US National Broadband Plan

"In September, Free Press submitted a filing with the Federal Communications Commission in response to its inquiry into whether broadband is being deployed in a "reasonable and timely fashion." While preparing this filing, we dredged up some stunning numbers on the cable industry’s Internet windfall. [...] Let’s first look at cable operators’ obscene profit margins for broadband service. Some financial analysts and institutions have noted that the profit margin for cable Internet subscribers is on the order of 80 percent. In other words, your cable company charges you $40 for something that costs them $8 to supply. [...] In our research, we found that for the second quarter of 2009, Comcast had a profit margin for its cable Internet service of about 70 percent [...] Outrageous, right? Getting a little PO’d?" - Michael R. Bernstein from Bookmarklet

"AT&T and Verizon are up in arms about a "slanted" survey of global broadband practices done for the FCC which concludes that mandatory line-sharing rules produce better Internet speeds and penetration rates. Is it possible the US could (again) force ISPs to open their networks?" - Michael R. Bernstein from Bookmarklet

"So how do we get to somewhere near number one? The Federal Communications Commission's broadband task force has identified seven "gaps" or roadblocks along the path to the Holy Grail. The document doesn't offer any specific solutions to these problems. But the analysis offers clues as to where that National Broadband Plan the Commission has to crank out by February is going." - Michael R. Bernstein from Bookmarklet

"Attention all broadband stimulus grant shoppers: the good news is that the Obama administration says it's fast-tracking the schedule to fork out over seven billion dollars in high speed Internet stimulus money. The other news is that if you haven't applied for this windfall yet, you've only got one more chance. Instead of handing out that dough in two additional rounds, as originally intended, the new plan is to do it in just one more—and it's probably coming soon." - Michael R. Bernstein

"Monticello, Minnesota" - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

beware of the evils of social networking and video sharing!!! - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

Thank you to everyone who voted!!! - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

Down to the wire!!! If you see this in your FF stream and have not already voted -- please -- take 30 seconds to vote and take another 30 seconds to spread the word for Sacred Wind and the Navajo Tribe. Your minute can mean a lot more than you think. Thanks -- Jay - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

Reference - Nemertes Still Pushing Exaflood Nonsense - http://www.dslreports.com/shownew... - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

If you see this in your FF stream -- please -- take 30 seconds to vote and take another 30 seconds to spread the word for Sacred Wind and the Navajo Tribe. Your minute can mean a lot more than you think. Thanks -- Jay - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

Both CrowdFlower and SamaSource were at TechCrunch50 -- this is exactly the kind of mashup that moves the collective needle for good. - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

Dumb Pipe Strategy: Does it Have Merit? - Jay Cuthrell from Bookmarklet

If you have anything you'd like to see asked during this panel -- post it here and I'll relay the ensuing fisticuffs. - Jay Cuthrell

"So, the answer to the overall question is that physics requires an apportioning of bandwidth between up and down, but economics can here route around physics: If a provider were committed to providing symmetry without lowering download speeds, it could have (for example) put in a second line when it put in the first. The trade-offs were made by the access providers, largely based on business concerns. For example, one reason we have asymmetric fiber may be that the providers have been charging such high premiums for symmetric access that they don’t want to lose that extra money, even as the technology makes symmetry more plausible. So, as was said by David Isenberg (who gave me permission to credit him): “Asymmetry is a belief system. The purveyors of connections looked at the Internet and saw TV, then acted according to what they saw.” That’s the infrastructure they built. That’s the infrastructure we’re currently stuck with. If we can get unstuck, we might at long last get ourselves some symmetry…or have broad enough broadband that symmetry doesn’t even matter." - Jason Wehmhoener from Bookmarklet

This is interesting: http://www.linuxwimax.org/ - Jason Wehmhoener