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Fiber optics get political in Australia as opposition party vows to scale down national broadband plan

Sean Hollister — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:50:00 EST

When Australia goes to the polls on August 21st, citizens will vote for more than men and the traditional issues they represent -- the ballots cast will directly impact the country's national broadband plan. Where Australia's ruling Labor party had pledged A$43 billion for an up-to-100Mbps fiber optic network fed directly to 90 99 percent of homes (and agreed to pay A$11 billion to Telstra) over the next seven to eight years, the opposing Liberal-National coalition says if elected, it will scrap that notion in favor of a cheaper A$6.3 billion plan. That money would create a fiber-optic backbone by 2017 but actually connects homes with hybrid fiber-coaxial connections, DSL and about A$2 billion worth of wireless, with a minimum promised speed of 12Mbps. The coalition says these services would cover 97 percent of Australians, with satellite coverage for the final 3 percent, and that those networks receiving funds from the project and connecting to the backbone would have to compete based on pricing (set by the country's Competition and Consumer Commission) and pledge open access. Having never lived in Australia ourselves, we don't know what's best, but we're pretty sure we wouldn't be satisfied with the 12Mbps end of the Liberal-National stick.

Update: Labor plan is to bring 100Mbps to 99 percent of the population, not 90 percent as originally stated.

Fiber optics get political in Australia as opposition party vows to scale down national broadband plan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for 'an open internet'

Darren Murph — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:53:00 EST

UPDATE: We've done a full breakdown of the proposal right here -- go check it out!

Back in October of last year, Google and Verizon came together in order to provide an intense amount of corporate support for the FCC's then-fledgling net neutrality push. Today, said push has turned into quite the monster, with a recent court ruling asserting that the FCC doesn't actually have the authority to impose net neutrality. Since then, a cadre of telecommunications firms have banded together in one form or another to attempt a compromise (and slyly get what each of them really want), and today the Big G and Big Red have taken the stage together in order to publicize a well-thought out policy proposal for "an open internet." Both firms seem to agree that web users "should choose what content, applications, or devices they use," and they both want "enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices" -- and yeah, that definitely includes prioritization and blocking of internet traffic, including paid prioritization. In an odd twist, what seems to be happening here is that both Google and Verizon are actually in favor of more government oversight on the internet, but they want that oversight to be beneficial to consumers. In other words, more regulations from the feds to enforce fewer regulations imposed on you from your ISP. Get all that?

Where things really get interesting is when they touch on the wireless angle; essentially, they're admitting that the very proposals they are putting forth for wireline shouldn't apply to wireless just yet (aside from the whole "transparency" thing). It seems that the prevailing logic is that there's simply not enough spectrum for this idyllic "play fair" scenario to truly work, so fewer restrictions would be necessary for the wireless internet space to blossom as the wireless side already has. Moreover, we get the impression that these guys feel the wireless space as a whole is simply too competitive right now to withstand any red tape.

The proposal also mentions that, if passed into law, the FCC would have the ability to fine "bad actors" (read: misbehaving ISPs) up to $2 million for breaking any of these "open internet" stipulations, and naturally, both outfits are highly in favor of the National Broadband Plan taking hold, moving forward and getting broadband to places that are currently using a strange mixture of used canisters and rope to check their inbox.

Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for 'an open internet' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Public safety agencies want D Block for themselves, FCC still seeking auction

Darren Murph — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:18:00 EST

The 700MHz 'D Block' has been the subject of much debate over the past few years, primarily because the FCC's master plan to auction it off -- yet require the winner to open up the waves for public safety use on command -- didn't exactly pan out. Post-failure, the agency made clear its plans to host up another auction or two in order to accomplish the same goal via slightly different means, but now public safety entities are coming forward with a healthy amount of opposition. Rob Davis, head of the San Jose Police Department, puts it bluntly: "If they auction this spectrum, we've lost it forever." These public safety officials also have allies in Congress, with many worried that auctioning off the spectrum may lead to an inability to accurately wield bandwidth in a hurry if needed during a national emergency. The FCC plan also alleviates the cost issue, but public advocates have a solution there as well -- they say that if given the 'D Block' outright, they could "lease excess airwaves to commercial carriers since they would not always need all of it." Of course, that's a pretty big assumption about the willingness of carriers to lease space, and we suspect a lot more back-and-forth will go on here in the coming months. Oh, the drama.

Public safety agencies want D Block for themselves, FCC still seeking auction originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world

Darren Murph — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:51:00 EST

You know that "National Broadband Plan" that the world keeps yapping about? Sprint's down with it, and has been since before it ever existed, apparently. Based on a glowing press release outed this week by the carrier, it has just wrapped up a five year initiative to free 35MHz of highly valuable spectrum needed for future broadband expansion. After spending a cool $750 million from 2005 to 2010, the company has now cleared 35MHz of broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) spectrum across the country, though there's obviously some ways to go before Obama has 500MHz of cleared spectrum at his disposal. As it stands, Sprint has transitioned the broadcast auxiliary services to a new, more efficient spectrum plan in the 2GHz frequency band, and while the exact hows and whens have yet to be laid out, we're hearing that this could provide access to "faster, cheaper broadband services" in the future. Huzzah?

Continue reading Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world

Sprint clears 35MHz of spectrum for future use, wonders if it's alone in the world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC reevaluates US broadband competitiveness, finds 14 to 24 million lack access

Donald Melanson — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:47:00 EST

The National Broadband Plan may one day bring broadband to everyone in the United States but, as a new report from the FCC itself reveals, there's still quite a ways to go. According to the report (issued every year by the agency), between 14 and 24 million Americans have no access to broadband, which is now defined by the FCC to be a 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream. That's a significant revision from the previous 200kbps downstream standard used by the annual report, and brings it in line with the minimum goals set by the National Broadband Plan. What does that mean for the 14 to 24 million without broadband access? Not much at the moment, unfortunately. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says that those individuals are mostly in "expensive-to-serve areas with low population density," and that "without substantial reforms to the agency's universal service programs, these areas will continue to be unserved." Of course, that finding is just one part of the report -- hit up the source link below to check out the whole thing.

FCC reevaluates US broadband competitiveness, finds 14 to 24 million lack access originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Senators grill FCC Chairman over 'modest' National Broadband Plan goals

Donald Melanson — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:22:00 EST

Bringing broadband to everybody is certainly an admirable goal, but at least some US Senators are apparently starting to question if the new National Broadband Plan is ambitious enough. In written questions submitted to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski recently, Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) pointed out that other nations already have 100Mbps fiber-based services and are beginning to roll out 1Gbps residential services, which would only be required for a "single anchor institution in each community by 2020" under the National Broadband Plan" -- something Inouye says "appears to suggest that the US should accept a 10- to 12-year lag behind the leading nations." That's a sentiment echoed by Senator Mark Begich (D-AK), who asked Genachowski why the plan settled for the minimum download speed of 4Mbps by 2020, and added that "it seems a bit modest for a goal." For his part, Genachowski insists that the 4Mbps targets are "aggressive," and he notes that the plan recommends reevaluating that target every year, so it's possible it could increase over time. Hit up the PDF link below for the complete Q&A.

Senators grill FCC Chairman over 'modest' National Broadband Plan goals originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White House pledges another $800 million for broadband stimulus

Joseph L. Flatley — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:48:00 EST

Usually, when we see "stimulus" and "broadband" in the same sentence it's because someone turned off our Google SafeSearch filter, but today we have one such item that is totally safe for work. According to Information Week, the $7.2 billion in broadband grants and loans that we've already seen will be buttressed by an additional $800 million. A total of sixty-six new infrastructure projects (with up to 5,000 new jobs created in the process) are planned to launch in every state of the union (and Washington DC to boot). That is, of course, if the congressional appropriations committee doesn't siphon off $602 million of it to offset the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Once we emerge from the immediate crisis, the long-term economic gains to communities that have been left behind in the digital age will be immeasurable," President Obama said in the announcement.

White House pledges another $800 million for broadband stimulus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC launches Spectrum Task Force, unused frequencies become wanted criminals

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:21:00 EST

It's no secret that Julius Genachowski and his posse up in Washington are taking spectrum reallocation very, very seriously in an effort to nip any danger of a wireless broadband crunch in the bud, and the FCC's taken another small step in that process today with the creation of the "Spectrum Task Force." It sounds like the Task Force's main job is to get the entire agency on the same page with regards to its long-term spectrum planning, ultimately playing "a critical role in the execution of the spectrum recommendations in the National Broadband Plan." In other words, the critical topic of spectrum reallocation isn't going away -- and while Genachowski continues to emphasize his intention to make license sales by TV broadcasters fully voluntary, we could see things starting to get hostile if the broadcast industry's mood doesn't change. Unfortunately, we're not aware of any plans for these guys to actually dress up in SWAT uniforms and ride around on Segways should the need arise. Follow the break for the FCC's full statement.

Continue reading FCC launches Spectrum Task Force, unused frequencies become wanted criminals

FCC launches Spectrum Task Force, unused frequencies become wanted criminals originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile and Clearwire mulling 4G partnership

Vlad Savov — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:53:00 EST

Looks like the kids at T-Mobile USA are well aware that their company's future will depend on offering both compelling handsets and a competitive network for them to ride on. Reuters reports that the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary has been exploring all its options with regard to the provision of 4G services, including potential joint ventures with cable companies and even spectrum sharing with AT&T, though the likeliest candidate for the moment remains Clearwire's WiMAX infrastructure. Asked about a potential merger with Sprint, who controls more than 50 percent of Clearwire, T-Mobile's CEO Robert Dotson declined the idea, explaining that "what you never want to do is take one company that is going through challenges and take another company going through challenges." Reports of ongoing discussions between Clearwire and T-Mo have been around since last September, and the latest from Dotson suggests that his company is keen to get a resolution either way as soon as possible.

T-Mobile and Clearwire mulling 4G partnership originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC National Broadband Plan: some of your favorite ISPs respond

Laura June — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:45:00 EST

Yesterday, the FCC submitted its National Broadband Plan to Congress, essentially requesting that six goals be met over the next decade, including sizzlers like access for "every American" to "robust broadband services,"which apparently equals a minimum of 100 million US homes with "affordable" access to at least 100MBps down / 50Mbps up speeds. Pretty heady stuff, we know. We thought we'd contact a few of your friendly ISPs for comment, and we've got Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon going on record here -- all in all, they're rather predictable 'rah rahs' for the plan, especially considering that whole "affordable" bit. We also threw in part of Google CEO Eric Schmidt's response. The statements are after the break, and hit the source links for the fuller, long-winded versions.

Continue reading FCC National Broadband Plan: some of your favorite ISPs respond

FCC National Broadband Plan: some of your favorite ISPs respond originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC submits National Broadband Plan to Congress: at least 100M US homes with access to 100Mbps download speeds

Ross Miller — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:08:00 EST

Right on schedule, the FCC has submitted its National Broadband Plan. There's a lot to go through -- note the calls for broadband benchmarking and pricing reports -- and we're still combing, but here's what we've noticed so far. The six goals set out for "the next decade" propose that every American have the affordable access (the key, oft-repeated phrase) to "robust broadband services," and, more specifically, at least 100 million US homes with affordable access to at least 100MBps down / 50Mbps up speeds. All communities should have at their disposal 1Gbps service, every first responder should have "access to a nationwide, wireless interoperable broadband public safety network," and here's an interesting one: every citizen should be able to use broadband to "track and manage real-time [home] energy consumption."

The appeal to our taxpaying wallets comes in the form of the FCC expecting the "vast majority of recommendations [to] not require new government funding", and that the 500MHz of spectrum going on auction is "likely to offset the potential costs." The plan, as the paper itself says, is in beta and be perennially in flux. Set aside 15 minutes of your day and hit up the PDF for all the details, or 25 if you're having to download over dial-up.

Update: Here's a friendly reminder to keep the discussion friendly and on topic -- that is, about the broadband proposal itself. All other comments will get deleted and the respective users run the risk of being banned.

FCC submits National Broadband Plan to Congress: at least 100M US homes with access to 100Mbps download speeds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home

Vlad Savov — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST

We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little extra spectrum here, a nice leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also -- more importantly perhaps -- serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It's available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other operating systems coming up, so why not get with the program and give it a test drive?

FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC will consider 'free or very low cost wireless broadband' service

Vlad Savov — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:13:00 EST

Did you know there was a Digital Inclusion Summit going on? We already know the FCC isn't best pleased about the fact 93 million Americans are making do without access to home broadband, and this latest event was an opportunity for it to dish some more info on its forthcoming National Broadband Plan. The major obstacles to broadband adoption identified by the FCC were noted as cost, computer illiteracy, and a sheer lack of awareness about the benefits the web offers (outside of cute kitties). The big Plan will be delivered to Congress a week from today, and its suggestions will include the creation of a Digital Literacy Corps, who'll be performing missionary duties among the unenlightened, and the big whopper: a proposal to "consider use of spectrum for a free or very low cost wireless broadband service." Yeah, if you can't jump over the cost hurdle you might as well eviscerate it from existence. Quite naturally, such radical plans have been met with much grumbling opposition, and Business Week reports that it may be years before the full reforms are implemented ... if at all.

FCC will consider 'free or very low cost wireless broadband' service originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FCC's Genachowski previews broadband plan, demands half gigahertz of spectrum for the task

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:11:00 EST

Time's running out for the FCC to present its National Broadband Plan to Congress next month, a set of sweeping regulatory changes geared at making broadband widely and readily available to every nook and cranny of the country -- and as the day of reckoning draws near, chairman Julius Genachowski is starting to talk specifics about how the Plan's going to look. At a speech hosted by the think tank New America Foundation today, Genachowski revealed a few key initiatives geared overall to reach the goal of reclaiming a whopping 500MHz of spectrum to apply toward wireless broadband data over the coming decade. A big part of that puzzle will be something called the Mobile Future Auction where existing spectrum owners (ahem, TV broadcasters) could be given the opportunity to voluntarily -- emphasis on "voluntarily" -- sell off their airwaves in exchange for a portion of the auction proceeds; it's claimed that as much as $50 billion in value could be "unlocked" by more efficiently using some of this spectrum, where only about half is currently being used in even the most populous markets. They'll also be making some moves to encourage more innovation with unlicensed spectrum -- an area that has already brought about paradigm-shifting technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth at 2.4GHz -- and proposing the launch of a Mobility Fund as part of the Universal Service Fund's reboot to help build out infrastructure in underserved areas. It all sounds ambitious, yes -- but if some of the claims the FCC and others are making about projected wireless data utilization over the next few years are even close to true, drastic action appears to be well-justified.

FCC's Genachowski previews broadband plan, demands half gigahertz of spectrum for the task originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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National Broadband Plan to bring high-speed access to all Americans... ideally

Darren Murph — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:11:00 EST

Hey, what do you know? All those meetings over the proposed National Broadband Plan has amounted to something: a "yeah, we should probably hit this up." Today, the FCC has kicked off an immensely ambitious project to bring "high-speed internet access to every corner of the United States." $7.2 billion of the economic stimulus package has already been allocated for the task, but it'll be ages before anything becomes of this. For starters, the FCC is asking for input from consumers, businesses, etc, yet it doesn't require a response until February of 2010. Meanwhile, nations like South Korea, Japan and Australia are all looking to implement similar rollouts, albeit with much higher speeds. You see, the FCC currently defines "broadband" as 786Kpbs, which obviously isn't anywhere near median rates in some of the aforementioned countries. Pardon our skepticism in this becoming a reality, but at least we'll be extra elated if our rock-bottom expectations are met.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

National Broadband Plan to bring high-speed access to all Americans... ideally originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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