Urge House to Help Small ISPs
Ahead of a House Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing Jan. 11, Republican commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wrote a letter urging Congress to review a decision not to grant small Internet service providers (ISP) a permanent exemption from the “enhanced transparency requirements” of the FCC open Internet order.“By failing to make the exemption […]
Government Internet Kill Switches Violate Human Rights, But Telecom Companies Can Fight Back
On October 20th, the government of the Republic of Congo intentionally shut down internet service in order to repress a demonstration taking place in response to a constitutional referendum extending term limits and allowing Denis Sasou N’Guesso to run for an additional term. Police injured seven protesters, five by gunfire and two by tear gas […]
The company behind the AP’s ‘robot journalists’ is opening up its technology for everyone
Technology is already being used by companies like the Associated Press and Yahoo to auto-generate data-heavy articles about quarterly earnings, college sports, and even fantasy football recaps. Today, the company is unveiling a public-facing version of its Wordsmith platform for anyone to use. You can sign up for access to the beta, with general availability […]
North America Just Ran Out of Old-School Internet Addresses
EVERY COMPUTER, PHONE, and gadget that connects to the Internet has what’s called an Internet Protocol address, or IP address—a kind of numerical name tag for every device online. And the Internet is rapidly running out of the most commonly used type of IP address, known as IPv4. Today, the American Registry for Internet […]
Brazil to Boost Internet Speed Through Europe
Brazil will boost its Internet communications to reduce dependence on U.S. hubs and be able to host global data centers for heavy users like YouTube and Netflix, Jorge Bittar, head of state-run telecoms company Telebras, said in an interview. At present, all submarine fiber-optic cables connect Brazil to the Internet through the United States. That’s […]
Google loses data as lightning strikes
Some people have permanently lost access to their files as a result. Some disks damaged following the lightning strikes later became accessible. But a few were irreversibly affected. Generally, data centres require more lightning protection than certain other buildings. While four successive strikes might sound highly unlikely, lightning does not need to strike a […]
Dump truck behind Comcast outage in Denver
DENVER – Thousands of Comcast customers were without service after a dump truck damaged a fiber Tuesday. The outage was first reported around 8:30 a.m., affecting about 9,000 customers in the southern part of Denver, according to Comcast spokesperson Alexandra Ballas. Service was fully restored by 7 p.m. Repair crews determined the damage was caused […]
Hackers Hijacked A Jeep And 5 Other Scary Hacks
Jeepers creepers! It’s time to take security on the “Internet of things” seriously. Wired reporter Andy Greenberg recently asked two hackers to prove an exploit by taking over Greenberg’s Jeep Cherokee as he drove down a highway in St. Louis, which they did to great effect: As the two hackers remotely toyed with the […]
US government commits $30 million to rural Montana Internet
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed $30 million to improving high-speed Internet service in rural Montana. The loan to Triangle Telephone Cooperative was announced Monday. It is about 40 percent of a four-state telecommunications loan package to improve broadband service in rural areas. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says residents […]
Why Texans pay more for the Internet than others
On his Verizon wireless bill, Wald finds a jarring discrepancy. The sales tax he is charged for his two wireless phone lines does not make sense. He calls Verizon to ask about it. During a span of several weeks, he talks to six Verizon employees. Of course, being who he is, he keeps notes. […]
The Government does not Need a Warrant to Read Our Emails
Should the contents of email messages be protected from unwarranted law enforcement scrutiny to the same extent as physical letters sent through the mail? The answer seems obvious. Email is today’s postal service, and the personal contents of email messages are as private to people as the letters sent through the U.S. Postal Service. But […]
Ruling prohibits blanket ban on Internet use for parolees
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – A blanket ban on Internet use unlawfully deprives parolees convicted of sex crimes of more liberty than necessary because the Internet has become a necessary part of modern life, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals said the wording in a standard condition of supervised release […]
U.S. Solidifies and Expands Leadership in Internet Usage
New data (link is external) from the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast and Methodology 2014-2019 show that U.S. and global Internet traffic continues to grow at double digit rates, that the U.S. is on a path to solidify and expand its leadership in international Internet usage, and that video over fixed networks remains the […]
Why States Taxing Internet Would be Better
The U.S. House is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that would prevent state and city governments from levying taxes on Internet access. The bill is important for a number of reasons. But it also highlights an important tension between Washington and the states — one that affects how we regulate what has become […]
China’s Internet Giant Baidu Invests $11.5 Million in Free Wi-Fi Company
Chinese internet search engine giant and popular mapping service provider Baidu Inc., has invested $11.5 million in Qianhai Mobile – a local start-up that provides commuters in over 10 cities across the country with free wireless internet access. China Money Network reported that the investment deal, which will be implemented through the subscriptions of […]
A Critical Moment For The Future Of The Internet
The Internet, the greatest invention of our generation—several generations in fact—is in many ways a reflection of the American Dream. It’s vast and open, unlimited in its potential reach. It’s inclusive and welcoming. Anyone can be part of it and make a difference. The fastest growing part of the global economy is Internet-based, and the […]
Google founder defends accident records of self-driving cars
SAN FRANCISCO – Google co-founder Sergey Brin says he sees little reason to release the accident reports involving the Internet company’s self-driving cars because he believes there’s nothing new in documents withheld to protect the privacy of other motorists. Brin, who oversees Google’s fleet of self-driving cars, outlined his rationale Wednesday during a sometimes-testy exchange […]
Kerry singles out N.Korea for Internet abuse
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is singling out North Korea for repressing its citizens’ use of the Internet, calling open and secure cyber access a global right. Kerry told students Monday at prestigious Korea University that authoritarian Pyongyang, with the lowest rate of access to the Web in the world, was the opposite of […]
The moment you realize it’s heading your way…
Think there is rush hour traffic now? Express lane poles coming northbound of I-95 in Miami-Dade
Plastic poles and permanent traffic pattern changes are coming to a new stretch of Interstate 95 express lanes in northern Miami-Dade Count, but won’t start until after construction is finished this summer. At 5 a.m. Tuesday, the northbound express lane exit located north of the flyover at the Golden Glades will be closed. The […]