Tag Archives: InternetServiceProviders

The FCC wants ISPs to get permission before sharing your data

Posted on by
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed new rules on Thursday that would require internet service providers like Time Warner and Comcast to disclose how they use customers' personal data, and ask permission before sharing this information with outside orga...

EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX network

Posted on by

EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX networkEarthLink has been laying low since its Philly-wide WiFi project failed all those years ago, but now it's back in the limelight with Clearwire's 4G network under-arm. The companies have struck a deal for EarthLink to access Clearwire's WiMAX infrastructure, initially to offer wireless, in-home broadband. This is expected to launch in early 2013, with mobile and small business markets being future goals. An LTE network is also in the pipeline, don't forget, and when it goes live, EarthLink is likely to expand the agreement to cover it. The ISP is obviously putting its eggs in the 4G basket, because no one wants wires anymore, do they?

Continue reading EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX network

Filed under: , , ,

EarthLink inks deal with Clearwire to use its 4G WiMAX network originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |   | Email this | Comments

Google Fiber pre-registration program closes in the Kansas Cities

Posted on by

Google Fiber pre-registration program closes in the Kansas Cities

Gigabit internet speeds are nothing more than a dream for most of us, but for residents of the Kansas Cities, that reality is not far off. The six-week pre-registration program for Google's Fiber network closed yesterday, and at least 180 of the 202 "fiberhoods" earmarked for the upgrade have met their target. That number could rise when all the late entries have been counted, but we won't know until the complete list of areas drops later this week. If yours doesn't make the cut, it's not all bad news: Google's Jenna Wandres told us that although this initial rollout covers Kansas City, KS, and central Kansas City, MO, Fiber will be expanding north and south of the Missouri side in the future. When pre-registration opens for this second round, the 20-some-odd areas that failed to meet the initial criteria will get a second chance to, so start being extra nice to the neighbors if you want to get them on board.

Unfortunately, we couldn't confirm even a ball park date for the expansion, but for the 180-plus hoods that qualify on this occasion, it's time to get excited. Any RTS gamer will know the value of getting your openers tight, and El Goog's currently compiling a "build order" so the areas that expressed the most interest in Fiber will have it first. According to Jenna, implementation is coming "very soon," so be ready to repress that hysterical scream when you see a Google truck casing your block.

Filed under:

Google Fiber pre-registration program closes in the Kansas Cities originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kansas City Star  |  sourceGoogle  | Email this | Comments

FCC wants to know if it’s too modest about broadband, gives chance to fight caps and slow speeds

Posted on by

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

A common complaint with the FCC's National Broadband Plan is its conservative definition of the broadband in question: many would argue that the 4Mbps baseline is an anachronism in an era of 4G, FiOS and Google Fiber. If you've ever wanted the FCC to up the ante, now's your chance. The regulator wants comments on its definitions of fixed and mobile broadband to gauge whether real-world trends like multi-user streaming video should lead to raised expectations for internet providers. Ever been burnt by a too-low bandwidth cap? It's open season on that area as well, with the FCC asking if it should define a minimum acceptable cap and possibly call for better limits than we see today. We just share GigaOM's wish that we could ask if every cap is even necessary, although the Department of Justice might be answering that for us. Americans have up until September 20th to make their voices heard, so get cracking if you'd like to set a higher bar.

Filed under: , ,

FCC wants to know if it's too modest about broadband, gives chance to fight caps and slow speeds originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

IEEE pushes for Ethernet standard between 400Gbps and 1Tbps, hopes to head off big data crunch

Posted on by

IEEE pushes for Ethernet standard between 400Gbps and 1Tbps, hopes to head off big data crunch

Ethernet might seem passé to those of us toting Ultrabooks, but it's important enough to provoke a crisis for internet providers and many of those who depend on high-speed computing networks for a living: based on the rises of streaming video and social networking, the IEEE is worried that many of those large-scale networks will need 10Tbps of total bandwidth just to avoid a logjam in 2020. To that end, the standards body has formed a Higher-Speed Ethernet Consensus group that's mulling a new, breakneck-speed format reaching either 400Gbps or 1Tbps, depending on whose approach you'd favor. Fight the urge to pick the 1Tbps option on instinct, however. Both options would depend on bonding multiple connections together, and the faster of the two formats could lead to some expensive and very ungainly cables if it's not handled well. A meeting is scheduled for late September in Geneva to at least begin hashing out the details. Although we won't be wiring our homes with terabit Ethernet anytime soon, the standard should come quickly enough that the Googles and Netflixes of the world can satisfy our data addictions for a good while longer.

[Image credit: Justin Marty, Flickr]

Continue reading IEEE pushes for Ethernet standard between 400Gbps and 1Tbps, hopes to head off big data crunch

Filed under:

IEEE pushes for Ethernet standard between 400Gbps and 1Tbps, hopes to head off big data crunch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET, The Verge  |  sourceIEEE  | Email this | Comments

Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure

Posted on by

Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure

A quintet of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation have envisioned a new internet architecture, one where features could be purchased à la carte. The proposed framework would allow users to fine tune their experience by choosing from a variety of connection services. Let's say, for example, that a customer's connection is fine for browsing the web, but it doesn't pass muster for streaming content -- a service dedicated to video delivery could be added to close the gap. "Ultimately, this should make the internet more flexible and efficient, and will drive innovation among service providers to cater to user needs," report co-author Rudra Dutta told The Abstract. A piecemeal next-gen web is no easy feat, however, as it would require revamping the web's infrastructure with new protocols for choosing particular features, completing payments and monitoring network performance. The group's rough blueprint will be presented at a conference next week, but you can thumb through their short paper at the source.

Filed under:

Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Abstract, North Carolina State University  |  sourceSIGCOMM (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps

Posted on by

Avanti launches prepaid, Kaband satellite internet access, wants us Skyping from the Alps

Avanti has been beaming satellite broadband to Europe for awhile, but it's been tied to a subscription through carrier deals. That's a tough sell to customers who, by definition, don't want to be tied to anything -- which is why the company just launched prepaid satellite internet access for the continent. Although the Ka-band service's 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won't have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get. Imagine Skype calls during Swiss ski vacations and you've got the gist of it. Carriers will resell the data in healthy doses of 1GB or larger, and Avanti is adamant that there won't be any nasty throttling surprises waiting in store. While exact prices will depend on partners, the provider isn't waiting for those details before it covers much of the Old World: its upcoming HYLAS 2 satellite (what you see above) will share the speed with Africa, the Caucasus region and the Middle East as of August 2nd, making it almost too easy for us to update Google+ in Georgia.

Filed under: ,

Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechWeek Europe  | Email this | Comments

Calyx Institute to create ISP that keeps customer traffic private, away from prying governmental eyes

Posted on by
Calyx Institute to create an ISP that keeps customer traffic private, away from prying governmental eyesWouldn't it be nice if we were free to surf the web free from fear of having our traffic monitored and emails scraped by the NSA? Well, if Nicholas Merrill has his way, we won't have to rely on anonymous browsers or proxy servers -- we'll have a new ISP built from the ground up to protect customer privacy. A non-profit, the Calyx Institute, will run the ISP that'll employ end-to-end encryption on web traffic, plus encrypted emails to prevent anyone other than the user, including the ISP itself, from seeing people's internet activity. Because of this structure, Calyx, quite literally, won't be able to comply with governmental requests to obtain customer traffic data under the Patriot or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Acts. The best part is, such online privacy may cost as little as $20 a month, and Merrill has hopes to provide a similarly secure VoIP service at some point as well. Of course, the venture will only be possible if Merrill can raise the $2 million needed to get it going -- which is why he's pitching the idea to venture capitalists in Silicon Valley and the general public through crowd-sourced funding site IndieGogo. Want to help out? Hit the source below to make a donation.

Calyx Institute to create ISP that keeps customer traffic private, away from prying governmental eyes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceIndieGogo, Calyx Institute  | Email this | Comments