http://urgentcomm.com/policy_and_law/news/public-safety-lobby-dblock-20100113/
Public-safety officials representing nine national organizations yesterday expressed encouragement that federal lawmakers and policy-makers understand the need for a dedicated wireless broadband network for first responders but remain unsure whether their request to have the 700 MHz D Block reallocated to public safety will be granted.
“I think all of us in public safety that were here in Washington [yesterday] feel better about — if not the prospects for the D Block — certainly that the message was heard that public safety needs a dedicated public-safety wireless broadband network,” said Chris Moore, deputy chief for the San Jose (Calif.) Police Cepartment and chairman of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCC) spectrum working group.
I don’t agree with all points but it is interesting~ Michelle
Maximumpc.com:
More at the link!
A new computer is like a blank state–there’s a lot of potential there, but without some work on your part, it’s useless. It’s not hard to get started, but there are some essential first steps that everyone should follow when breaking in their new PC. In this guide, we’ve compiled a step-by-step list of essential tips, tricks and advice from many of our other features, to provide you with just the information you need to get off to a great start with any new PC. So if you got a new rig under the PC under the tree this year, or even if you’re just thinking about getting one in the future, read on to find out more!
I loathe bandwidth caps. I would love to see the data for analysis; I happen to know the ISP are being less-than-truthful about many items. Just add this to the list. ~Michelle
One analyst has had it with Internet data caps. Bandwidth hogs are a myth, he says, and caps simply penalize heavy users who cause no problems for others. Now, he’s throwing down the gauntlet and challenging ISPs to turn over some data for analysis.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/12/bandwidth-hogs-dont-even-exist-says-analyst.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
There’s a spectre haunting Internet service providers—the spectre of the “bandwidth hog.” But does the mythical beast really exist? One telecom analyst is dubious, and he’s calling out the ISPs.
Benoit Felten is a Yankee Group analyst who covers fiber to the home issues from Paris, but his “bandwidth hog” challenge is a product of his personal blog, fiberevolution. Felten is a knowledgeable voice on fiber issues, and his blog reliably makes for an interesting read, but it rarely takes the adversarial tone it struck today.
more at the link…
There are some excellent recommendations in here, though I think the $ amount for NTIA BTOP is too low at only $50 million for a small projects grant. I heartily agree with the “Middle Mile Comprehensive Community” projects. ~ Michelle
http://broadbandbreakfast.com/2009/12/new-america-foundation-suggests-changes-to-government-grant-programs/
More at the link…
The New America Foundation and a coalition of 38 other groups on Monday submitted comments regarding grant programs of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce.
The comments specifically addressed the Broadband Initiatives Program of the Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture, and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce.
NAF commended both RUS and NTIA for their successful implementation of the broadband-related programs described in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.
NAF said that it recognized that the efforts of these organizations has not only inspired public discourse, but begun to stimulate job creation and long-term economic growth.
Gee, great. Another reason for Comcast to completely neglect our local franchise. What about the thousands of customers in our region? I think this actually increases the likelihood of a Comcast default on the local contract PROMISE to bring high speed internet to our area. ~Michelle
http://broadbandbreakfast.com/2009/12/comcast-consummates-the-deal-now-the-tough-part-begins/
More at the link…
It happened, as predicted by some and discounted by others; a Comcast-NBC Universal merger that has wide-ranging implications on both future Content and Internet usage. However, the tough part for Comcast begins now, today, and that is to placate dissenters like the Consumer Federation of America, the Free Press, and tough Federal Regulators that this will help both competition and increase access to broadband, not hinder it.
The Free Press has issued a press release denouncing the merger while giving reasons that the deal should be at least, a violation of Video Competition Anti-Trust Laws; see (Comcast-NBC Merger: Just Say No). On the other hand, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts released his own statement regarding the merger designed to get out front of the expected controversy that the deal would attract. (Comcast and GE to Create Leading Entertainment Company)
“We are prepared to make affirmative commitments to ensure that the pro-consumer and public interest benefits of the transaction are realized,” Roberts said. “Today, we have announced a number of initial commitments that expand on the capabilities that Comcast and NBCU have built over the years, and the new opportunities that this combination makes possible. These commitments address the needs of various audiences and stakeholders, and we will provide additional details on these and other commitments in our public interest filing with the Federal Communications Commission.”
This does not bode well for Round 2 application submissions. Sigh. ~Michelle
http://www.stimulatingbroadband.com/2009/11/deja-vu-all-over-again-federal.html
More at the link…
StimulatingBroadband.com 11/30/09 Boston – The federal online site supporting the filing of public comments for a potential revamp of the rules for the Recovery Act’s broadband stimulus program has generated delays and garbled filings throughout today, the deadline for comment period opened on November 16.
Earlier this evening, StimulatingBroadband.com inquired of the lead media relations personnel at the two agencies managing the program as to the apparent faults being generated by the electronic filing system. As of this posting, the federal employees are still working to answer our questions. We will issue updates as we receive public and attributable information from our agency contacts.
Awww, how sad. The Big Boys don’t want anyone to know how drastically they overstated how much area they actually serve in an incredibly greedy attempt to keep other companies from receiving grant money, thereby royally screwing the customers. Gee, thanks guys.~ Michelle
http://www.stimulatingbroadband.com/2009/11/breaking-news-fcc-responds-to.html
More at the link…
StimulatingBroadband.com 11/27/09 Boston – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened a public proceeding which responds to a request for proprietary broadband commercial information made by one of the two federal agencies managing the Obama Administration’s $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program mandated by the Recovery Act.
The proceeding, and the information request which triggered it, both go to the heart of the intense debate within the U.S. telecommunications industry over the definitions of areas of the nation which are “unserved” and “underserved” by broadband networks.
The Grim Spectre of Monetization of Social Media lurks, mwhahaha! The Twitter app I use already slips ads into my stream, and I find that I ignore them, like all other adverts. I, like most other users of the ‘tubes, have become immune to advertising and they are wasting their time! ~Michelle
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/20/with-fresh-funding-and-a-hollywood-pr-firm-will-ad-ly-define-twitter-advertising/
I’m still not sure if the Twitter stream is the right place to be for advertising, but with the way the company set out to make it easy for developers to build upon their platform with open APIs, it’s no wonder so many ad networks have sprung up since it got started. Its massive growth and the fact that the San Francisco startup is a media and celebrity darling probably helped in that regard, too.
One of the companies that is dabbling with advertising on Twitter – even if Biz & co seem to be reluctant to do some serious testing of their own – is Ad.ly, an LA-based startup that launched about a month ago.
More at the link!
Remember what I said about how until the SM gurus figure out how to monetize these apps, most of them would die a lingering death: Behold. And I personally think FriendFeed is one of the creepier SM apps in the ‘tubes. Stalk me much, ya dig? Just Sayin’.~ Michelle
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/19/friendfeed-not-dead-just-in-a-state-of-chrysalis-says-co-founder/
This weekend, a number of people had things to say about the decay and seemingly inevitable death of FriendFeed. That included us, twice. While this was going on, the FriendFeed team remained largely silent, even on their own product. But today, co-founder Paul Buchheit has responded.
More at the link!
I’m not sure yet if I like this, have to think about it. Gets more interesting for business apps tied to groups.~ Michelle
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/10/19/facebook-pulls-groups-into-the-stream/
Facebook is giving groups a little more prominence by testing ways to bring in messages from groups into the main stream on your News Feed. Up until now, group activity has remained segregated from the main feed. But some people on Facebook are now seeing messages posted to groups they belong to from their friends who also belong to the group. And group pages themselves now have their own Wall of messages from members.
More at the link!
Broadband, Tech News | Michelle | 
January 13, 2010 8:08 pm | 
Comments (1) 
Subscribe
