Puerto Rico
Latest
Puerto Rico loses power as Hurricane Fiona brings threat of 'catastrophic' flooding
Almost exactly five years after Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico in the dark, the US territory is once again facing a power crisis.
Puerto Rico is slowly recovering from an island-wide blackout
More than 435,000 customers still lack electricity and it's not clear when service will be fully restored.
Puerto Rico commits $8 million to rebuild Arecibo telescope
Puerto Rico has approved $8 million to help rebuild the Arecibo Observatory telescope, although it will likely need considerably more help.
The Arecibo Observatory's telescope has collapsed
The world-famous Arecibo Observatory has collapsed.
Without the Arecibo telescope, our search for intelligent life is hamstrung
Structural engineers and repair crews have done all that they can but the end result is as we feared: the Arecibo radio telescope has to come down. The venerable space observatory has been out of commission since August when a cable atop Tower 4, which supports the platform, snapped and gutted a 100-foot long section from the telescope’s reflecting dish. At the time, the University of Florida, which runs the facility on behalf of the National Science Foundation, deployed three different engineering teams to investigate the problem.
Arecibo Observatory will be torn down because repairs are too dangerous
After 57 years of helping to expand human knowledge and understanding of the cosmos, the story of Puerto Rico’s world-famous Arecibo Observatory is coming to an unfortunate end.
FCC funding aims to guarantee 100 Mbps internet throughout Puerto Rico
On Monday, the FCC’s Wireless Competition Board announced that newly allocated financing part of Stage Two of the Uniendo a Puerto Rico fund will ensure that every location across Puerto Rico will have access to broadband internet with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps, with one-third of the territory getting 1 Gbps internet. The milestone will come from $127.1 million in funding the FCC will provide over 10 years to two firms: Liberty Communications and Claro Puerto Rico. Of that $127.1 million, $71.54 will go to Liberty Communications, which will take care of connecting 43 of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipios — the equivalent to counties on the mainland.
Recent damage to the Arecibo telescope could keep it offline for months
It could take months to repair Arecibo Observatory, the second-largest radio telescope in the world.
Puerto Rico’s Arecibo radio telescope suffers serious damage
A broken cable damaged the Arecibo Observatory, the second-largest radio telescope in the world.
Facebook's gigabit wireless rolls out in Puerto Rico
Facebook's Terragraph WiFi technology is delivering high-speed broadband to San Juan, Puerto Rico. This week, AeroNet, Puerto Rico's internet service provider, announced a six-month Terragraph pilot meant to deliver reliable, affordable high-speed service. It's now live in and near Plaza de Armas and Plaza San Jose in Old San Juan.
After Math: Stunning figures
The news just wouldn't stop dropping this week. First, Parasite absolutely dominated the Oscars, everyone was convinced Bill Gates bought a hydrogen-powered mega-yacht for a hot second (surprise, he didn't), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political party left the entirety of its voter rolls -- millions of records -- just swinging in the breeze, and the massive $26.5 billion T-mobile/Sprint merger finally got the court's blessing to move ahead. And those were the tame ones! What we've got for you below, hooboy, just some jaw-dropping numbers.
Puerto Rico's government lost $2.6 million to a phishing scam
An email phishing scam duped the government of Puerto Rico into transferring more than $2.6 million into a fraudulent account, The Associated Press reports. A government agency transferred the funds on January 17th, but the incident was just discovered this week. Puerto Rico is working with the FBI to investigate and recover the funds.
FCC approves additional $950 million for broadband in Puerto Rico
The FCC is making good on its plans to further fund Puerto Rican broadband. Commissioners have voted in favor of an additional $950 million to "improve, expand and harden" communications in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Over $500 million of this will go to fixed broadband in Puerto Rico over the next 10 years, while roughly $250 million will go to mobile data over three years. The Virgin Islands will receive $180 million in 10 years for fixed broadband, with another $4 million devoted to mobile.
FCC offers another $950 million for broadband in Puerto Rico
The FCC isn't done funding Puerto Rican broadband in the wakes of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Chairman Ajit Pai has circulated a draft order that would offer another $950 million to "storm-harden, improve and expand" broadband in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Not surprisingly, the FCC is pitching this using the prospect of next-gen internet access as a lure. This would help deploy 5G and gigabit fiber to the territories, the agency said, helping residents "fully participate" in the digita world.
Rivian will repurpose used EV batteries for solar power in Puerto Rico
Rivian is known for pushing the boundaries of battery tech. Not only is the startup working on the first all-electric pickup for the US market, it's also planning "Rivian-to-Rivian" charging, which will allow its vehicles to charge each other, and it designed a camp stove add-on that takes advantage of the EV's battery pack. Now, the company wants to turn its used batteries into an energy storage system for a solar power microgrid in Puerto Rico.
After Math: Starting up, shutting down
While the tech industry focused on all of the new shinies Google unveiled on Wednesday, the rest of the world turned. The Supreme Court shut down Kim Dotcom's attempts to get his millions back, Toys R Us made a last ditch effort to save itself from obscurity, and the FCC finally got around to starting the rebuilding process for Puerto Rico's crippled telephonic infrastructure.
A Mini mindset: how an automaker's Connected platform could spark a seismic shift in infotainment expectations
Mini sold some 66,000 vehicles in the United States last year, and despite being on American soil (in its current incarnation, anyway) for just 13 years, this market has quickly become its biggest. Those drawn to the brand are likely intrigued by, if not outright enamored of, its quirkiness. Mini likes to say that the company is "Not Normal," and it only takes a glance inside its cartoonish Countryman to see what that means. During a recent kickoff event to celebrate the impending launch of its Paceman model, we sought to get beneath the sheet metal and gear ratios, instead looking at the kinds of decisions that impact the marriage of automobiles and technology. Turns out, Johnly Velasquez and Chris Potgieter -- two gentlemen in charge of determining what technology ends up in Mini products -- were more than happy to discuss those nuances. In particular, we discussed how those details relate to the future of its Connected platform, the role that infotainment plays in its entire range of motorcars and the opportunities that lie ahead for Mini to embrace alternative power. Could Mini's prioritization of technology as a pillar of automotive manufacturing influence the entire industry? That's exactly what we'll explore just beyond the break.
Google Maps live traffic updates served up to seven new regions, 19 more get 'expanded coverge'
Ready for yet another dose of news related to Google Maps? The service's live traffic update functionality has been expanded yet again, and now seven more cities including the likes of Mexico City and Greater Johannesburg, South Africa can join in on the action. Better yet, 19 other major areas that already get traffic information are receiving "expanded coverage" for their roads. Naturally, all of the new goods are accessible through Google's various Maps apps by simply enabling the traffic layer. If you're eager to start scouting the traffic flow, you can hit up source link below to find out whether your locale is on the list.
Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 to get limited Latin American release in early 2012
If you're lucky enough to call Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico or Puerto Rico home, and have been craving a bit of Nokia Lumia love, then felicidades! Señor Elop himself announced the 800 and 710 will be lighting up faces in a store near you from Q1 next year. Speaking from Sao Paulo, the Nokia CEO confirmed that both Windows Phone models would get a run out in the above countries, with production taking place in Brazil. Interestingly other large markets, like Argentina and Venezuela, didn't get a name call as one of the lucky countries, but you can bet your bottom peso though it won't be long before this is rectified. Hit up the source link for more info, en Español.
AT&T expanding LTE to 15 markets on November 20th
AT&T started out small, but it made a promise to blanket 15 cities with LTE by the end of the year, and by golly, it's going to keep it. In its press release announcing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9, it also mentioned six additional markets to be graced by the super-fast speeds on November 20th. So by this time next week, customers in Charlotte, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis and San Juan, Puerto Rico will be able to make their HTC Vivid, Jetstream and Samsung Skyrocket go a-blazin'. New York City? Sorry, not this round, but we're making progress. Check out the press release tidbit after the break.
