WebProNews

Tag: Internet

  • FTC Sues Frontier Over Misleading Internet Speed Claims

    FTC Sues Frontier Over Misleading Internet Speed Claims

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Frontier Communications, accusing the company of lying about its internet speeds.

    Internet speeds have become more important than ever, as unprecedented numbers of individuals have worked from home during the pandemic. The US already lags behind other developed countries, in terms of high-speed broadband, and the Biden administration has made broadband improvement a major part of its agenda.

    Given the current climate, it’s not surprising Frontier is under scrutiny. The FTC has filed a lawsuit, joined by Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, in addition to the district attorneys’ offices of Los Angeles County and Riverside County for the State of California.

    In a complaint, the FTC and its state partners allege that Frontier advertised and sold Internet service in several plans, or tiers, based on download speed. Frontier has touted these tiers using a variety of methods, including mail and online ads, and has sold them to consumers over the phone and online.

    In reality, the FTC alleges, Frontier did not provide many consumers with the maximum speeds they were promised and the speeds they actually received often fell far short of what was touted in the plans they purchased.

    In a statement, Frontier says it “believes the lawsuit is without merit,” and “will present a vigorous defense.”

  • Biden Administration Plans to Deliver Broadband to All Within Eight Years

    Biden Administration Plans to Deliver Broadband to All Within Eight Years

    The Biden administration has unveiled an ambitious plan to provide broadband access to all Americans, including those currently underserved.

    The United States has struggled for years with a “digital divide,” a huge disparity between the internet access available in urban vs rural areas. In fact, some 35% of Americans (over 30 million) don’t have access to “minimally acceptable speeds.”

    The Biden administration wants to change that, with plans to invest $100 billion to help close that gap, and ensure all Americans have access to broadband. In a fact sheet detailing the plan, the administration emphasizes the need to “future proof” broadband options, especially in underserved communities. It also emphasizes the importance of community and government-run broadband options.

    Build high-speed broadband infrastructure to reach 100 percent coverage. The President’s plan prioritizes building “future proof” broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas so that we finally reach 100 percent high-speed broadband coverage. It also prioritizes support for broadband networks owned, operated by, or affiliated with local governments, non-profits, and co-operatives—providers with less pressure to turn profits and with a commitment to serving entire communities. Moreover, it ensures funds are set aside for infrastructure on tribal lands and that tribal nations are consulted in program administration. Along the way, it will create good-paying jobs with labor protections and the right to organize and bargain collectively.

    Neither of these options are likely to be popular with many ISPs, although they have only their own business practices to blame. Companies have, for years, done the absolute minimum necessary to reap the maximize profits, rather than put their customers first. For example, AT&T announced late last year it would shutter its DSL service, even though it had halted further rollout of its fiber, leaving millions of customers without any good options.

    Should the administration’s plans come to fruition, it may finally close the digital divide and bring all Americans into the 21st century.

  • Microsoft, Mozilla and Google Work to Address Web Browser Compatibility

    Microsoft, Mozilla and Google Work to Address Web Browser Compatibility

    Three of the biggest browser makers are working to improve compatibility and reduce cross-browser issues.

    One of the biggest challenges since the early days of the web is making sure websites work with a variety of browsers. In the early days, websites would proudly display “Made for Internet Explorer” or “Made for Netscape Navigator” badges. Unfortunately, consumers were the ones who suffered.

    As the web matured, open standards became the norm and helped usher in a new era of compatibility. With multiple different rendering engines, however, incompatibilities still remain.

    Microsoft, Mozilla and Google, along with other companies, are working to address those issues. The initiative is called #Compat2021.

    Google outlined how important the initiative is in a blog post:

    Compatibility on the web has always been a big challenge for developers. In the last couple of years, Google and other partners, including Mozilla and Microsoft, have set out to learn more about the top pain points for web developers, to drive our work and prioritization to make the situation better. This project is connected to Google’s Developer Satisfaction (DevSAT) work, and it started on a larger scale with the creation of the MDN DNA (Developer Needs Assessment) surveys in 2019 and 2020, and a deep-dive research effort presented in the MDN Browser Compatibility Report 2020. Additional research has been done in various channels, such as the State of CSS and State of JS surveys.

    The goal in 2021 is to eliminate browser compatibility problems in five key focus areas so developers can confidently build on them as reliable foundations. This effort is called #Compat2021.

    Individuals can track the progress of the group using the Compat 2021 Dashboard.

  • DOJ Halts Net Neutrality Lawsuit Against California

    DOJ Halts Net Neutrality Lawsuit Against California

    The Department of Justice (DOJ) has withdrawn a lawsuit challenging California’s net neutrality rules.

    Net neutrality rules were passed during the Obama administration, with widespread support from companies, tech advocates and citizens. In short, net neutrality ensures a company can’t discriminate against a certain type of internet traffic just because it may have a financial motivation to do so. For example, Comcast would not be allowed to charge more for access to Netflix, just because Netflix competes against Comcast’s media properties.

    Under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to repeal net neutrality. A coalition of companies sued to overturn the ruling, but the court upheld the FCC’s right to repeal. At the same time, however, the courts also ruled that the FCC could not prevent individual states from establishing their own net neutrality legislation.

    California was quick to pass its own rules and, despite the court’s initial ruling, the FCC sued to try to block California’s efforts. With a change of administration, however, the DOJ has withdrawn its suit against California.

    In a statement, acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel praised the DOJ’s decision:

    I am pleased that the Department of Justice has withdrawn this lawsuit. When the FCC, over my objection, rolled back its net neutrality policies, states like California sought to fill the void with their own laws. By taking this step, Washington is listening to the American people, who overwhelmingly support an open internet, and is charting a course to once again make net neutrality the law of the land.

    Many are expecting federal net neutrality rules to be re-established, now that the White House is once again under Democratic control. The DOJ dropping its lawsuit seems like a first step in that direction.

  • Senators Want to Reform Section 230 Protections

    Senators Want to Reform Section 230 Protections

    Senators have introduced a bill to limit the protection afforded to tech companies by Section 230 and reform the legislation.

    Sens. Mark R. Warner, Mazie Hirono and Amy Klobuchar have announced Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism and Consumer Harms (SAFE TECH) Act in an effort to reform Section 230. Section 230 is the law that protects social media platforms and other internet companies from being legally liable for what users post on their site.

    The law has increasingly come under fire, with many saying it fosters the unhealthy, toxic culture that has come to define many platforms. What’s more, social media companies have started taking a more active role in moderating the content on their platforms. While the move has been welcomes by many, the fact that companies are actively moderating undermines the argument that they need protection from user-posted content.

    “When Section 230 was enacted in 1996, the Internet looked very different than it does today. A law meant to encourage service providers to develop tools and policies to support effective moderation has instead conferred sweeping immunity on online providers even when they do nothing to address foreseeable, obvious and repeated misuse of their products and services to cause harm,” said Sen. Warner, a former technology entrepreneur and the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “Section 230 has provided a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card to the largest platform companies even as their sites are used by scam artists, harassers and violent extremists to cause damage and injury. This bill doesn’t interfere with free speech – it’s about allowing these platforms to finally be held accountable for harmful, often criminal behavior enabled by their platforms to which they have turned a blind eye for too long.”

    “Section 230 was passed in 1996 to incentivize then-nascent internet companies to voluntarily police illegal and harmful content posted by their users. Now, twenty-five years later, the law allows some of the biggest companies in the world turn a blind eye while their platforms are used to violate civil and human rights, stalk and harass people, and defraud consumers—all without accountability,” Sen. Hirono said. “The SAFE TECH Act brings Section 230 into the modern age by creating targeted exceptions to the law’s broad immunity. Internet platforms must either address the serious harms they impose on society or face potential civil liability.”

    “We need to be asking more from big tech companies, not less. How they operate has a real-life effect on the safety and civil rights of Americans and people around the world, as well as our democracy. Holding these platforms accountable for ads and content that can lead to real-world harm is critical, and this legislation will do just that,” said Sen. Klobuchar.

    Republicans have been calling for changes to Section 230 for some time. With three Democratic senators now proposing change, it’s a good chance Section 230’s days as we know it are numbered.

  • SpaceX Now Has Over 10,000 Starlink Internet Customers

    SpaceX Now Has Over 10,000 Starlink Internet Customers

    SpaceX has crossed a significant milestone, announcing it now has over 10,000 subscribers to its Starlink internet service.

    Starlink is a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit, designed to provide internet access to remote and underserved communities. Because the satellites are in low-Earth orbit, the service offers relatively high speeds and low latency, unlike traditional satellite internet services.

    The service just entered beta in late-October, expanding to the UK in January. Despite its short time on the market, the service has already passed 10,000 users, according to an FCC filing (PDF).

    Starlink’s performance is not theoretical or experimental. Over 10,000 users in the United States and abroad are using the service today. While its performance is rapidly accelerating in real time as part of its public beta program, the Starlink network has already successfully demonstrated it can surpass the Commission’s “Above Baseline” and “Low Latency” performance tiers.

    Starlink’s speed has been its biggest selling point, with many users seeing speeds in excess of 150 Mbps, combined with latency as low as 39 ms. Because many customers live in remote areas, in some cases, users were only getting single-digit speeds — or less — prior to making the switch to Starlink.

  • Coronavirus Relief Package Includes $7 Billion For Broadband

    Coronavirus Relief Package Includes $7 Billion For Broadband

    The upcoming coronavirus relief package Congress has been working on includes $7 billion for broadband at a time when it’s needed most.

    As a result of the pandemic, record numbers of people are working from home, relying on broadband internet more than ever before. Unfortunately, many families are struggling with reduced or lost work, making it hard to pay for the very internet access they need for work, school and socializing.

    According to Senator Ron Wyden, the $7 billion includes $3.2 billion set aside to help keep families connected, via $50 a month broadband fund for anyone who has been laid off or furloughed.

    Broadband connections are essential for Americans seeking to get new jobs, and to access school, health care and other government services. Ensuring working families can stay online will pay massive dividends for kids’ education, helping people find jobs and jump starting the economic recovery next year.

    The provision should help families struggling with staying connected, and will no doubt assist in the ongoing digital transformation.

  • Google Announces New Undersea Cable Connecting US & Europe

    Google Announces New Undersea Cable Connecting US & Europe

    Google has announced it is installing a new undersea cable that will link the US, UK and Spain.

    The vast majority of international internet traffic, as much as 98%, is carried via undersea cables. Google already has three other private undersea cables, connecting the US to Chile, the US to France and Portugal to South Africa.

    The latest cable, the Grace Hopper, will connect the UK and Spain with the US. According to Google, this is one of the first private cables connecting the UK and US since 2003. The cable while help increase bandwidth to power Google’s cloud services.

    “Grace Hopper will incorporate novel optical fiber switching that allows for increased reliability in global communications, enabling us to better move traffic around outages,” said Bikash Koley, VP, Google Global Network. “Google and SubCom engineers collaborated on incorporating this innovative switching architecture into the system. Grace Hopper is the world’s first submarine cable to use this technology, and we look forward to deploying the technology on other systems in the future.”

    Once completed, the cable should help Google keep up with the increased demand of companies switching to the cloud in record numbers.

  • Verizon Now Offering 5G Home Internet In Detroit

    Verizon Now Offering 5G Home Internet In Detroit

    Verizon has expanded its 5G Home Internet service to Detroit, the sixth city in which it offers the service.

    5G is a revolutionary wireless upgrade, promising speed in the gigabit range. As a result, companies like Verizon are looking to 5G for applications beyond traditional wireless service. Home internet is one such example, giving wireless companies a way to compete against traditional internet providers.

    Now Verizon customers in Detroit will be able to take advantage of the new technology, via the company’s 5G Home Internet service.

    “Detroit customers now have access to the next generation of lightning fast home broadband internet service,” said Frank Boulben, SVP consumer marketing and products at Verizon. “5G Home Internet on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband Network will provide customers with flexibility, freedom and choice that enables a whole new world of experiences in the comfort of the home, something more useful now than perhaps ever before.”

    This is good news for Detroit-based Verizon customers and will provide a nice alternative to traditional internet services and plans.

  • Starlink Internet Will Enter Beta In Three of Months

    Starlink Internet Will Enter Beta In Three of Months

    Good news for internet users: Starlink’s satellite internet will enter private beta in roughly three months.

    SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation will provide internet service to markets around the globe, including underserved areas. Unlike previous generations, where the satellites orbit some 22,000 miles above the Earth, Starlink’s satellites orbit a mere 340 miles high. Thanks to its low-Earth orbit, Starlink’s satellites will offer far higher speeds and very low latency. In addition, Starlink has received approval for 12,000 initial satellites, and 30,000 after that. As a result, Starlink will not experience the same bandwidth and throughput limitations that many existing providers have.

    In a tweet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that private beta would begin soon, with a public beta a couple of months after that.

    Private beta begins in ~3 months, public beta in ~6 months, starting with high latitudes

    Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 4/22/20

    This is good news for internet users looking forward to a new era of connectivity.

  • Shadowserver, Protector of the Internet, Needs Help

    Shadowserver, Protector of the Internet, Needs Help

    Shadowserver is a non-profit many have never heard of, yet it plays a vital role in protecting the internet. Now it needs helps to survive.

    The Shadowserver Foundation was started in 2004 and serves as one of the preeminent sources of information for internet security professionals. The foundation scans the entire internet multiple times a day; creates activity reports for vetted subscribers and law enforcement; and keeps a massive database of malware for researchers to study.

    Despite the foundation’s important work, in an announcement on the website, Shadowserver says it “urgently needs your financial support, to help quickly move our data center to a new location and continue being able to operate our public benefit services.”

    Shadowserver strikes an optimistic tone, confident it will receive the help it needs.

    “We are confident that, with the help of our sponsors, constituents and the community, The Shadowserver Foundation can continue this important fight and serve you all even more effectively, for many years to come. We need to ensure that victims of cybercrime continue to be protected, and the cybercriminals do not win. We look forward to working together with you all to find the right solution for everyone.”

    There are few companies that do more to protect the internet than Shadowserver, meaning saving it is a worthwhile goal. Individuals interested in becoming sponsors can do so here.

  • Coronavirus: U.S. Internet Can Handle Increased Work-From-Home Load

    Coronavirus: U.S. Internet Can Handle Increased Work-From-Home Load

    Experts are saying the U.S. internet should be able to handle the increased stress of millions of Americans working from home as a result of the coronavirus.

    Some have feared that the sudden increase of individuals staying at home, using the internet for telecommuting and videoconferencing, would overwhelm internet providers’ capacity. According to ABC News, however, experts believe there is no danger of overloading the core network.

    “The core of the network is massively over-provisioned,” Paul Vixie, CEO of Farsight Security and an internet pioneer who helped design its domain naming system, told ABC News.

    At the same time, they do warn that individuals may experience issues if too many people in a single household engage in network-intensive videoconferencing or similarly demanding activities. Even in those situations, however, the issue is not with the core network, but with the “last mile” of connectivity, the last bit of cable that connects a household to their internet provider.

    As ABC points out, newer areas that have fiber are able to keep up with the demand, but older neighborhoods that have cable or DSL are likely to experience issues if several users are all trying to engage in intensive internet use. In such cases, if some users fall back to teleconferencing, rather than video, it should help alleviate the issues since audio takes far less bandwidth.

    Either way, the reassurance that the core network can handle the increased load is good news for workers trying to stay safe and do their part to help slow the spread of the virus.

  • D-Link Debuts 5G Home Broadband Gateways

    D-Link Debuts 5G Home Broadband Gateways

    One of the largest promises of 5G is the ability to serve remote customers with broadband internet. In line with that goal, D-Link has just announced three units service providers can use to do just that.

    5G stands ready to revolutionize internet access, in some cases providing speeds that are measured in gigabits rather than megabits. For customers in remote or rural areas, where traditional broadband is not available, 5G service promises to finally offer speeds comparable to metropolitan areas. The new technology will also give wireless carriers the ability to challenge traditional, wired internet providers like never before.

    “With expanded spectrum and new applications, 5G is going to bring more competition to the broadband market within the coming years,” said Raman Bridwell, Vice President of Product and Services at D-Link Systems, Inc. “These solutions will help more people access that network in more places with the same wireline experience we have today.”

    D-Link’s announced models represent three increasing levels of features and performance, with the top-tier unit designed to be mounted on the outside of a building and withstand the rigors of ongoing weather exposure. Being mounted outside will likely result in the fastest speeds, as the unit can be placed where it will have the best line-of-site to the closest tower and not be hindered by walls or windows.

  • New Law Will Limit Cable TV Fees, Address Local Blackouts

    New Law Will Limit Cable TV Fees, Address Local Blackouts

    According to Consumer Reports, the House and Senate have passed a bill that would limit how cable companies charge hidden fees and phantom rentals to jack up bills.

    Customers have chafed for years at hidden fees and add-ons that take their low-priced, promotional cable bill and double or triple it. Cable companies will advertise a low-priced package, or tout the fact they have not raised prices in so many months, and then use hidden fees to circumvent the advertised price.

    As a result, Consumer Reports has been lobbying for laws that would limit how the cable companies operate and the fees they can charge.

    “People across the country are fed up with all of the extra fees they pay each month that keep growing more costly year after year,” said Jonathan Schwantes, Consumer Reports’ senior policy counsel. “Cable companies shouldn’t be allowed to disguise the true cost of service by charging a long list of add-on fees that aren’t clearly disclosed when customers sign up for service. These reforms will bring fairness and clarity to pay-TV billing, so we can find a plan that fits our budget without having to worry about getting stuck paying hidden fees.”

    The newly passed bill—which merely needs President Trump’s signature to become law—will force cable companies to provide an itemized list of fees and charges, and give customers a 24-hour window to cancel without penalty. The bill will also ban pay-TV companies from charging customers for equipment they don’t use. For example, many companies who bundle TV and internet service will charge customers rental fees for an internet router even if they’re using their own and never use the company’s.

    On the downside, the bill only applies to pay-TV companies, as well as companies and plans that bundle pay-TV with internet service. It does not yet apply to strictly broadband companies with no pay-TV option, who are just as guilty of these practices.

    Another provision of the bill would also help alleviate local station blackouts that often occur “when broadcasters and TV service providers can’t agree on terms for carrying local or cable channels. The law will mandate good-faith negotiations between the parties during these so-called retransmission consent negotiations.” The bill will also allow satellite TV providers to offer network programming in markets that do not have local broadcasts.

    The legislation is a step in the right direction for reigning in what has become predatory practices by the cable TV industry. Here’s to hoping the legislation catches up with the broadband industry as well.

  • Internet Service: Google Fiber To Serve San Francisco Apartments, Condos

    Google announced this week that its Google Fiber high-speed Internet service will soon be available in San Francisco apartments and condos.

    “Nearly six years ago, we started Google Fiber with the goal of making the web better and faster for everyone,” said Michael Slinger, Director of Business Operations for Google Fiber. “We began in Kansas City and have now committed to bring Fiber to a total of ten metropolitan areas. To date, we’ve focused mostly on building fiber-optic networks from scratch. Now, as Google Fiber grows, we’re looking for more ways to serve cities of different shapes and sizes. That’s why we’re working with Huntsville, AL to tap into the city’s planned municipal fiber network. And that’s why we’re trying something different in our latest Fiber city—San Francisco—where we’ll bring service to some apartments, condos, and affordable housing properties, using existing fiber.”

    “San Francisco has a long history of creativity, innovation, and development, with its iconic cultural centers, countless startups, and dozens of colleges and universities. In thinking about how best to bring Google Fiber to some residents in this unique city, we considered a number of factors, including the City’s rolling hills, miles of coastline, and historic neighborhoods,” says Slinger. “By using existing fiber to connect some apartments and condos, as we’ve done before, we can bring service to residents more quickly. This approach will allow us to serve a portion of San Francisco, complementing the City’s ongoing efforts to bring abundant, high-speed Internet to the City by the Bay.

    Earlier this month, Google announced it would bring its gigabit Internet service to residents in all public housing properties that it connects with Google Fiber. This launched with the Housing Authority of Kansas City at West Bluff. As the company notes, the U.S. has some of the most expensive broadband in the world despite lagging speeds, making it difficult for low income families to get online.

    Partnering with the Nonprofit Technology Network, Google will bring the Digital Inclusion Fellowship to San Francisco. You can read about that here.

  • Google Takes Fiber To Public Housing

    Google announced that it will bring gigabit Internet service to residents in all public housing properties that it connects with Google Fiber. This is launching with the Housing Authority of Kansas City at West Bluff.

    This is the first property to get gigabit Internet as a part of the program and wires 100 homes with Fiber. Families that live there can sign up now.

    “And through local ConnectHome partners, such as Connecting for Good and Surplus Exchange, they’ll also be able to purchase discounted devices and learn new computer skills,” says Google Fiber Vice President Dennis Kish. “Across Kansas City, we’re working with local affordable housing providers to connect up to nine properties, reaching more than 1,300 families in the metro area.”

    “Looking forward, we plan to bring gigabit Internet to select affordable housing in all of our Fiber cities,” Kish adds. “We’re working with local providers to identify which properties we’ll connect across these markets, and we’ll have more to share as we bring Google Fiber to these cities. Finally, inspired by the early success of our work with the Housing Authority for the City of Austin, we’ll be complementing this $0/month Internet service by working with local partners to make new investments in computer labs and digital literacy classes so residents learn the skills they need to get online.”

    As the company notes, the U.S. has some of the most expensive broadband in the world despite lagging speeds, making it difficult for low income families to get online.

  • Study Finds A Fifth of Americans Are ‘Almost Constantly’ Online

    Over one-fifth (21%) of Americans are “almost constantly” online, according to a new report from Pew Research Center. This is, of course, largely thanks to the increased prevalence of smartphones and other mobile devices.

    73% say they go online on a daily basis, and 42% say they do several times a day. 10% do so about once a day. 13% do several times a week or less often. 13% of adults say they don’t use the Internet at all.

    “Younger adults are in the vanguard of the constantly connected,” says Pew’s Andrew Perrin. “Fully 36% of 18- to 29-year-olds go online almost constantly and 50% go online multiple times per day. By comparison, just 6% of those 65 and older go online almost constantly (and just 24% go online multiple times per day).”

    As the organization notes, this is the first time “almost constantly” has been a response option in its adult surveys, so it’s hard to say how much the group that checked that box has actually grown. It does point to another recent survey of teens, which found that about 24% reported going online almost constantly. In other words, teenagers and adults are pretty much in the same ballpark on that.

    “And as is true for teens, adults with mobile connectivity are especially likely to be online a lot,” says Perrin. “About three-quarters of Americans use a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device to tap into the internet at least occasionally. Fully 87% of these users go online daily and 27% go online almost constantly. Among Americans who don’t use a mobile device as their way of getting on the internet, 65% go online daily and just 8% report that they go online almost constantly.”

    College-educated adults, adults in higher-income households, and non-rural residents are among demographics with high likelihoods of going on line a lot.

    Images via Thinkstock, Pew Research Center

  • Google Is Launching a Huge Test of Its Project Loon Internet Balloons

    Google’s planning a large test of its internet balloons – in Indonesia.

    Internet connectivity is rough in Indonesia, a 17,000+ island chain. Google is partnering up with telecoms Indosat, Telkomsel, and XL Axiata to provide service to the under-connected region.

    “In Indonesia today, only about 1 out of every 3 people are connected to the web, and most of their connections are painfully slow. Many people live in areas without existing Internet infrastructure; on an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, with mountains and jungles, it’s difficult to run fiber optic cable or install mobile phone towers. That’s where Loon comes in. Loon balloons act like floating cell phone towers in the sky. Flying on the winds at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, each one beams a connection down to the ground; as one balloon drifts out of range, another moves in to take its place. We hope this could help local operators extend the coverage of their existing networks, and reach further into rural and remote areas,” says Google.

    The tests will begin in 2016, and Google says it hopes to bring high-speed internet to more than 100 million Indonesians over the next few years.

    Google announced Project Loon in 2013. One of Google[x]’s ‘moonshot’ ventures, Project Loon wants to increase internet access for underserved areas across the world by putting giant internet-providing balloons way up in the air – as in twice as high as commercial airplanes.

    Loon balloons float around at about 20km.

  • Google Fiber Likely Headed to Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, and Tampa

    Google Fiber may be coming to Oklahoma City, OK, Jacksonville, FL and Tampa, FL.

    The three cities have been invited “to explore bringing Google Fiber to their communities”. Last month, Google sent the same invite to Louisville, KY, Irvine, CA, and San Diego, CA.

    “These growing tech-hubs have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to small business growth. Their list of accolades is long—from Jacksonville’s title as a top 10 city for tech jobs, to Tampa Bay’s #2 spot on the list of best cities for young entrepreneurs, to Oklahoma City’s recognition as the #1 city to launch a business. One of our goals is to make sure speed isn’t an accidental ceiling for how people and businesses use the Web, and these cities are the perfect places to show what’s possible with gigabit Internet,” says Google.

    According to Google, it will “study factors that may impact construction, like local infrastructure and housing density” and then “decide if it can bring Google Fiber to these areas”.

    Back in August, Google announced that Fiber would be coming to San Antonio, the biggest city to receive the service yet.

    In January, Google announced Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Nashville as next stops for Fiber. In March, Salt Lake City got the nod.

    As of today, Fiber is up and running in Kansas City, Provo, Utah, and Austin.

    Image via Google Fiber

  • Global Internet Freedom Still on the Decline

    The world’s internet is not as free as it was last year, or the year before that, or the year before that, according to independent watchdog organization Freedom House.

    In its just-published Freedom on the Net 2015 report, which looked at internet freedom in 65 countries, global freedom is on the decline for the fifth year in a row.

    Freedom House identified three countries where internet freedom suffered the most over the past year – Libya, Ukraine, and France.

    “Of the 65 countries assessed, 32 have been on a negative trajectory since June 2014. The most significant declines occurred in Libya, Ukraine, and France. Libya, torn by internal conflict, experienced a troubling increase in violence against bloggers, new cases of political censorship, and rising prices for internet and mobile phone services. Ukraine, amid its own territorial conflict and propaganda war with Russia, featured more prosecutions for content that was critical of the government’s policies, as well as increased violence from pro-Russian paramilitary groups against users who posted pro Ukraine content in the eastern regions. France’s standing declined primarily due to problematic policies adopted in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack, such as restrictions on content that could be seen as “apology for terrorism,” prosecutions of users, and significantly increased surveillance,” it writes.

    China was named “the year’s worst abuser of internet freedom.”

    “Governments are increasingly pressuring individuals and the private sector to take down or delete offending content, as opposed to relying on blocking and filtering,” said Sanja Kelly, project director for Freedom on the Net. “They know that average users have become more technologically savvy and are often able to circumvent state-imposed blocks.”

    According to the report, some of the most frequently censored topics were criticism of authority, satire, political opposition, blasphemy, and LGBT issues.

    A whopping 47 of the 65 countries studied censored criticism of authority in some way.

    And just take a look at this chilling stat:

    The study found that over 61 percent of all internet users live in countries where criticism of the government, military or ruling family has been subject to censorship online, and over 58 percent live in countries where bloggers or ICT users were jailed for sharing content on political, social, and religious issues.

    18 of the 65 countries were given a “free” rating.

  • Internet Providers Probed Over Broadband Speeds

    Are you really getting the internet speed you think you’re getting?

    Three internet service providers – Verizon, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable – have received a letter from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asking them to provide any and all documents they have on “disclosures they have made to customers, as well as copies of any testing they may have done to study their Internet speeds.”

    Reuters reports that the AG is looking into whether these ISPs are pulling one over on customers, by saying they’re providing one speed while actually providing significantly slower broadband.

    “New Yorkers deserve the Internet speeds they pay for. But, it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another,” said Schneiderman.

    All three ISPs have provided statements, and they all deny any malfeasance.

    Time Warner Cable: “We’re confident that we provide our customers the speeds and services we promise them and look forward to working with the AG to resolve this matter.”

    Cablevision: “[Our service] consistently surpasses advertised broadband speeds, including in FCC and internal tests. We are happy to provide any necessary performance information to the Attorney General as we do to our customers.”

    Verizon: “[We’re] confident in the robust and reliable Internet speeds it delivers to subscribers. We look forward to working cooperatively with the Attorney General’s office.”

    A recent study by the European Commission found that while US ISPs may offer slower connections that their European counterparts, they’re often more honest about providing what they advertise.

    Image via Alan Levine, Flickr Creative Commons