Thursday, August 23, 2007

Wireless -- With Strings Attached

John E. Wroblewski, Client Business Manager for Software Technology Concepts called our attention to this Wall Street Journal article. The article discusses the very significant pitfalls being encountered by some cities as they pursue various wi-fi strategies. This is pertinent to the Design Nine recommendations in that it illustrates a point Dr. Cohill will concede is a major problem with wi-fi networks, and a major opportunity of fiber to the premise. That is, the wi-fi business model depends on end users signing on to the system for content. The fiber to the premise model earns revenue from the content providers as opposed to the end users.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Twin County Broadband Project - Virginia

Another interesting example of public-private collaboration out of Virginia. The Galax Gazette reports the group working on the Twin County broadband effort will get a letter allowing the project to use the Carroll County Public Service Authority's assets for mounting equipment and providing power. The full news article is available here.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Seattle's Fiber Vision

Interesting editorial from the Seattle Times. Apparently Seattle has been evaluating fiber-to-the-premise solutions in the form of a public-private partnership since, at least, 2004. This writer raises the issue of net neutrality. This concept strikes me as particularly pertinent to the Design Nine recommendations. In effect, the network he proposes would be "metered". That is, a large content provider like a telephone or cable company providing services over the network would be charged more - based on their 'throughput' - than you, me, and other everyday users. This flies in the face of the 'free-for-all' equal access principles upon which many argue the Internet was founded.

Friday, August 10, 2007


Produced by the editors of Broadband Properties and sponsored by the FTTH Council, this primer covers the key economic and technical issues surrounding fiber to the home. It makes clear why FTTH is the only technology that will deliver enough bandwidth, reliably and at a low enough cost, to meet the consumer demands of the next decade. Click here to download the primer in .pdf format.

FCC Commissioner: US playing "Russian roulette with broadband and Internet"

Pretty passionate words for a man a lot of people might regard as a bureaucrat.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps in a speech at the YearlyKos convention is reported to have talked like a "man with a fire in his guts". He said, the state of Internet and broadband access in the US is "so poor that every citizen in the country ought to be outraged."

The Commissioner was expressing his concern regarding "a small number of corporate gatekeepers" who control the public's access to information, an arrangement that threatens to "invert the democratic genius of the Internet."

The Design Nine/Andrew Cohill recommendations for Northwest PA advocate an "open systems" model. One of the key questions we'll need to address is what does "open system" really mean in both the short and long-term.

The full article is available here.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Act would overturn bans on municipal broadband

[Full Article at arstechnica.com] A bill introduced into the House of Representatives this week will attempt to spur broadband development in the US by overturning existing state bans on municipal broadband deployments. Titled the Community Broadband Act of 2007, the bill (PDF) is cosponsored by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).

The Community Broadband Act looks like a good bill, as it attempts to eliminate barriers that currently exist to meaningful competition and better service in many parts of the country. Should the bill pass and the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction end in a way that leads to a viable third broadband pipe, there would be reason to think US broadband policy is taking a turn for the better.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

EarthLink's caution reflects shift in muni Wi-Fi

Since Earthlink reported a $16.3 million second quarter loss last week they've been hinting at re-evaluating the structure their muni wi-fi offerings. Is this an indicator of a particular challenge to regional broadband infrastructure?

I don't think so. Analysts point to the availability of alternative business models (Cohill presents several) and are quick to distinguish between the challenge of competition in urban settings and the opportunity of small and rural town demand for access to broadband.

What do you think?