broadband

The cost of broadband globally has dropped around 50 percent in the past two years, according to data out this week by the International Telecommunications Union, but such access is still beyond the income of many around the world.

As individuals may still be getting hit with high bills for broadband Internet, the ITU said that the overall drop was driven by decreases in developing countries, where broadband fell on average by 52 percent the past two years. That compares with price drops of just 35 percent in more developed nations.

The ITU noted, however, that even with the lower … Read more

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Richard Bennett's bio below.

The National Broadband Plan delivered to Congress by the Federal Communications Commission last year recommended the licensing of 500MHz of new spectrum to mobile broadband providers, including 120MHz currently held by local TV broadcasters. The nature of the incentive auction that would enable willing broadcasters to transfer this spectrum to mobile operators (for a portion of auction proceeds) is under debate in Washington, as are means of transferring additional spectrum currently held by government agencies.

Wheels move slowly in Washington, and mobile providers can't wait for … Read more

An Australian woman was reportedly sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing a SIM card from a utility meter and racking up more than $190,000 in charges.

Kylie Maree Monks, 33, pleaded guilty to computer-related fraud, receiving stolen property, and one count of making a false declaration, according to a report in Australian newspaper The Mercury. Monks reportedly stole a SIM card from a power meter that had a wireless data connection to Telstra's wireless broadband network.

Aurora Energy, the power company that owned the meter, became aware that the SIM (subscriber identity module) card had been … Read more

People flustered by all the technical gadgets and gizmos cluttering up their homes and lives are looking for a savior in the form of one company that could help manage it all.

A study released yesterday by technology consulting site Accenture found that consumers would be happy to turn over support of their home and mobile devices to one company that could provide integrated tech support.

Targeting the poll toward users of both computers and mobile phones, Accenture specifically found that 63 percent of the "super users" questioned are looking for a single company to manage everything from home and mobile electronics to broadband and cable services. A super user in this case is defined as someone who owns and uses 14 or more different consumer gadgets.

What are the issues that seem to vex today's consumers?

When asked about the type of support they want, 68 percent said they'd like help in reducing the the potential computer problems that put their data at risk or cost a lot of money to fix. Sixty-seven percent expressed a need for better security from viruses and malware. Sixty-two percent want their computers to run faster, especially when surfing the Internet. And 57 percent are simply looking for a helping hand in tracking down the latest software updates and security patches.… Read more

AT&T's usage caps for its DSL and U-Verse broadband services start today.

The blog Broadband Reports, which first broke the news of the caps in March, is reporting that starting today customers throughout the country are now subject to the caps on AT&T's terrestrial broadband services. AT&T confirmed that the new caps have gone into effect throughout AT&T's broadband footprint.

Now AT&T DSL subscribers will be limited to 150 gigabytes of uploads and downloads per month for regular DSL customers and 250GB of broadband usage per month … Read more

The Obama administration has enlisted the help of more than 100 economists to make its case for incentive spectrum auctions that will free up more airwaves for wireless broadband services.

Today, the White House presented a letter signed by 112 economists "who specialize in telecommunications, auction theory and design, and/or competitive policy." The signed letter was part of a summit that the administration put together in an effort to persuade Congress to authorize a round of incentive auctions that would take unused broadcast TV spectrum and use it for wireless broadband services.

In the letter the economists … Read more

There's some rough news for Topeka, Kan., the city that courted Google's ultra-high-speed municipal broadband project by changing its name to Google. The Mountain View, Calif., tech giant announced Wednesday that the lucky city that gets to be its broadband guinea pig not only isn't Topeka, but it's Kansas City, Kansas--just an hour's drive away. Ouch.

More than 1,100 communities had applied since the call for applicants was announced about a year ago. Kansas City will first see the new developments next year, and Google is already looking for additional communities to join the … Read more

This is an update of a deal I wrote about last year.

I'm a longtime fan of the Verizon MiFi 2200, a pocket-size 3G modem that doubles as a Wi-Fi hot spot. Just one problem: it costs $269 and locks you into a two-year contract with Verizon. Service starts at $35 per month (for a mere 3GB of data).

You can accomplish much of the same thing with the CradlePoint PHS300, currently on sale at UnlockedCellPhoneKings via Amazon for $49.99 shipped. The only difference is, it's BYO cell phone or wireless card.

In other words, you have … Read more

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Steve Largent's bio below.

In the last few weeks, I have read a number of op-eds claiming that reallocation of broadcast spectrum for wireless use should be left to the free market. While I am a fervent believer in free markets and limited government, there are rare instances in which government involvement is necessary. I agree with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski on his proposal that managing the incentive process to voluntarily reclaim broadcast licenses and repack the spectrum is an area that absolutely requires FCC leadership and experience.

When … Read more