1. Monthly archive
  2. August 2018

August 2018

How the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee Could Shape Cities’ Digital Future

In July 2018, the 30 members of the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee gathered at the Federal Communications Commission to develop and agree to debate new model state and local laws for broadband deployment. The group comprised one elected official and five total representatives of state or local governments — along with a wide range of members representing telecommunications companies, academic institutions known for their opposition to municipal broadband investment, and stakeholders representing the National Grange and LGBT Technology Partnership & Institute.

Lobbyists and location stymie rural America's quest for broadband

Some 39 percent of rural Americans lack access to broadband Internet. Rural communities tend to be less profitable for broadband service providers, since a smaller number of customers spread over a larger geographical area prevents economies of scale that are achievable in a densely populated region.

Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China

Google is planning to launch a censored version of its search engine in China that will blacklist websites and search terms about human rights, democracy, religion, and peaceful protest. The project – code-named Dragonfly – has been underway since spring of last year, and accelerated following a December 2017 meeting between Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and a top Chinese government official. Teams of programmers and engineers at Google have created a custom Android app, different versions of which have been named “Maotai” and “Longfei.” The app has already been demonstrated to the Chinese gov

How chyrons took on a life of their own

They’ve become a facet of almost every news broadcast, as familiar as the anchor sitting behind a desk. Within moments of the start of a newscast or panel discussion, the info-billboards on the lower third of the TV screen begin their silent unfurling. The on-screen banners known as chyrons (kai-rahns) were once flat, artless labels that were about as exciting as an airport arrival-and-departure board. But in an era of shrinking viewer attention spans, chyrons seem almost to have come to life and achieved self-awareness.

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