New York ramping up for broadband

Ramping city up for broadband

December 19, 2005

A political push to broaden the use of broadband - by making high-speed Internet lines cheaper and more accessible - should gain a bit of ground this week.

In one of its last acts under Speaker Gifford Miller, the City Council on Wednesday is expected to approve a bill creating a new 15-member "broadband advisory committee."

Sponsor Gale A. Brewer (D-Manhattan), who chairs the Council's technology committee, considers it a populist calling for government to prod or provide more equal Internet access. She's held a dozen hearings in the past two years and sees the new body as the next step. "The gap between those who can afford broadband and those who cannot persists," Brewer says in a report she co-authored with her top aide Bruce Lai, "despite growth in the availability of broadband connections."

Census data show that more than half the U.S. households with annual incomes above $100,000 have broadband while more than two thirds of those who earn less than $100,000 do not.

Philadelphia, Atlanta and San Francisco are carrying out plans for wireless broadband networks, note Brewer and Lai. Smaller cities such as Spokane, Wash. and Corpus Christi, Texas already created them.

For more information click here.

Microsoft: jumping into the VoIP fray

Microsoft has announced plans to release its first beta version of Live Messenger with VoIP

Microsoft has staked a claim in the US VoIP market by announcing its software users can soon make Internet calls to standard phones thanks to a new partnership with MCI. Although rival products from the likes of Yahoo and Skype offer extra features, given Microsoft's broad market reach elsewhere and its alliance with MCI, this should not affect the company's foray into VoIP in the longer term.

The MCI Web Calling for Windows Live service will be available in the first half of 2006. Essentially, it combines MCI's existing VoIP offerings with Microsoft software.

The service will be available via Windows Live Messenger, the upcoming successor to Microsoft's existing instant messaging (IM) service. At 2.3 cents per minute, it will undercut rates from MCI, which is being acquired by Verizon Communications.

Yahoo! targets! Skype! with! improved! VoIP! offer!

Fab! tastic!
By Tim Richardson

Yahoo! is adding more features to its existing VoIP service in a bid to gain a bigger of the rapidly growing broadband telephony market.

A new version of Yahoo!'s Messenger service is due to be released soon that will enable users to make broadband calls that are reportedly cheaper than those on offer by VoIP giant Skype.

Click here for the complete story.

Verizon fighting for piece of cable market

By MARY ANN D'URSO

BRIDGEWATER -- Already a giant in the telephone, wireless and DSL markets, Verizon wants to deliver cable television service to customers, too -- which puts it at odds with New Jersey's cable TV giants, including Cablevision and Comcast.

Consumers in a growing number of New Jersey towns can already sign up for Verizon's FiOS service, which uses a new fiber optic network instead of a regular telephone line. It features high-speed Internet access that is faster than its own DSL connection.

But before the company can "switch on" cable and other interactive video services, it wants to change New Jersey's cable franchise rules, which require cable operators to negotiate agreements with individual towns. Such a process could take years, said Dennis Bone, Verizon New Jersey president, delaying competition in what is now a cable industry monopoly.

Verizon is lobbying for a new law that would make a single cable agreement good for the entire state.

Trolltech Launches First Linux-based VoIP Framework for Handheld Devices

Trolltech, provider of leading technologies that make advanced software faster to build and easier to use, today released Qtopia Phone Edition 2.2, the first Linux-based Voice over IP (VoIP) software solution for mobile and wireless phones and converged media devices. Qtopia Phone 2.2, the latest version of Trolltech's application platform for Linux devices, also features performance improvements and enhanced user interface, multimedia and internationalization functionality.

Click here for the complete story.

Apple releases Broadband Tuner 1.0

By Peter Cohen pcohen@maccentral.com

Apple has released Broadband Tuner v1.0, a utility that tweaks the system parameters of Macs with very high speed Internet connections — 5 Mbps or faster.

Broadband Tuner changes the default values for the size of the TCP send and receive buffers used by Mac OS X, according to Apple. “With larger buffers more data can be in transit at once,” said Apple. “A startup configuration file is also updated so that these changes will persist across restarts.”

An optional uninstaller can be used to restore the system settings that were in effect before the parameters were changed. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.4 or later.

Case study: Broadband — a therapy for retail

There are some businesspeople who question what broadband can possibly do for them, but Mark Gould is not one of them. The managing director of Hughes & Hughes has witnessed the dramatic impact it has had on his retail operation in the past two years.

The bookseller — which has 180 employees and 15 branches across the country — has always prided itself on its customer service. In the past, if a customer couldn’t find the book they wanted, staff would search a CD-Rom-based book database, a fresh version of which was supplied by Hughes & Hughes’ book distributor on a monthly basis. When the internet came along, staff were able to dial up and connect over the web direct to the distributor’s online catalogue. The change was very welcome from a customer service viewpoint, but it had its drawbacks.

Click here for the full story.

America Online, IAC, Hearst Corp., and Allen & Company Lead $16 Million Investment in Brightcove

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- AOL and Brightcove Sign Video Content Distribution Agreement; Barry Diller Joins Brightcove Board of Directors

Brightcove, an Internet TV pioneer, today announced the completion of a major strategic financing round, a groundbreaking video content distribution partnership with AOL, and the appointment of Barry Diller, Chairman and CEO of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Chairman of Expedia, Inc., to the Brightcove Board of Directors.

AOL (NYSE:TWX), IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq:IACI), Hearst Corporation, and Allen & Company LLC have joined with existing Brightcove investors Accel Partners and General Catalyst Partners to invest $16.2 million in Brightcove. The investments complete a Series B financing round that will fuel the company's growth and the launch of its products and services.

In a separate industry milestone, Brightcove signed a significant and innovative content distribution agreement with AOL.

"We are thrilled to get both the backing of such a strong group of strategic investors and a major distribution agreement with AOL," said Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove Chairman and CEO. "The opportunities these investors bring to Brightcove, combined with the relationships we are already developing, put us in an incredible position to deliver our open Internet TV service and realize our mission to transform the media landscape by enabling video publishers to build broadband businesses that reach consumers directly through the Internet."

Internet pioneer sounds alarm on threats to broadband

By Mark Cooper

As Vinton Cerf, ``the father of the Internet,'' accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House last week, at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held hearings on a bill -- an update of the 1996 Telecommunications Act -- that stands to dramatically transform the information superhighway.

Click here for the complete story.

Warner units to offer TV shows online

By David B. Wilkerson & Alan Doyle, MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Two Time Warner Inc. units plan to counter TV networks' video on demand by offering vintage television programs such as "Welcome Back, Kotter" free over the Internet, the company said.

Beginning in January, In2TV plans to offer 300 episodes per month and about 100 shows in the first year on six channels ranging from comedy to drama, and Warner Bros. has cleared 300 series, or about 14,000 individual episodes, for use on the service, including a diverse range of programs including "The FBI," Eight Is Enough," "Growing Pains," "Chico and the Man," "V" and "Head of the Class."

The 30-minute shows will include up to two minutes' worth of 15-second commercials that viewers can't circumvent, America Online said.

In the latest reflection of industry-wide concerns about digital piracy, the service won't allow viewers to record shows.

The move is part of its effort to transition AOL from a dialup service to the portal-based model, taking advantage of both the increased penetration of high-speed Internet connections and rising online-advertising revenues.

XO Communications Announces Agreement to Create National Fixed Broadband Wireless Company

11/11/05 - XO Communications, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: XOCM.OB) announced an agreement that will create a leading provider of fixed broadband wireless services to businesses and service providers. In order to create and finance the fixed wireless business, XO will sell its national wireline telecommunications business for $700 million in cash. Following the sale, the Company will retain its fixed broadband wireless spectrum assets and be uniquely positioned to be a leading provider of fixed broadband wireless services nationally as one of the largest holders of fixed wireless licenses in the 28 GHz-31 GHz spectrum range covering more than 70 U.S. major metropolitan markets.

Click here for the entire story.

Less VoIP May Be More When It Comes to Click-To-Call Ads

By Robert Poe

It's no secret that the big Web portals consider voice over IP a key ingredient in the mix of e-mail, instant messaging and other services they're offering visitors to their sites. The mystery is how exactly they expect to make money from it. One clue to their thinking is scheduled to surface soon, with the expected announcement of a big-name customer for eStara's click-to-call VoIP software. The software and other eStara products make it possible for advertisers to know exactly how many customers contacted them by phone in response to a specific Web ad.

Click here for the entire story.

The Changing Face Of The Internet

You may have missed it this week. In the dead middle of a Business Week interview with SBC chief Edward Whitacre is a comment that foretells the future of broadband. At least, the future incumbent broadband providers are planning for. But it’s not a pretty picture for the rest of us.

When asked whether he was concerned about Google, MSN, Vonage, and other companies' plans to get into broadband services, the CEO of the telco giant let slip his plans to create a "walled garden" where your freedom to surf is sacrificed at the altar of SBC profits:

How do you think they’re going to get to customers? Through a broadband pipe. Cable companies have them. We have them. Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain’t going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it. So there’s going to have to be some mechanism for these people who use these pipes to pay for the portion they’re using. Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?

The internet can’t be free in that sense, because we and the cable companies have made an investment and for a Google or Yahoo! or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes [for] free is nuts!

Americans take for granted the diversity of information and services they find at the click of a mouse.

Legal Music Downloads Rising with Broadband and MP3 Player Adoption

Broadband households in Europe and North America will re-shape the distribution of recorded music over the next five years, according to Martin Olausson, a Senior Analyst at Strategy Analtyics. His latest research shows broadband households will spend billions of dollars through 2010 to download music from sources like Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store, RealNetworks' Rhapsody, Napster, Yahoo and a hoard of Internet service providers.

According to a new report from the Strategy Analytics Broadband Media and Communications service, broadband users in these regions will spend over a billion dollars on online music this year, with sales expected to reach $4.5 billion by 2010. This figure will represent nearly 16 percent of total sales, up from less than two percent in 2004.

Click here for the complete story.

Apple Launches The New iPod

Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Then podcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you experience your music and more. Again. In lighter, thinner 30GB and 60GB models starting at $299, the new iPod is music to your eyes.

Click here for more info.

Broadband National Awarded Exclusive Affiliate Rights

Broadband National has been awarded the exclusive affiliate rights to market broadband services from SBC Communications, Comcast, Qwest and Covad. To market these products Broadband National utilizes a "Private Label Program". This programs promote services via a private label website that maintains the look and feel of the providers website. Customers will view broadband services as an extension of current products in a seamless web environment. Broadband National creates a private label site with Logo and content consistent with the providers website. In addition, Broadband National provides an affiliate ID and tracking mechanisms in order to manage all inquiries and orders provided by Private Label customers. To view some examples of Private Label Programs that we have produced visit comcastspecial.com, sbcyahoospecial.com, or qwestspecial.com.

Broadband National Appoints David Wilcox As Chief Technology Officer

Broadband National today announced the appointment of David Wilcox as Chief Technology Officer. Wilcox is responsible for directing the development and management of Broadband Nationals technology infrastructure. This includes BBN’s software development and data center operations.

Prior to joining BN, Wilcox served as CIO for Integrated Physician Solutions (IPS) from 1999-2005. He also was the concept development lead and architect of IPS’s web based healthcare ASP business. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri.

Broadband National and CBIZ Team to Offer Broadband Solutions for Managed Services

Broadband National LLC., the leading online retailer of consumer and commercial broadband services, today announced a partnership with CBIZ allowing CBIZ's team of technology advisors and customer support specialists to utilize Broadband National's proprietary Integrated Broadband Information System (IBIS) technology.

Click here for the complete story.

INDIA - Hole in the Wall

A billion people live in India -- one of every six on the planet. Half of them are illiterate. Only one in four has access to adequate sanitation. Some 350 million Indians live on less than a dollar a day. Yet India is also home to some of the world's most advanced high-technology firms, and New Delhi is Silicon Valley East.

Several years ago, a computer scientist, Dr. Sugata Mitra, had an idea. What would happen if he could provide poor children with free, unlimited access to computers and the Internet? Mitra launched what came to be known as the hole in the wall experiment. FRONTLINE/World producer Rory O'Connor first encountered Dr. Mitra and his experiment while directing a film on global poverty.

Speed Test Reposted

Click here to quickly check your bandwidth speed.

Inexpensive MP3

Take up to 50 music titles anywhere you go with this MP3 player from Broadband National. It comes with 128MB Flash Drive and supports WMA and MP3 and all for low low price of just $39.99. Click here for details.

FCC Requires Certain Broadband and VoIP Providers to Accommodate Wiretaps

Washington, D.C. – Responding to a petition from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FCC Commission determined that providers of certain broadband and interconnected voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services must be prepared to accommodate law enforcement wiretaps, the Federal Communications Commission ruled yesterday.

Free 30 Day Trial To 1,500 Digital Videos

More than 1,500 titles with TotalVid Pass. Get hundreds of high quality, digital downloads available. From surfing, skateboarding, to travel, home improvement, or anime, TotalVid offers a huge selection to help you find the content you crave.

You get instant access with TotalVid downloads, you are always just minutes away from watching top videos. To avoid being charged after your trial, simply cancel your account before the trial ends. If you are enjoying TotalVid, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue on the plan you have selected for as long as you choose to remain a member.

Click here for details

Katrina photos, are they real?

A friend of mine sent me this photo and more of hurricane Katrina coming ashore in near New Orleans. There are several others in this series. All equally impressive. I don't know if they are real or not.

AOL And VoIP

Time Warner Inc. said on Tuesday its America Online Inc. unit would introduce a new VoIP service called TotalTalk early next month.

VoIP allows customers to use their high-speed Internet connection instead of traditional landlines to make telephone calls. AOL said its TotalTalk service may lead to savings of up to 40 percent on monthly bills.

It said it would begin the roll out of the new service on October 4.

AOL The Next Vonage?

"Excerpt From Red Herring Magazine Online"

Portal players have taken off the gloves in the wake of eBay’s announced purchase of Skype. One report on Thursday had Time Warner and Microsoft in “advanced discussions” on a merger of AOL and MSN. Another has AOL unveiling the VoIP product at next week’s Voice On the Net (VON) Coalition conference in Boston.

According to the web publication Light Reading, AOL, which was one of the first web portal companies to dabble in VoIP, is getting set to launch a full-service VoIP product that will not require AOL membership or AOL’s software client. It will be a full-blown VoIP service, much like Vonage’s, that will be available to consumers across the United States.

Also, the New York Post cites two unnamed sources that claimed Microsoft is proposing a deal in which it would pay Time Warner for a stake in AOL, after which the two companies will create a joint venture that will merge the portal efforts of AOL and MSN.

Vonage IPO?

It's inevitable that Vonage will go public. Most predict that it'll happen before the end of the year. Others predict that it will be received with the same gusto as the Google IPO. Are you ready to buy into the Vonage dream? I for one don't want to miss out on another possible Google type rise. But lets face it they have some serious dogs biting at their heels. AT&T soon to be SBC and Time Warner and Cablevision to name just a few. Not to mention that their market share has recently been cut in half.

So do you roll the dice with Vonage or play it safe with SBC? After all it's only money.a

eBay to acquire Skype?

At first I was a little confused as to why eBay would want to acquire a company like Skype. But after further review it seems to make pretty good sense.

By acquiring Skype, eBay could set itself apart by exclusively offering Skype's low-cost voice services to customers. Skype's trademark computer-to-computer calling would let eBay's buyers talk directly with sellers, and customers could also use the technology to take part in auctions live, calling out bids vocally.

eBay also may have grander ambitions than remaining an online marketplace. The deal would help eBay offer services that could pluck customers from Web giants such as Google and Yahoo, which are pursuing their own Net-phone plans.

Microsoft Acquires Teleo.

Microsoft recently announced it has acquired Teleo Inc. Teleo is a provider of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) software and services. Teleo is privately owned, founded in 2003 and headquartered in San Francisco. The company’s software allows PCs to make phone calls to cell phones, regular phones or other PCs.

VoIP technology is already featured in MSN Messenger as well as other Microsoft products and services. Microsoft plans to incorporate and expand upon Teleo technologies.

Picking Up the iPhone Buzz

Apple and Motorola may soon unveil their long-awaited iTunes cell phone, but the device is facing a slew of rival mobile music options

Apple Computer's cryptic announcement that it's holding an "invitation-only event" in San Francisco on Sept. 7 has rekindled media buzz around the computer maker's planned release of a music-playing mobile phone, developed in conjunction with Motorola. Apple (AAPL ) and Motorola (MOT ) are mum on the event's agenda, yet there's little doubt that this long-awaited device is enormously important to both companies. Jupiter Research estimates the number of wireless phones that support music will surge to more than 70 million by 2010, surpassing the number of portable MP3 players. In fact, sales of digital music players, including music-ready phones, will break the 35 million-unit mark by the end of the year, the researcher says, citing a recent market study.

What's less clear: How much of a breakthrough is the Motorola iTunes phone, and will it be a hit with consumers?

This is great news unless you live where I do. I can almost hear the sound of cars slamming into one another as all the idiots are talking on cells phones with ear plugs listening to the Black Eyed Peas.

10 Worst Album Covers Of All Time

Click here for the 10 worst and I mean worst album covers of all times.

Speed Test Reposted

Click here to quickly check your bandwidth speed.

Cable TV Forum

Line-Man.com is a community for a lineman to learn more about his/her career. They give special focus to the jobs, events, rodeo's , tools and equipment resources for the utility industry...

Woman Gets Cable Bill With Derogatory Name

CHICAGO - LaChania Govan said she got bounced around by her cable company when she called to complain. She made dozens of calls and was even transferred to a person who spoke Spanish — a language she doesn't understand.

But when she got her August bill from Comcast she had no trouble understanding she'd made somebody mad. It was addressed to "Bitch Dog."

"I was like you got to be freaking kidding me," said Govan, 25. "I was so mad I couldn't even cuss."

More

Broadband Humor

Warning! Broadband Needed

Best Beer Commercial

Broadband National, Inc. Appoints Allen Hurst As Director of Partner Relations

Broadband National today announced the appointment of Allen Hurst as Director of Partner Relations. Allen is a veteran of the telecommunication industry having over 20 years in marketing, sales and sales management roles.

Broadband National, Inc. Appoints Allen Hurst As Director of Partner Relations
Vero Beach, FL, August 10, 2005 --(PR.COM)-- Broadband National today announced the appointment of Allen Hurst as Director of Partner Relations. Allen is a veteran of the telecommunication industry having over 20 years in marketing, sales and sales management roles.

What if Google wanted to give Wi-Fi access to everyone in America?

And what if it had technology capable of targeting advertising to a user’s precise location? The gatekeeper of the world’s information could become one of the globe’s biggest Internet providers and one of its most powerful ad sellers, basically supplanting telecoms in one fell swoop. Sounds crazy, but how might Google go about it?

For more information click here.

Average American watches TV 14 hours a week, broadband American - 12 hours a week

Broadband Internet surfers in North America watch 2 fewer hours of television per week than do those without Internet access, while those using a dial-up connection watch 1.5 fewer hours of TV, Forrester Research says. Broadband Internet users watch just 12 hours of TV per week, compared with 14 hours for those who are offline. Forrester also predicts that the number of broadband households in the US, which already soared to 31 mln at the end of last year from 2.6 mln in 1999, will swell to 71.4 mln by 2010.

FCC Eliminates Mandated Sharing Requirement on Incumbents' Wireline Broadband Internet Access Services

The Federal Communications Commission last Friday adopted policies that will bring more and better broadband services to consumers by eliminating facilities-sharing requirements on facilities-based wireline broadband Internet access service providers.

The changes will enable wireline broadband Internet access providers to respond quickly to consumer demand with efficient, innovative services and spur more vigorous head-to-head competition with broadband services provided over other platforms. The Commission's action responds to market and technological changes marked by growth in the use of the Internet for communications and the availability of Internet service from multiple broadband pipelines, including cable, wireless, satellite and power-line networks.

Speed Test

Click here to quickly check your bandwidth speed.

2005 King Kong Remake

How many times has this movie been made? This new one due out in 2005 looks like it might be pretty good.
Check out the trailer by clicking here. You'll need a high speed connection to view it.

FCC may ease rules on phone broadband

Federal regulators could decide as early as today to ease regulation of phone companies' high-speed Internet services, a decision that could reshape the landscape of broadband access.

Supporters say the change will speed the spread of high-speed service and shrink consumer broadband bills, but the eventual result is uncertain. A world of fewer independent Internet providers, where cable firms and the regional Bells increasingly fight head-to-head for customers, seems likely.

Consumer groups worry that the decision will lead to higher prices, less financing for rural communications and possibly phone and cable companies' narrowing public access to Internet content.

About Broadband National

Broadband National the host of this Blog is the leading comparative shopping service for broadband related products and services to consumers and businesses nationwide. Our strategic partnerships with broadband providers, currently 50+ (SBC, Qwest, ACC/ATT, Comcast, Covad, and Vonage to name just a few), ensures the most comprehensive comparative analysis and subsequent informed purchase in the industry. Our customer retains the relationship with local, regional, and national providers with comparative information available in less than 10 seconds. .

Atom Films

Thanks to "sneaky" for turning me on to this website. It's called Atom Films. They have very cool short films that you can view for free. A broadband connection is a must.

Welcome To Blogband National

This blog is designed to be informative and fun at the same time. We will be posting what we think is important information regarding Broadband and VoIP technology. We invite you to join and contribute.