June 2009

California Emerging Technology Fund aims to promote Internet access

About half of California's low-income households have no Internet access, the California Emerging Technology Fund says, creating a gap that the nonprofit is hoping to close with its $1.5-million Get Connected campaign debuting today. The nonprofit is hoping to increase the number of broadband Internet users in communities such as South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, where the first of several community fairs will be held Saturday. In its arsenal are Get Connected print, radio and TV ads, community fairs, a special website and outreach through neighborhood centers. Financial constraints and a misunderstanding of technology are the major factors causing this "digital divide," said Sunne Wright McPeak, the fund's chief executive.

Report: kids' use of tech growing exponentially

Kids these days have it all—their own laptops, cell phones, music players, and even digital cameras. A new report from the NPD Group says that use of these devices has grown by an "impressive" rate among 4 to 14 year olds, and that their usage is even changing over time as technology matures.

The Social Life of Health Information

Americans' pursuit of health takes place within a widening network of both online and offline sources. Whereas someone may have in the past called a health professional, their Mom, or a good friend, they now are also reading blogs, listening to podcasts, updating their social network profile, and posting comments. And many people, once they find health information online, talk with someone about it offline. This Pew Internet/California HealthCare survey finds that technology is not an end, but a means to accelerate the pace of discovery, widen social networks, and sharpen the questions someone might ask when they do get to talk to a health professional. Technology can help to enable the human connection in health care and the Internet is turning up the information network's volume.

Broadband Deployment Plan Should Include Performance Goals and Measures

This congressionally requested report discusses 1) the federal broadband deployment policy, principal federal programs, and stakeholders' views of those programs; 2) how the policies of OECD nations with higher subscribership rates compare with US policy; and 3) actions the states have taken to encourage broadband deployment. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed the broadband policies of the United States and other OECD nations, reviewed federal program documentation and budgetary information, and interviewed federal and state officials and industry stakeholders. In developing the required broadband plan, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission should work with the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to specify performance goals and measures for broadband deployment and to define the departments' roles and responsibilities in carrying out the plan. FCC generally agreed with GAO's recommendations.

AT&T's Past Dominates Broadband's Future in FCC Comments

[Commentary] Who says there is no cosmic irony in the bland world of telecom? On the day after thousands and thousands of pages were filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on a new national broadband plan, General Motors announced its new post-bankruptcy chairman - Ed Whitacre, the former chairman of AT&T. It was Whitacre who set off the Great Net Neutrality Storm of 2005-2006, when he took control of the Internet on behalf of AT&T, putting forth the unique view of the world that Google, Yahoo and other Internet companies were using his company's telecommunications network "for free," and he wasn't going to allow that. The fact that those, and many other, companies were paying millions of dollars for telecommunications didn't seem to matter. The issue was one of control - Whitacre had it, and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Internet service providers still want control over users and how users employ networks. Public Knowledge, Free Press, Consumer Federation of America/Consumers Union and others want to reverse course and turn back to the pre-2005 days, when thousands of Internet Service Providers flourished, when the Internet was developed, to make sure that the Internet remains free of discrimination and control (not management, control. There is a difference.) Is it regulation? Yes. Has it proven to support and give opportunities to entrepreneurs and developers? You bet. That's the better idea.

Groups urge FCC to treat broadband as telecom service

Consumer advocates are urging the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify high-speed Internet access as a telecommunications service, a major change that would have sweeping implications for cable and phone providers of broadband. Telecommunications offerings are more heavily regulated, which can mean price controls, allowing competitors access to infrastructure and tighter control of network architecture. Since telecom carriers must permit nondiscriminatory access to their infrastructure, they would likely have to meet the requirement through strict adherence to network neutrality restrictions, explained Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America. The FCC's net neutrality guidelines were introduced as voluntary, though the agency insists it can enforce them.

ACA: Charging Sub Fees For Internet Content Could 'Cripple' Broadband Rollout

The American Cable Association is taking aim at Internet content suppliers, saying charging sub fees for Internet content could "cripple" the nation's plan to deliver broadband to every household. ACA, which represents smaller and mid-sized cable operators, says that companies like Disney are charging for Web-based content and "requiring" broadcasters to include those fees as part of basic Internet access for all subscribers. That, suggested ACA, is a recipe for depressing broadband adoption. "The FCC and parties involved in the network neutrality debate "should be concerned that Web-based content and service providers...will drive up the retail cost of broadband access and drive down new adoption rates," ACA president Matt Polka said.

Internet2, ACUTA and EDUCAUSE Submit National Broadband Plan Comments

Internet2, ACUTA and EDUCAUSE have jointly submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the development of a national broadband plan. These joint comments concentrate on five areas: 1) goals and benchmarks, 2) the middle mile and the last mile, 3) proposed solutions, 4) evaluation, and 5) other policy goals. Offering their members' expertise as a resource for the FCC, the three groups said they are "concerned about the inadequate level of broadband connectivity" and its impact on higher education. The comments encourage the FCC to support the prioritization of ARRA grants that focus on extending "middle mile" network facilities into communities with the goal of enhancing connectivity to so-called "anchor institutions" such as K-12 schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and community centers, and emphasized the importance of campuses having access to "the highest broadband speeds available" in order to promote research and development in the United States. The filings also recommend that the FCC work more closely with state and regional research and education networks in more than 30 states, to extend the capabilities of their regional backbone networks deeper into the communities they serve and continue to involve these networks in ongoing programs like the Universal Service Fund which has been key to initiatives like the Rural Healthcare Pilot Program.

Over Two-Thirds of US Households Subscribe to Broadband

Over two-thirds of US households now subscribe to a broadband high-speed Internet service. This is an increase from one-fifth of households five years ago. As has been true since the introduction of broadband services little more than a decade ago, higher-income households remain most likely to subscribe to a broadband service - but online subscriptions in general, and computer ownership, also tend to increase with household income. 89% of all households with annual incomes over $75,000 subscribe to a broadband service - compared to 70% of households with incomes of $30,000-$75,000, and 37% of households with incomes under $30,000. 38% of households with annual incomes under $30,000 do not have a computer at home, and only half of households in this income group subscribe to any type of Internet service at home. 29% of broadband subscribers are very interested in receiving faster Internet access at home - while 37% are not interested. 3% of Internet subscribers say that broadband is not available in their area.

One in five offline UK citizens want to get Internet this year

One in five adults who are currently not online say they are likely to sign up for Internet access in the next six months, according research for communications regulator Ofcom. Some 70 per cent of the UK adult population is now online, but Ofcom wanted to know the reasons why the remaining 30 per cent are not, and to identify the barriers preventing them accessing the Internet using broadband. The survey conducted by research firm Ipsos MORI found those intending to get online in the next six months are more likely to be younger, use the Internet already outside of the home, are working and have children. The main reason for wanting to go online is for information (36 per cent), communicating with friends and family (26 per cent), keeping up with technology (25 per cent), and because friends and family recommended it (25 per cent). Ofcom's research also examined two categories excluded from getting online - the self-excluded (13 per cent), and the financially-excluded (nine per cent). Of those self-excluded, 42 per cent said their main reason for not going online was due to lack of interest or need. They tended to be older and retired, with 61 per cent never having used a computer. Of people financially excluded, 30 per cent of adults said their main reason to forego online access, was that it was too expensive or that they were not knowledgeable or skilled enough to use it. Half of those polled in this group (51 per cent) gave the main reason as expense, while 27 per cent said the cost of the computer was the main financial impediment.

Benton

Search