CES: Wheeler Signals Title II Is Likely

FCC chairman Tom Wheeler outlined his approach for establishing new rules for the “Open Internet” by suggesting he would use Title II, but in a relatively limited way, to ensure there would be “no blocking, no throttling and no paid prioritization.”

Wheeler made the comments at an annual Q&A with Consumer Electronics Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro during the 2015 CES convention on Jan. 7. Continue reading

Minnesota Hooks Up 10 GB Fiber Network

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By: MARTIN BLANC

While AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is worrying about net neutrality rules and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is delaying fiber expansion, the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is enjoying speeds of 10 Gbps (1 Gbps = 1024 Mbps). US households on average, on the other hand, only have access to speeds of 20.7 Mbps.

Provided by US Internet, the fiber to premises broadband service costs around $399 per month. While it would definitely put a dent in the subscriber’s pocket, it is great for small and medium scale businesses that depend on fast Internet access. Continue reading

Kentucky begins $250M project to improve “dismal” broadband availability

By Brian Santo

Frustrated with the “dismal” level of high-speed Internet access available to local residents and businesses, the state of Kentucky has engaged Macquarie Capital to finance and oversee the construction of a fiber backbone that would extend throughout the state.

The project could cost anywhere from $250 million to $350 million. The state said the project will be paid for up front by leveraging private capital at no additional cost to Kentucky taxpayers.  Continue reading

The road to municipal Internet: Boulder benefits from Longmont’s journey

English: Looking north from the intersection o...

English: Looking north from the intersection of Main St. and 3rd Ave. towards the 300 block of Main St. Longmont, Colorado. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Governments do not tend to learn from their mistakes, they just cover them up with more money. Even detailed articles like these fail to ask the question whether government should be doing this or are there better ways of delivering broadband services.

By Karen Antonacci

Paul Radliff, of Longmont, had his home connected via fiber-optic cable to the city’s new high-speed Internet service earlier this month.

Under his old DSL service, he could download information at a speed of 20 megabits per second. Continue reading

Net Neutrality Meets Muni Broadband

There is not a mention of municipal broadband in this article other than the statement about the number of states with laws blocking it. At this time we have discovered that a vast majority of comments received by the FCC were form letters created by Soros-backed groups demanding more government control and that it is generally accepted that more regulation, especially Title II, will increase broadband rates. Yet, there are still people that believe that more government intervention will increase freedom and privacy.

The net neutrality discussion has raged since January when a U.S. appeals court struck down federal rules that barred broadband providers from creating fast and slow Internet lanes, essentially allowing ISPs to favor some sites and slow down others.

In response, the FCC proposed rules that would comply with the court’s ruling, causing a national debate that crashed the commission’s public comment system in July. Continue reading

U.S. Consumers Have Limited Options For High-Speed Web, Commerce Dept. Says

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US-DeptOfCommerce-Seal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I find it sad that so many people in this country are not aware of the 10th Amendment that prohibits the federal government from overriding state laws unless expressly stated in the Constitution. The report does outline the abysmal state of competition in the broadband market even though it blurs the line between wireless and wireline. 

Lest there was any doubt, competition among broadband providers remains lacking — at least at speeds of more than 10 Mbps.

That’s according to the Commerce Department, which this week released a new report regarding the state of broadband availability. Continue reading

Google Fiber could be snared by thorny Oregon tax law

A tangled thicket of Oregon tax rules might snare Google Fiber, and could have a big impact on whether that company opts to bring its hyperfast Internet service to the Portland area.

State lawmakers say they’re planning to address the tax issue during the legislative session that begins next month. It’s unclear if that would be soon enough for Google, which has said it could make a decision on serving Portland and its suburbs by the end of the year. Continue reading