App-Rising.com covers the development and adoption of broadband applications, the deployment of and need for broadband networks, and the demands placed on policy to adapt to the revolutionary opportunities made possible by the Internet.
App-Rising.com is written by Geoff Daily, a DC-based technology journalist, broadband activist, marketing consultant, and Internet entrepreneur.
App-Rising.com is supported in part by AT&T;, however all views and opinions expressed herein are solely my own.
On the latest edition of App-Rising.com’s VidChat, you’re in for a real treat as I sat down to chat with Michael Johnston, VP of IT for Jackson Energy Authority (JEA), to discuss the challenges network operators face dealing with so-called...
I've been reading a lot of reactions to Time Warner's decision to test out bandwidth caps with overage charges, and there's one common thread I notice in many of the comments that isn't always included in the articles: the concept...
Sometimes I'm too critical of government and its inability to craft effective broadband legislation, so it's important that I give credit where credit's due and celebrate those times when government gets it right. Here's just such an example: the House...
On Thursday, everyone who signs up for broadband service from Time Warner Cable in Beaumont, TX will be subject to a new metered bandwidth policy. Bandwidth caps will range from 5GB a month for the low-end 768Kbps service up to...
Last week I had the opportunity to attend an Internet Innovation Alliance Symposium at the Waldorf-Astoria called "The Exaflood - Finding Solutions." It consisted of a pair of panels stocked with industry luminaries discussing the reality and challenges of the...
Here’s a simple truth about broadband that too often gets lost amidst the din: in the end, you and I are the ones who pay for broadband deployment. It doesn’t matter who’s doing that deploying, be they private, public, or...
I'm officially flabbergasted by the debate around net neutrality. This article details a recent speech given by Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon as he spoke at a Computer & Communications Industry Association conference in DC. In it he delivered a...
The Universal Service Fund, or USF, was created by the FCC in 1997, is funded by a small charge telecommunications operators add to your bill, and has the intended purpose of increasing the availability and affordability of telecom services in...
OK, so this title might be a little melodramatic, but I can say that one of the most noteworthy things I saw on the show floor was from Germany: an organization called Berlin Partner GmbH. Now Berlin Partner is not...
Yesterday at Stanford the FCC held it's second outside-the-beltway hearing on net neutrality generally and Comcast's treatment of P2P traffic specifically. I'm torn on whether or not I'd call it a successful step in the right direction. On the one...
Lots of exciting things happening in the world of broadband so it's time for another App-Rising.com Article RoundUp! Convert Your Paper to iPaper Scribd.com is a site with a nifty way of enabling any format document to be viewed on...
It’s been interesting to watch telecommunications evolve in Canada. In some areas it’s almost like we’re able to watch the challenges that we’re talking about facing in the US already being played out up north of the border. Take bandwidth...
Everyone acknowledges the FCC's definition of broadband at 200Kbps is outdated and in need of an update, as I have covered earlier. There have been some attempts to set a new definition, but none that have really taken hold. For...
My future brother-in-law made an intriguing remark the other day: Doesn’t ESPN 360 violate net neutrality? As background, ESPN 360 is a package of live and on-demand video that ESPN sells to broadband providers who can then offer it as...
Since writing earlier this week about the tension between offering higher speeds and stricter usage caps, I've decided to continue relying solely on my Verizon wireless card to support my broadband needs. Driving this decision was my curiosity as to...
Last week Connected Nation released a report entitled "The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally." In it they claim that if the US were to stimulate the deployment and adoption of broadband that we'd realize more than $134 billion worth...
The maelstrom surrounding Comcast's decision to interfere with P2P traffic on its network gained a new front today as law firm Gilbert Randolph LLP filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Dr. Sanford Sidner and all the citizens of...
It looks like the FCC's wireless spectrum auction is nearing its end as bidding is slowing to a stop in round 101. For those not in the know, this initiative is auctioning off the wireless spectrum that's slated to be...
Last week Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008, co-sponsored by Rep. Chad Pickering (R-MS). What better way to finish up our Net Neutrality week than a running commentary of my first read through this...
Throughout this week I've been exploring the dynamics of the debate around net neutrality in an attempt to help frame these issues in a new and hopefully more productive light. Now I want to dive into some initial thoughts on...
A core tenant of what most people think of as Net Neutrality is that broadband providers should not be allowed to discriminate between different types of Internet traffic on their networks. Underpinning this thought is the idea that all bits...
What is Net Neutrality? To some it means preventing network operators from selectively slowing down some traffic to favor others, especially their own. To others it means preserving freedom of speech on the Internet, insuring no one is able to...
Last week I found a short post by Ann Treacy on the Blandin on Broadband blog about an eye-opening fact: only one percent of America think that broadband access is an issue. Actually, that number's even more startling considering the...
When talking about the need for broadband the focus is almost always on supply, or how do you get more capacity to more people. Only recently has the drumbeat started to pay more attention to demand, or getting people to...
Last week the Bush Administration released a report entitled "Networked Nation: Broadband in America 2007" that highlights what it sees as the results of its successful national broadband strategy. While it's been widely lambasted as overly optimistic and completely ignorant...
Last night I was following along with the Republican presidential debate. At one point the dialog turned to the federal government's recently announced $150 billion stimulus plan to stave off a recession. While most all of the candidates stated their...
I had the great fortune to chat with Lynn Meikle of Meridian Township, Michigan on Monday. You may have heard of Meridian recently as last Friday they made news by filing suit against Comcast to stop plans to move PEG...
So if we've got the potential for there to be a form of HD that requires a minimum of 124Mbps within the next decade, to me that suggests that the only wireline access technologies we should be considering are those...
Connect Kentucky has generated tremendous buzz surrounding its efforts to spur the deployment of broadband as it builds momentum to try and establish a national model for how states can encourage growth in the supply of and demand for bandwidth....
As mentioned yesterday, I attended a panel of representatives of the biggest broadband providers in the US, including: Tom Tauke of Verizon, Jim Cicconi of AT&T;, Joseph Waz of Comcast, Mr. Ali of Sprint (my apologies to him if he's...
It's amazing how combining a seemingly endless show floor with limitless choice in nighttime activities can derail the best intentions of any blogger to post throughout the day. Never worry, though, as there have already been many interesting, enlightening experiences...
Back in November I wrote about the FCC's big announcement regarding its plans to provide hospitals and healthcare providers with $400 million over the next three years in order to support the deployment of broadband. In that post I raised...
Coming off of a short hiatus over the holidays, here's a collection of articles I've read and enjoyed over the last couple of weeks dealing with a broad range of topics related to the deployment, development, adoption, and use of...
Last week I wrote a post entitled "Learning to Live Without PEG Channels (And Loving It!)" that attempted to broadly convey a narrow point about the limitations of cable systems and the possibilities of Internet systems for the delivery of...
On Wednesday the US House of Representatives passed the SAFE Act by a vote of 409 to 2. SAFE stands for Securing Adolescents from Exploitation-Online. When first written about, it caused a bit of an uproar as many sites reported...
Long reviled as a questionable use of taxpayer dollars, the universal service fund (USF) now seems on the verge of some significant changes to the ways it doles out money. First and foremost, there's the recommendation by the Federal-State Joint...
In the midst of a hotly contested presidential election, now would seem to be the perfect time to start having constructive dialogue about finding real-world solutions to our nation's problems. And given the transformative power of broadband to realize new...
Last week FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced a three year $400 million expansion of a program to get broadband to hospitals. On the surface, this is fantastic news that could help bolster healthcare in a number of communities, but I...
It's looking more and more like we might see a broadband mapping bill pass through Congress before the end of the year. Everyone seems to agree we need to do more to improve our understanding of the US broadband marketplace,...
Comcast's policies towards its heaviest users have been covered in AppRising on more than one occasion, but they're like the gift that keeps on giving as more news continues to come out as the storm around their decision to interfere...
I had a sickening realization last night: my wife might be a pirate. Earlier this week I wrote about how the desire for content you can't find elsewhere can drive adoption and use of the Internet, in particular mentioning my...
While federal Internet legislation gets all the attention, state legislatures are also struggling with determining how best to regulate the silo-breaking nature of broadband. And in their attempts to cram this brave new world into the existing structure of modern...
The FCC has released their latest data on the state of broadband in the US. The results? A 61% increase in '06, from 51.2 million to 82.5 million lines. While this is impressive growth, I couldn't help but throw up...
The fallout from the news that Comcast is officially interfering with P2P traffic continues to grow. It's officially hit Congress now. Here's an article in large part about a conversation the author had with Representative Rick Boucher, D-VA. And there's...
This past Friday morning I caught a cab and headed across the National Mall to attend a morning event put on by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation entitled “Building the Broadband Economy and Society.” The first session presented an...
One of the biggest issues discussed at last week’s KMB Conference was how best to get broadband to areas that are underserved—where there’s no real competition in broadband—and in particular unserved—where there’s simply no broadband at all. With representatives of...
After a successful run at the FTTH Conference, I headed west to the Gulf of Mexico to attend the 40th edition of the KMB Conference. The “MB” in KMB stands for Mike Beilis, a former AT&T; executive and a driving...
Last GOSN sighting for the week, I promise, but I had one more thought to share that came out of my experiences witnessing them set up a working model of their high bandwidth community video protection solution at the FTTH...
Apparently two FCC commissioners appeared at a US Senate hearing yesterday, making strong arguments for the implementation of a "national broadband strategy," according to this Ars Technica article. Have to admit, I'm finding myself growing tired of the continual cries...
One of the hottest debates in DC over the past few months has been the contentious issue of patent reform. Last week the latest salvo in this battle was launched as a group of 20 noted inventors and US company...
Much has been made about the oncoming exaflood of Internet traffic, which threatens to overwhelm broadband networks, but at least one pundit is wondering what all the fuss is about. Andrew Odlyzko, director of the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology...
Considering the rancor associated with most any telecom policy debate over the last year, it’s refreshing when an issue comes up that bridges this digital divide to garner support from players in multiple corners of the online arena. The issue...
In the latest news on Comcast’s moves to cut off service to its heaviest users, they’ve made an official, though somewhat obtuse, statement about their policy towards “excessive use." In this article, a spokesperson for Comcast defines “excessive use” as...
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Home and Community Options receiving a LightSpeed grant from the Blandin Foundation, which will help them support the development of a remote monitoring broadband application to use in their residences for disabled...
Had a colleague pass along a nice article on the ConnectKentucky project earlier today. ConnectKentucky’s been getting a lot of press recently for their efforts to map broadband in their state. One of their primary goals is to make affordable...
One thing that's stuck with me from my trip to visit Hiawatha Broadband Company on Wednesday is my continuing awe over how diverse and seemingly successful this small telecom company in rural Minnesota has been. It's odd, though: I thought...
Wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts on the ongoing saga surrounding Comcast’s mysterious bandwidth caps. To set the stage, over the last few months on more than one occasion I’ve encountered stories about how Comcast treats its...
Came across a post on Blog Maverick, aka Mark Cuban's soapbox, from last week where Mr. Cuban defends his critique of the Internet as being "dead and boring." Earlier this month, I refuted Cuban's initial remarks along these lines by commenting on how the issue with the Internet isn't a lack of innovation, it's a lack of adoption. But in his latest writings, he responded to criticisms of his remarks, expounding further on his belief that the stabilization of the Internet as a platform for content, commerce, and applications, and the lack of sufficient growth in broadband speeds have retarded innovation online. In his words: "Some of you may not want to admit it, but that's exactly what the net has become. A utility. It has stopped evolving. Your Internet experience today is not much different than it was 5 years ago." While on the surface stating that the Internet of today is largely the same as the Internet of 2002 might sound preposterous, this isn't the first time I've heard this sentiment expressed.
There's a big vote coming up at the FCC tomorrow regarding the upcoming auction of wireless spectrum. You won't find me writing much about wireless as I'm much more of a wireline kinda guy, but I wanted to share one important belief I have regarding this space.
I've been tuning in to the fascinating, though somewhat disappointing, experiment in social legislation going on over at OpenLeft.com.
Towards the end of my meetings last Monday in Lafayette I had the great fortune to sit down to chat with Andre Comeaux...What we spent most of our time talking about was his efforts to champion a study of Lafayette's current adoption and use of broadband.
After a long weekend in Lafayette, LA, I'm back in the saddle and ready to share stories from my first immersion in this Cajun community that's on the verge of deploying a FTTH network. But before going too far into details about who I met and what I learned during my visit, I want to lay out my position on municipal FTTH initiatives like Lafayette and UTOPIA.
Working on getting myself out the door for a weekend away with the wife to visit Lafayette, LA, so no major deep thoughts today. Instead, I wanted to add on a couple of items to posts I made earlier this week.
Yesterday a press release crossed my desk that caught my eye, namely the launch of Crea8ivity. Crea8ivity is an awareness campaign aimed at raising the profile of Northern Ireland as a center for the creation of digital content.
I stopped by the Broadband Policy Summit last week and had the opportunity to listen to a keynote address by FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell. While he said a lot of interesting things about what we need to do to encourage the deployment of broadband, it's what he didn't say that caught my attention most: Not one word about encouraging the use of broadbnad applications.
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