It turns out that Google, the great proponent of net neutrality, is paying Orange to handle its traffic on the carrier’s mobile networks. That’s an unwelcome development, and here’s why. Read more »
How do you connect people who have no Internet? How do you build a wireless network outside of the official wireless ISPs? These are questions the Open Technology Institute wants to answer in Detroit with Commotion, an open source, wireless mesh networking technology trial. Read more »
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is embarking on a gigabit fiber project, thanks to the suggestion of Google’s Eric Schmidt, taking advantage of the overhaul of its water infrastructure to lay new data pipes. The plan is create 15 tech zones to feed Chicago’s growing startup community. Read more »
Low broadband caps in Canada put that country close to third-world countries, and overage charges almost amount to human rights violations: Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos blasted broadband caps and usage-based-billing employed by Canadian ISPs during an investor event Thursday afternoon. Read more »
Much like the welfare-to-work reform bill had bipartisan support because it moved people from welfare into a job, the FCC needs to reform the Lifeline program to provide broadband so it moves people from government assistance into jobs. Not just any jobs, but tech-oriented jobs. Read more »
After distributing much of the $500 million broadband stimulus program to narrow the digital divide in 2011, these investments should start bearing fruit. But the success faces two challenges: insufficient broadband infrastructure in some low-income areas and broadband adoption efforts that miss the mark. Read more »
Vint Cerf is one of the fathers of the Internet, but he argues that Internet access shouldn’t be seen as a fundamental human right — simply as a tool that enables other rights. But is this true? And what are the implications if he’s wrong? Read more »
