An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: Australia has declared its national broadband network (NBN) is “built and fully operational,” ending a saga that stretches back to the mid-2000s. Minister for communications, cyber safety and the arts Paul Fletcher declared the build complete in a Wednesday statement that admitted 35,000 premises remain unable to connect to the network, but…
Tag: Broadband access
Verizon Wiring Up 500K Homes With FiOS To Settle Lawsuit
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Verizon has agreed to bring FiOS fiber-to-the-home service to another 500,000 households in New York City by July 2023, settling a lawsuit over Verizon’s failure to wire up the entire city as required in a franchise agreement. “Today’s settlement will ensure that 500,000 households that previously lacked Verizon broadband access because of…
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. From a report: The milestone will come…
Amazon To Invest $10 Billion In Space-Based Internet System
Yesterday, the FCC approved Amazon’s plans for its ambitious Kuiper constellation of 3,236 internet-beaming satellites. We have now learned that Amazon will invest $10 billion into the space-based internet delivery system. From a report: The U.S. tech giant said on Thursday it is moving forward with its Project Kuiper, one of several systems planned to bring internet to customers without land-based…
What We Need Now is ‘Universal Basic Internet’
Yes, economist Tyler Cowen and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov (now the chairman of the nonprofit Renew Democracy Initiative) co-authored an opinion piece this week arguing that Covid-19 “is illustrating that some aspects of a Universal Basic Income may be more necessary and more workable than previously thought. But there is one big piece missing: The economic output required to…
FCC Shuts New York Out of $20 Billion Broadband Fund, and Senators Are Angry
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Federal Communications Commission has unfairly shut New York state out of a planned $20.4 billion broadband-funding program, US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai last week. ISPs in 48 states are eligible for funding in the FCC…
NYC Internet Plan Aims To Provide All New Yorkers With Broadband Access
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: New York City unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to bring universal internet access to its 8.5 million residents by partnering with private internet service providers, a move Mayor Bill de Blasio says will help close the digital divide. The Internet Master Plan would create partnerships between the city and ISPs to facilitate permitting…
SpaceX has packed 60 satellites onto one rocket to advance its big internet plan
SpaceX’s plan to provide broadband access will take a big step forward Thursday night as the Elon Musk-led firm prepares to launch five dozen small satellites on a single rocket. They will eventually become part of a network of potentially thousands of internet-beaming spacecraft. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-05-spacex-satellites-rocket-advance-big.html…
5G May Never Live up to the Hype
To hear wireless carriers tell it, fifth-generation (5G) wireless is going to change the world. Verizon, for example, insists the technology is part of a “fourth industrial revolution” heralding the smart cities of tomorrow. Others have claimed 5G will do everything from revolutionize rural telemedicine to have us all working a 4-day work week in… Continue reading 5G May Never Live up to the Hype