outage after cables in the Mediterranean were cut, the Communications Ministry said yesterday. Three Internet cables were cut off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily yesterday morning, the ministry said. The cause of the cut was not immediately known. Throughout Egypt, the Internet... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • Middle East • India • Sudan • Italy • Egypt • Yemen • Sicily • undersea Internet cables • Internet access


 Gadgets Have 
 Consumers 
 Crying for Help 

Buyers frustrated by problems with cell phones, internet access and computers

Nov 17, 08 1:46 AM CST
(Newser) - Digital technology plays a key role in the lives of most Americans, but it's often too complex, frustrating, and prone to failure, a study by the Pew Research Center finds. Nearly half of consumers said they regularly need help setting up a device, learning how to use it, or solving... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • Internet • Comcast • cell phones • iPod • BlackBerry • Pew Internet and American Life Project • MP3s • Pew Research Center • Internet access • consumers

Tech review

Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride—in the Slow Lane

In-car system is reliable but may distract drivers: Mossberg

Nov 13, 08 10:06 AM CST
(Newser) - Wi-Fi has moved to the car, with Chrysler and Autonet Mobile teaming up to offer connectivity on wheels. It's a neat idea that works reasonably well, writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, though speed isn't great, and the initial cost is steep. Moreover, "the company says the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • Chrysler • WiFi • mobile Internet • Internet access • Autonet Mobile

Comcast to Put Brakes on Bandwidth Hogs

ISP decides to slow down users rather than P2P programs after FCC scolding

Aug 21, 08 9:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Comcast plans to reduce Internet connection speeds for heavy users, Bloomberg reports. The company's "FairShare" system will slow users down for 10 to 20 minutes during peak periods. Comcast was recently scolded by the FCC for improperly blocking file-sharing programs like BitTorrent in an effort to manage Web traffic.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Comcast • FCC • P2P • Internet service providers • bandwidth usage • web traffic • Internet access • bandwidth

Dial-Up Hold-Outs: Some
Just Don't Want Broadband

They're turned off by high prices or just not interested, study shows

Jul 3, 08 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Dial-up Internet users might not want broadband—or at least not want it enough to pay for it. That’s the word from a new study that finds high prices and a lack of interest are bigger factors than lack of access for most dial-up holdouts. The story is... More »

MORE ABOUT:
broadband Internet • Internet access • dial-up Internet

Product review

 In-Flight WiFi Takes Off 

The last refuge from the office is gone

Jun 19, 08 2:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Now you can manically check your inbox from 40,000 feet, reports Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. Certain American Airlines routes between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami will offer in-flight WiFi starting in July, and Virgin America will have it later in the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
American Airlines • air travel • WiFi • Virgin America • Internet access

Free Broadband Could Be Part of Feds' Auction Plan

FCC head considers plan that could have 95% of US covered in 10 years

May 29, 08 3:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Federal Communication Commission wants you to have free Internet, the Wall Street Journal reports, and it's considering a plan to auction airwaves with the requirement that the winner offer Wi-fi free to most of the US. The free access would come with its own strings for users, though, in... More »

MORE ABOUT:
FCC • free • WiFi • spectrum auction • Internet access • bandwidth

For Some US Towns, Internet Access is DIY

As providers focus on big markets, locals take net into own hands

May 19, 08 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Around the world, firms and governments are ramping up the speed and availability of internet access. But in the US, telecoms are focusing mainly on big-city markets. To avoid professional brain drain, some smaller cities and towns are investing in more powerful infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reports. But the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Comcast • broadband Internet • competition • small towns • Internet access • fiber optic cables • utilities • bandwidth

OPINION

 My Search Term, Myself 

Blogger ponders path Web surfers take to his threshold

Apr 21, 08 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Freud would have a field day studying Google searches, posits a blogger who tracked the terms visitors to his web page used and found a window into man's pathologies. John Kelly, a columnist on leave from the Washington Post, writes in the Guardian about "how the fetishes, pathologies and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
blogosphere • Google • Internet • blog • blogger • Internet access • British media • John Kelly

 'Black Holes' Sap Net's Traffic 

A more mysterious answer to why that one site won't load...

Apr 9, 08 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ever wonder why that one website just won’t load? New research suggests that the obvious explanations, such as errors with either your computer or the site's Internet connection, are not always sufficient to explain blockages in net traffic, DailyTech reports. In fact, “Internet black holes”—service disruptions... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • University of Washington • Internet access • Internet black holes • TCP/IP

Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia

But topics such as Tibet, Tiananmen remain off limits

Apr 5, 08 11:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Prodded by the International Olympic Committee, China has seemingly eased restrictions on the English-language version of Wikipedia, Reuters reports. But authorities continue to block access to articles related to sensitive topics such as Tibet and Tiananmen Square. Users in Shanghai and Beijing, the site of the summer Olympics, reported being... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • Wikipedia • Beijing • 2008 Beijing Olympics • Tibet • Shanghai • International Olympic Committee • Internet access • Internet censorship

 Silicon Valley Unplugs 
 for Meetings 

Companies go 'topless' to boost employees' attention

Mar 31, 08 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Tired of competing for attention with iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops, some Silicon Valley companies are banning them from meetings. One exec calls it going "topless," short for laptopless, and the Los Angeles Times reports that it's boosting some companies' efficiency. "Aside from just being rude," an... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • Internet • iPhone • Facebook • BlackBerry • university • laptop • classroom • computer • Internet addiction • Internet access • meetings

1 - 20 of 24 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


from our news partners