[Cybertel-Ann] 3.5.8 :: Drivel and Twaddle :: Land of the Free & Blocked Domains :: More on FCC at Harvard :: Licking the Future :: The Power of Judicial Oversight ::

Wed Mar 5 07:11:48 PST 2008

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"The problem with the current ISP model is it is like
an all you can eat buffet, where one in 10 customers
eats all the food, one in 100 takes his chair home
too, and one in 1,000 unscrews all the fixtures and
fittings and loads them into a van as well." Telco 2.0

New Pittsburgh partner offers Wi-Fi for free, Muni
The partnership that sponsors Pittsburgh’s downtown
Wi-Fi network has a new three-year contract with a new
operating partner who isn’t charging it a dime for
service.  The good news for Pittsburgh residents came
last week when aspStation formally announced the
contract it signed with the partnership in January.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/muniwireless/~3/244968303/
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/muni.htm

HughesNet Users Report Massive Peak Congestion
Problems - Already poorly reviewed satellite broadband
service getting worse?, dslreports
Caps and traffic throttling are a major reason why the
reviews for satellite broadband provider HughesNet are
so painfully mediocre. HughesNet customers who exceed
the company's daily, rolling bandwidth caps (aka "the
FAP"), which range from 200MB to 1250MB depending on
tier) find their connections throttled for 24 hours to
speeds easily bested by rural American dial-up --
circa 1995 (users say around 7-14kbps).
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/HughesNet-Users-Report-Massive-Peak-Congestion-Problems-92360
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/satellite.htm

Part 3: Where We Explore Some Philosophy of Law Drivel
That Supports this Twaddle, Cybertelecom
In Episode One, A New Dope, we explored how Part 15
spectrum is an unlicensed commons that cannot be
stolen, and how WiFi is a protocol designed to operate
in the commons and it itself (as a protocol) can also
not be stolen. In Episode Two, The Lawyers Strike
Back, we explored how, where a commons property is
proximate to another property, it is incumbent on the
owner of the proximate property
http://cybertelecom.blogspot.com/2008/03/part-3-where-we-explore-some-philosophy.html
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wifi.htm

Domains Blocked By US Treasury 'Blacklist', Slahsdot
yuna49 writes "Adam Liptak of the New York Times
reports today about the plight of a Spanish tour
operator whose domain names have been embargoed by his
domain name registrar (eNom). They pulled his domains
after they discovered the tour operator's name on a US
Treasury blacklist. It turns out he packages tours to
Cuba largely for European tourists who can legally
travel there, unlike Americans. The article cites 'a
press release issued in December 2004, almost three
years before eNom acted. It said Mr. Marshall's
company had helped Americans evade restrictions on
travel to Cuba
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotYourRightsOnline/~3/245798642/article.pl
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/cda/firsta.htm

Rep. Markey’s Wireless Investment Prohibition Act,
Tech Liberation Front
Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass) has introduced
legislation aimed at ridding the cell phone world of
the much criticized practicies of phone subsidies,
long-term contracts, and termination fees. In the name
of contract "consistency" Markey's bill mandates that
cell companies offer alternative plans that contain no
subsidy for the handset and plans that offer
month-to-month service.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techliberation/~3/245650586/043418.php
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/cpe.htm

Former FCC Boss On Comcast Traffic Shaping - If we had
the network capacity & competition, this wouldn't be
an issue
, dslreports
Former FCC boss Reed Hundt talks to Telephony Online
about the FCC's 700Mhz auction, expanding the USF to
cover broadband deployment, the controversy over baby
bell wiretap immunity, and other industry topics.
Hundt, who is pushing (so far unsuccessfully) for a
national emergency broadband network at the behest of
Frontline Wireless, takes a shot at the current FCC
and complains about a lack of any comprehensive
national broadband policy:
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Former-FCC-Boss-On-Comcast-Traffic-Shaping-92263
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

EFF to FCC: "Reasonable Network Management" Requires
Transparency, EFF
In response to the FCC's inquiry into Comcast's
interference with BitTorrent traffic, EFF filed
comments yesterday urging the FCC to make it clear
that ISPs must, at a minimum, adequately disclose
their "network management" practices before they can
hide behind the excuse of "reasonable network
management."
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/02/eff-fcc-reasonable-network-management-requires-transparency
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

The FCC’s Prize Fight: Net Neutrality vs. Smart
Networks, Hands off the Internet
Yesterday HOTI filed its FCC reply comments (PDF) on
the Vuze petition. A tip of our hat and a case of Diet
Coke to our Legal Eagles, who read through virtually
all the filings in the Vuze matter. Their conclusions:
http://handsoff.org/blog/net-neutrality/the-fcc%e2%80%99s-prize-fight-net-neutrality-vs-smart-networks/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutral.htm

When 'Civil Rights Groups' Become Paid ISP Lobbyists -
And the technology press doesn't notice
, dslreports
One of the most effective ways the phone companies
have gotten what they want politically over the years
is to fake the fact that they have consumer support.
This is done via PR, farmed think tank science, hired
bloggers (who don't allow comments), fake consumer
groups and astroturf (fake grass roots) campaigns.
Such efforts can make it appear that anti-consumer
positions -- such as cherry picking broadband
deployment or elimination of consumer protection laws
-- have broad consumer support
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/When-Civil-Rights-Groups-Become-Paid-ISP-Lobbyists-92323
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutralp2p.htm

FCC: No plans for a Comcast-BitTorrent hearing at
Stanford, CNET
Chairman Kevin Martin dismisses rumors that a formal
FCC public hearing at Stanford University is in the
works, saying he's merely giving a speech there later
this week.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9885394-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutralp2p.htm

The Boston Tea Leaf Party, Tales from the Sausage
Factory
Those interested in a great eye witness account of
what happened at the FCC hearing in Boston on February
25 should read fellow Wetmachiner John Sundman's piece
on the part he saw (including the reception
afterwards). But after listening to the F...
http://www.wetmachine.com/item/1086
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutralp2p.htm

More good stuff from FCC at Harvard, Isen.blog
John Sundman has a great eyewitness account of the
FCC's history-making hearing at Harvard, and Harold
Feld has a detailed analysis of it. Both are at
Wetmachine.
http://isen.com/blog/2008/03/more-good-stuff-from-fccharvard.html
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/ci/neutralp2p.htm

U.S. Eighth in FTTH Deployment - 2.3% of homes now
have FTTH
, dslreports
The Fiber To The Home Council, a group of companies
with an obvious interest in seeing a serious ramp-up
in FTTH deployments, has released their list of the
top FTTH markets worldwide. The list, which ranks the
economies with the highest penetration of FTTH
deployments, puts the United States eighth at 2.3%
(obviously the majority of that deployment coming from
Verizon). Asia-Pac of course continues to be the
fastest growing region for FTTH deployment in the
world.
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/US-Eighth-in-FTTH-Deployment-92345
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/broadband.htm

Mobile broadband use jumps 154 percent, CNET
American workers apparently are getting more
comfortable accessing the Web via their cell phones
and PDAs.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9885931-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/broadband.htm

Number of U.S. Computers Accessing the Internet Via
Mobile Broadband Soars 154 Percent in 2007, comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring
the digital world, today released the results of a
study of U.S. Internet usage via mobile broadband. The
study examined the usage and characteristics of mobile
broadband users through data collected from computers
where Internet access via mobile broadband Internet
service providers (ISPs) occurred. Mobile broadband
employs cellular networks, where users pay
subscriptions for access and the connection is made
with a PC card, built-in adapter, or connections can
be tethered via a cell-phone or PDA,
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/comscore/~3/245598972/release.asp
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/broadband.htm

Don’t Register Your Domain in the U.S. if it’s
Controversial, CircleID
In the news lately have been a number of incidents
where U.S. courts, or the U.S. government itself has
ordered domain registrars to shut down free speech.
First was the E360 vs Spamhaus case, in which accused
spammer E360 Insight sued anti-spam organization
Spamhaus for labeling them as spammers and won by
default when Spamhaus insisted that U.S. courts did
not have jurisdiction over them in England and didn't
appear. Unfortunately, U.S. courts did have
jurisdiction over Spamhaus' domain registrar, who was
nearly ordered to shut Spamhaus down (a court order
was under consideration).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/83420_controversial_domain_names/
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/

Comcast pegs Outrage-ometer, Isen.blog
Last Summer, Comcast started charging customers in
many markets an additional $1.99 fee if they wanted to
pay their bill at the local Comcast office. Last
January, they started charging users $4 if they wanted
to speak to a live human being on the phone to pay
their bill. Now, the Consumerist claims they've found
another way to make a profit: charging users a $1.99
"change of service" fee if you want the company to
stop sending you junk mail . . .
http://isen.com/blog/2008/02/comcast-pegs-outrage-ometer.html
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/comcast.htm

FiOS Users Not Getting Promised Free TVs - 19 inch
sets getting lost in the bureaucratic jungle
,
dslreports
If you recall, Verizon has been offering new FiOS
users a free 19" LCD HD set should they sign up for a
new service bundle. Given Verizon's FiOS billing
problems, it wasn't too surprising to see our users
complaining that the process of actually getting the
television wasn't a smooth one. This is how it was
supposed to work:
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FiOS-Users-Not-Getting-Promised-Free-TVs-92336
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/verizon.htm

Vonage invests nearly $1.4m on lobbying, America's
Network
Internet phone company Vonage spent nearly $1.4
million to lobby the federal government in 2007, an
Associated Press report said.
http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/Daily+News/Vonage-invests-nearly-14m-on-lobbying/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/500022?ref=25
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/industry/vonage.htm

On a Licklider anniversary, can we guess at tech's
likely future?, CNET
J.C.R. Licklider wrote a seminal paper on the history
of technology 48 years ago this month. What might a
current-day Licklider say about tech's future 48 years
hence?
http://www.news.com/8301-10787_3-9883793-60.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/internet_history.htm

Spy law battle may be settled this week, CNET
House Democratic leaders say they're readying a
"compromise" on what to do about immunizing telephone
companies from lawsuits alleging illegal
eavesdropping.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9884458-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/fisa.htm

Five of Thousands: Requests FISA Court Rejected,
Peerflow
This is what the supporters of retroactive immunity
think wasn't sufficient: EPIC compiled a table of FISA
Court cases. From 1979 through 2006, FISC heard
thousands of cases and rejected only 5.
http://riskman.typepad.com/peerflow/2008/03/five-of-thousan.html
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/fisa.htm

Customers Lose VoIP Numbers to Slamming - Vonage,
Packet8 customers are not pleased, dslreports
It s been reported again and again that Vonage makes
it difficult for customers to cancel their VoIP
service once they ve signed up. However, recent cases
are pointing to the fact that people who don t even
sign up for Vonage service are having difficulties
with the company. Russell Shaw at ZDNet has been
reporting on just such a case this week in which
Vonage managed to assign a Packet8 VoIP customer s
phone number to one of Vonage s new subscribers. This
left the Packet8 subscriber without phone service
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Customers-Lose-VoIP-Numbers-to-Slamming-92296
More Info:
http://www.cybertelecom.org/voip/numbers.htm

In tech support, Obama bests Clinton, CNET
Hillary Clinton, who has spent years wooing technology
firms, gets upstaged by newcomer Barack Obama--who
began his Senate career by complaining that airline
pilot uniforms were available for purchase over the
Internet.
http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9886171-38.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/vote/

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