Nation's rise in broadband technology 'a major milestone'
InformationWeek Sep 27, 08 3:41 PM CDT
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China's broadband network is now bigger than America's, InformationWeek reports. In fact the Asian nation has the planet's biggest high-speed network—which "means a lot more for building a modern, hi-tech economy" than China's spacewalk yesterday, one expert said. "This is a major milestone for China."
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250 GB-limit intended
to improve web quality
Reuters Aug 29, 08 2:27 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Comcast subscribers will soon have their Internet usage capped, Reuters reports. From Oct. 1, the nation’s largest cable operator will limit monthly residential data use to 250 gigabytes to improve the quality of Internet delivery. The company says up to 99% of its subscribers will be unaffected by the cap—equivalent to 50 million emails or 124 standard-definition movies.
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They're turned off by high prices or just not interested, study shows
Associated Press Jul 3, 08 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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 different, though, in rural areas, where 24% of dial-uppers would upgrade if they could, reports AP.
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OPINION
Analyst argues metered service will halt innovation and stunt growth
GigaOm Jun 5, 08 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Cable companies are wooing Wall Street by saying they’ll offset expensive implementation of a new, high-speed software protocol by metering broadband Internet access. Bad move, Om Malik writes on GigaOm. Flat-rate high-speed access has enabled recent revolutionary innovation in the telecom business, which led to almost 70 million broadband subscriptions in 2007, and a cash cow for the cable companies.
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As providers focus on big markets, locals take net into own hands
Wall Street Journal May 19, 08 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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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 risks, and burdens, are great, and some private providers are resisting new competition.
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TV, wireless hires will offset white-collar landline losses
Wall Street Journal Apr 18, 08 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser)
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As it adjusts its business model to lowered demand for landlines, AT&T will lay off 4,600 employees, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company plans to create about the same number of new wireless, broadband, and TV jobs, a trade-off that will create savings through dropping more senior, white-collar workers. "There are parts of the business that are growing and others that are not," a spokesman said.
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Companies would back Sprint/Clearwire plan for nationwide network
Wall Street Journal Mar 26, 08 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, looking for funding in their bid to build a nationwide high-speed wireless network, may have found partners in Comcast and Time Warner, reports the Wall Street Journal. The country’s two largest cable operators are weighing a combined pledge of $1.5 billion to the project; Sprint and Clearwire hope to raise $3 billion overall.
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Urges regulators to approve Internet use of TV "white space"
Reuters Mar 14, 08 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A month after Microsoft failed its second opportunity to convince the FCC that companies could deliver broadband Internet via unused TV frequencies without interfering with programming, Bill Gates pushed regulators Thursday to approve the plan, Reuters reports. He said “white space” between channels could allow WiFi to “explode” into less densely populated areas of the US.
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Agency says it will
step in to stop ISPs from blocking access
Wall Street Journal Feb 26, 08 12:30 PM CST
(Newser)
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FCC boss Kevin Martin told a hearing yesterday that the government was "ready, willing, and able to step in" to stop Internet service providers from restricting traffic sent by rivals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Comcast is accused of acting improperly by slowing or blocking access to file-sharing sites. The cable giant says it is merely managing its network.
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Analysts fear impending crackdown on high bandwidth users
PC World Feb 15, 08 12:07 PM CST
(Newser)
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Enjoy your broadband while you can, because it won’t be this way forever. Consumer advocates think ISPs will soon have claim to have no choice but to crack down on high-bandwidth users or applications, in order to keep their networks afloat. Already Comcast has drawn fire for slowing file transfers, while Time Warner is experimenting with a tiered payment system, charging for heavier use, ComputerWorld reports.
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Other tech firms dealt blow in quest for TV "white space" airwaves
Wall Street Journal Feb 13, 08 3:08 PM CST
(Newser)
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Twice, the technology sector has looked to Microsoft to help convince the FCC to let it use dormant TV frequencies to deliver broadband Internet – and twice, Microsoft has failed. Last week, the FCC tested a Microsoft device designed to prove the broadband and TV signals could coexist, only to have it fail utterly, the Wall Street Journal reports, possibly killing the initiative.
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Continent passed North America as biggest junk mail producer in last three months
Ars Technica Feb 6, 08 5:17 PM CST
(Newser)
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More spam is sent from Europe than any other continent, Ars Technica reports. Symantec systems’ latest “State of Spam” report said that European IP addresses are now responsible for 44% of all junk emails sent. Only three months ago, North America produced 15% more of the world’s spam than Europe.
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Companies seek to broadcast web over unused TV airwaves
Associated Press Jan 19, 08 12:20 AM CST
(Newser)
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After a series of unsuccessful tests, the Federal Communications Commission is heading back to the lab to assess a new round of devices for broadcasting high-speed Internet in the white space available in between TV airwaves. The prototypes come from a coalition of top-tier bidders, including Microsoft, Philips, and Intel, none of which received positive grades the first time around, the AP reports.
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Partnerships help company ready new wireless network
Washington Post Jan 10, 08 1:17 PM CST
(Newser)
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Sprint has unveiled new corporate partnerships to help meet its goal of deploying its WiMax wireless broadband network in DC, Baltimore, and Chicago by April, the Washington Post reports. The wireless provider has joined with several companies to provide online storage, security, and mobile devices for WiMax, which offers speeds comparable to DSL at ranges far greater than typical wireless networks.
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