August 17, 2006

Net Neutrality 8-17-2006

published this at 7:06 am

Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Google: We Only Want to Be a Catalyst in Wi-Fi

The free Wi-Fi network offered by Google in its hometown of Mountain View has gone live.But don’t look for the search giant to go nation-wide with its broadband wireless agenda. The New York Times’ John Markoff has this piece today noting that Google has said no to jumpstarting wireless competition to incumbent broadband providers beyond its deal with EarthLink to deliver wireless services in San Francisco.

Not that Google wouldn’t like to see a third broadband pipe into homes; it would make net neutrality a moot issue.

“I think there wouldn’t be a Net neutrality debate in this country if we really had a competitive environment for access,” said Chris Sacca, a Google executive who heads special initiatives for the company. “The Internet is not pervasive as it could be, or democratic.”

[. . . ]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Filed under Business Life, Community, SOB Business, Successful Blog, Trends | 17 Comments »


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17 Comments to “Net Neutrality 8-17-2006”

  1. August 17th, 2006 at 7:32 am
    katiebird said

    I saw the stories about Google’s Wi-Fi, but I missed the connection to Net Neutrality. I wonder how long it’ll be before everyone has access to free Wi-Fi?

  2. August 17th, 2006 at 7:38 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Katie,
    There are open Wi-Fi contracts, some 300 of them all over the country. Bigger munis, such as Philly, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, and New York already have gone or have plans in place to do so.

    http://www.successful-blog.com/1/chicago-goes-wi-fi-what-does-that-mean-to-business/

    It’s one hope that if the munis go wifi the fact that they have “the better good” on their side, net neutrality might win out. :)

  3. August 17th, 2006 at 7:44 am
    katiebird said

    I’ve always thought it was an exciting idea. And if rural communities could band together to do it that would be really terrific. So many people in small towns are stuck with long-distance dial-access connections.

  4. August 17th, 2006 at 7:45 am
    katiebird said

    Although I suppose if we’re looking at priorities, universal health care would probably rank higher for me than universal Internet….

  5. August 17th, 2006 at 7:51 am
    ME Strauss said

    Yeah, Katie, I agree on both points. Though I do tend to shy away from anything that has the adjective universal as a modifier. I see so many problems that occur when folks get together to run things as a group or to server a big group.

    Somehow when we group together we start doing “group think” and get stupid, as we did in junior high school.

  6. August 17th, 2006 at 8:43 am
    katiebird said

    Maybe ‘Open Access’ would be a better term for both goals….

  7. August 17th, 2006 at 8:45 am
    ME Strauss said

    It could be. Katie.

    I still worry about who gets to be in charge. I hate those rule-bound policy folks who think that the rules are more important than common sense. :)

  8. August 17th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
    Big Roy said

    I wonder though does having local free or subsidized WIFI make a difference? Isn’t the “pipe” to the WIFI connection still controlled by the big Telecoms like AT&T. Or am I misunderstanding it?

    I learned most of what I know about the internet from Senator Stephens.

  9. August 17th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
    ME Strauss said

    When the municipalities set up the wifi, it works more like PbS. Check out the link I put above. :)

  10. August 17th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
    Big Roy said

    I may not have explained my question very well. The WIFI connection must connect to the internet at some point. It then goes out to all the homes served by that particular service. So if the WIFI originating connection is A and it connects to all the homes which are 1-2-3-4-5 and on. The point from A back-wards to the internet-isn’t that controlled by the Telecoms? So in reality unless the big pipes between cities and regions of the country are controlled by a company like Google. Aren’t we still at the mercy of the big Telecoms? Regardless if we have local WIFI set up by a city government.

  11. August 17th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
    ME Strauss said

    No, the telcos are at the mercy of the government in the way that most big munis are writing it up.

  12. August 18th, 2006 at 12:44 am
    Doug said

    http://silverbulleits.typepad.com/dcs/

    As I posted yesterday, IMHO Google’s stance on Network Neutrality is either disingenuous or just plain dumb!

  13. August 18th, 2006 at 5:24 am
    ME Strauss said

    Thanks Doug,
    I hear you. Lots of dumb things happening around this whole net neutrality idea. :(

  14. August 18th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
    Doug said

    ME Strause -

    Thnaks for the response. Being a Blogosphere newbie, yours was the first commnent that I’ve recieved (to IMHO a dozen or so provactive posts)

  15. August 18th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Doug,
    Call me, Liz. It’s nice that you would say “thanks.”
    You’re more than welcome. There’s a whole new blogger page up at the top of the sidebar if you’re interested in such things. And I can introduce you around to a few folks if you like.

  16. August 18th, 2006 at 10:59 pm
    Doug said

    Liz -
    I really appreciate your offer to take me under your wing as it were. I’ve heard a lot abut the so-called “blogoshere” but, up to now, my interaction with it has been one-way.
    How do I join the party?

  17. August 18th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Doug,
    I just sent you an email with some information on just that subject. :)

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