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Friday, March 31
Justice Hands Out More Subpoenas To ISPs, Tech Firms
by
Mike
on Fri 31 Mar 2006 09:02 AM PST
Justice Hands Out More Subpoenas To ISPs, Tech Firms
The Justice Department is demanding internal files from dozens of Internet service providers and other technology firms as it seeks to defend a controversial Internet child protection law.
The subpoenas are similar to one given to Google, which waged a partially successful battle over the government's request for millions of pieces of information about search engine requests and website domains.
InformationWeek magazine unearthed subpoenas that show the government also demanded information from at least 34 other companies, including Internet service providers such as Comcast Corp. and EarthLink Inc., security software firms and other technology companies.
The subpoenas, which the magazine obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, show the Justice Department preparing for an October trial in Philadelphia over the 1996 Child Online Protection Act. It is not clear which companies are complying, and to what extent.
"That money could be spent so much more wisely on giving software away to parents that are having these problems," Dan Jude, president of Security Software Systems, said of the litigation costs.
The 12-person firm, which makes filtering software, spent more than 40 hours trying to comply with the subpoena, he said. The company refused to provide some information on proprietary grounds, fearing it could make its way into the court file.
"If that information gets out in the public, we've just lost our competitive edge," Jude said Thursday. The subpoena also sought information the company does not keep, such as customer satisfaction, he said.
Department of Justice spokesman Charles Miller did not immediately return a message Thursday afternoon.
The subpoenas also went to companies including AT&T Inc., Cox Communications Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Symantec Corp.
The U.S. Supreme Court has twice said the law — which would criminalize Internet material deemed "harmful to children" as defined by "contemporary community standards" — is likely to violate First Amendment protections and granted preliminary injunctions.
Critics say that definition is so broad it would stifle free speech, and also note that pornographers and others could simply base their operations offshore, beyond the reach of U.S. authorities.
Thursday, March 30
MobilePro and City of Sacramento Officially 'Cut the Wire' on Pilot Wireless Project
by
Mike
on Thu 30 Mar 2006 11:19 AM PST
MobilePro Corp. announced today that it will host a ribbon-cutting
ceremony with the City of Sacramento officially "cutting the wire" ... more »
43 Million American Households Now Have Broadband Internet Access
by
Mike
on Thu 30 Mar 2006 08:00 AM PST
43 Million American Households Now Have Broadband Internet Access
Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) President and CEO Gary Shapiro today announced that 43 million U.S. households now have broadband Internet access compared to just two million in 1999, according to the results of a new CEA research study on broadband access in America. Shapiro introduced the findings during his opening keynote at the Electronic House Expo (EHX), which runs through April 1, 2006 in Orlando, Florida.
"Broadband households are quickly becoming the norm. It is very possible that dial-up Internet connections will be a thing of the past by the end of the decade," Shapiro said. "High-speed Internet services have ushered in many new applications, devices and services that consumers are demanding. CEA research shows a bright future for custom retailers and installation professionals, because not all consumers are technically savvy enough, or want to spend the time to set up all the devices and applications they wish to use."
According to the CEA study, Broadband and the Home of Tomorrow, 33 percent of non-owning high-definition television (HDTV) households are interested in having a professional install an HDTV in the next two years. This translates into 20.5 million households. Large numbers of households are also interested in having digital video recorders (DVR) and distributed audio systems installed.
While broadband adoption is quickly on the rise, the U.S. ranks 15th in the world in high-speed Internet penetration. Asian countries top the list, with South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan all having higher than 50 percent penetration, and Japan coming close to the half-way mark with 49 percent. Many Northern and Western European countries also outpace the U.S. in broadband adoption, including the Netherlands, France, Denmark and Sweden. In addition, Canada has broadband penetration that is higher the U.S.
The CEA study found that dial-up Internet access is on a notable decline in the U.S. In 2000, dial-up Internet connections accounted for 74 percent of all U.S. residential Internet connections. This figure dropped to 60 percent by 2003, and currently stands at 36 percent. Additionally, the new research shows that cable Internet access has lost ground when it comes to customer value and popularity. In October 2000, cable broadband accounted for 15 percent of all Internet connections, compared to four percent for digital subscriber line (DSL). By March 2006, cable and DSL were head to head, each with 29 percent of the residential Internet market.
"Consumers desire even more choice when it comes to broadband. Currently, only 15 percent of online U.S adults are very satisfied with their current number of ISP choices. It boils down to choice and the value equation. Yes, speed and reliability are important, but the cost must be factored in, and when it comes to cable, consumers increasingly are missing the value," said Shapiro.
According to the study, service satisfaction is highest among DSL subscribers, followed by cable Internet subscribers and is lowest among dial-up users. But price satisfaction shows an inverse relationship, while dial-up customers are the most pleased with the cost of their service (53 percent), they are the least pleased with the speed (26 percent). On the other hand, cable Internet subscribers are the least happy with cost (26 percent) and are the most happy with speed (76 percent). Falling in between are DSL customers, 46 percent of whom are happy with the cost and 69 percent of whom are happy with speed.
Because of this, only 46 percent of consumers are likely to recommend cable Internet to friends or family where as 61 percent of DSL subscribers would spread the word. While consumers like cable's speed, the value for consumers is just not there.
ISPCON Spring 2006 Features EarthLink, Motorola Execs
by
Mike
on Thu 30 Mar 2006 07:30 AM PST
ISPCON Spring 2006 Features EarthLink, Motorola Execs
The Golden Group will sponsor wired and wireless ISP event, ISPCON in May 16 - 18, 2006 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Presenters will include: Donald B. Berryman, EVP/president Municipal Networks for EarthLink Inc.; David S. Isenberg, principle, Isen.com; and Raghu Rau, SVP Global Marketing and Strategy for Motorola Networks.
Mr. Berryman and Mr. Rau will co-present ''Muni Networks: Partnering for Affordable Broadband.'' In this keynote, Mr. Berryman will discuss the approach EarthLink is taking with Muni Wi-Fi, share some insight on the partnerships with Mr. Rau from Motorola, and discuss how our entire industry can become a key driver in populating and advancing the use of wireless networks, strong partnerships and affordable broadband.
As President of Municipal Networks, Don Berryman leads EarthLink's effort into the municipal wireless broadband market. Leveraging the company's expertise in state-of-the-art technology and award-winning customer support, Don's team has set out to help cities across the United States take advantage of the power and possibilities of wireless technology via competitive and low-cost alternative to other high-speed Internet service providers.
Raghu Rau is Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Strategy for Motorola Networks. Rau is responsible for driving the business strategy for Motorola Networks and leading the global marketing efforts for network solutions delivered to wireless and wireline carriers worldwide.
Mr. Isenberg will present ''Your Neutrality Reality'' addressing the current state and fate of network neutrality as the economics of every Internet business are on track to be turned completely upside down. Without network neutrality, service providers could determine what content is available to Internet subscribers compromising the basis upon which the Internet was founded. Mr. Isenberg discusses the salient points and what's ahead for the industry and the entire Internet economy as it faces the new reality of neutrality.
Mr. Isenberg spent 12 years at AT and T Bell Labs until his 1997 essay, ''The Rise of the Stupid Network,'' was received with acclaim everywhere in the global telecommunications community with one exception - at AT and T itself. So Mr. Isenberg left AT and T in 1998 to found isen.com LLC (an independent telecom analysis firm based in Cos Cob, CT) and to publish The SMART Letter, an open-minded commentary on the communications revolution and its enemies. He is also the co-producer and chair of the Freedom to Connect conference.
To learn more about the event, please visit www.ispcon.com.
EarthLink to Take Over New Orleans Wi-Fi Network
by
Mike
on Thu 30 Mar 2006 07:29 AM PST
EarthLink to Take Over New Orleans Wi-Fi Network
With its free emergency Wi-Fi network under pressure from BellSouth and the Louisiana state government, the still-recovering city of New Orleans has managed to make some progress in transferring the network to private control.
EarthLink, has now agreed to take over the Wi-Fi network in the near future. The Atlanta-based ISP plans to transform the network into a paid service, and spend $15 million on expanding it over the next three years.
“We really feel for the city,” said EarthLink’s president of municipal networking, Donald Berryman. “They’re still basically at a crawl in terms of communications there.”
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