Tuesday, January 26, 2010
March 17th is the deadline for the FCC to deliver what is being called a "national broadband plan" to congress. Following the Recovery Act in 2009, funding (and awareness over the need) was made available for ramping up broadband infrastructure in the U.S. as part of an overall plan to bolster our economy and remain competitive nationally. By the urging of this blog and countless other activists in the broadband community, the FCC has received no shortage of input on the broadband plan.

Last Friday, another big player joined the mix. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) filed it's comments with the FCC. What did they have to say? According to their own report to WISPA members and constituents, their focus involved 6 major points:

1. Many rural communities do not yet have access to broadband (24 million households).

2. Without access to broadband, the best and brightest young people usually leave for bigger cities causing a “rural brain drain” that negatively affects rural economies.

3. WISPs who want to extend service to unserved and underserved rural communities need both better access to funding and better access to spectrum.

4. WISPA suggests several methods of improving WISP funding mechanisms, including the creation of a “Universal Broadband Fund”.

5. WISPA also suggests several methods of improving access to clean spectrum for WISPs. The availability of clean spectrum positions WISPs to benefit from more favorable funding options.

6. The FCC’s support and promotion of WISPA’s suggestions in the National Broadband Plan (including this filing) will help revitalize America’s economy.

Not surprisingly, the focus remains on rural broadband access as well as continued talk over the spectrums available to wireless broadband. Whatever the outcome, the most important matter, however, is that the FCC receives enough support and public outcry to make sure that on March 17th, congress indeed sees the great need for change. You can provide your own feedback at www.broadband.gov.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband, WISPA

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Over the past year, the issue of the FCC's broadband plan has come up over and over on this blog. One of the most important topics, of course, is the charge to tell the FCC your thoughts on Fixed Wireless Broadband. Well, guess what! They listened.

Tony Bradley of PC World reported just a few weeks ago: FCC Urged to Expand Wireless Broadband Access. Urged how? Via the very request for your input that we shared months back. The FCC has sought input via formal submission, as well as via social media, blogs, etc. The Government, it would appear, is listening to the people.

As Bradley's article notes, however, one of the overwhelming proposals on the table has to do with the availability of spectrum. In April of last year, we reported on Verizon's buy-up of a huge chunk of the 700mz spectrum. But that brings up two dilemmas: do we want only one company dominating the FCC licenses, and even so, is this spectrum enough?

If fixed wireless broadband is indeed the technology that can make broadband ubiquity a reality in the U.S., then shouldn't we have more spectrum devoted to it? That's what some critics are suggesting. However, the Department of Justice is not so quick to meddle where existing media markets are already succeeding. The switch to digital television, after all, went SOOO smoothly, we certainly don't want to endure such a switch-a-roo again.

The lines haven't closed. Your voice can still be heard. Let the FCC know your thoughts on Fixed Wireless Broadband.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Stimulus, Verizon

posted by Unknown at 7:11 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Nearly three years ago now, my wife and I bought our first home. It's a rewarding experience, and one that is tightly woven into the "American Dream." I was (and am) very proud to be a home-owner. But, for being such a staple of American society, it is really a treacherous process where good advice is hard to find. For example: we're now getting ready to have our first child... there's classes, brochures, DVD's and hordes of mothers who offer their advice. With home buying... there seemed to be an unspoken expectation that we figure it our for ourselves.

One of the major pitfalls we fortunately avoided was in selecting a mortgage. I have banked with the same bank for my entire adult life. They gave me my first checking account, my first car loan, my small business credit when I wanted to strike out on my own... why wouldn't I get my mortgage there, too? I filled out an application, they told me my rate, and that was that. Right? Wrong!

You see, the bank I was with was very good at lending to large property owners with established credit (I'm a farm-kid... it was my dad's bank he used to finance the farm). But that wasn't me. So, where did I turn? If you're an experienced home-owner, you're already shaking your head at me. I called a mortgage broker, of course. He took my information, knew which lenders would suit my situation best, and then shopped them all for the best rate.

In short, I chose the lender that met my needs instead of paying a premium because I didn't meet one lender's needs. It's what we call a customer-centric buying experience.

Accel-Networks is the only multi-carrier wireless broadband provider in the U.S. Why does that matter? In short, Accel is the broker of wireless broadband. But, it's even more customer-centric than that. Whereas a mortgage is an all-or-nothing deal, a wireless network has multiple sites all interconnected. With Accel Networks, each location is matched to the best wireless carrier on a discreet basis, and yet Accel assimilates one network with one SLA managed by one vendor: Accel.

If you're considering wireless broadband for any or all of your applications, don't limit your options. Go with the only provider with a multi-carrier reach.

Labels: Broadband, Customer-Centric, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Multi-Carrier, Wireless

posted by Unknown at 6:00 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Friday, January 1, 2010
Last week, the futuristic science-fiction film Avatar and Pandora's data network inspired me to dream of a far-off future broadband network on earth. This week, my feet are planted more firmly on the ground. As a new year and a new decade dawns, what can we expect from wireless in the near future.

Top 5 Wireless Broadband Developments to Anticipate in 2010:

1. iPhone Tethering. As an avid iPhone user, I have resisted the last several OS updates for fear that they will shut down the slight modifications I've made to enable tethering (the very connection I am using to post this article). In order to keep up with competition (i.e. droid), they'll have to open this feature to their users.
2. 4G rollouts made available to most major metro areas. Whereas now its still a rare find and something most people don't even know about, 4G will be the talk of techno-toys next Christmas season.
3. FCC's Broadband Plan. They're due to present the plan to Congress this year, which means we could start to see the new policies and procedures in place before the end of 2010.
   
4. The Verizon/Google Home Internet Package. The droid/VZW pair-up is just the beginning. With Google's ubiquitous exposure to the consumer today, and Verizon's extensive network, look for the pair to release a home internet package to rival the Cable providers and--of course--"The" phone company.
5. 3G Enabled Vehicles. Pair this with the prospect of VOIP over wireless networks and you've got the ability for your home phone and internet to follow you wherever you go.
   

Now, I must offer the disclaimer that these are merely light-hearted and hopeful predictions based on my own personal observation. I don't have an insider track to Google's product release, and I'm not offering competitive investment advice. Just some fun, and hopefully inspiring, predictions on this New Year's Day!

Happy New Year!

Labels: FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Google, New Year, Verizon

posted by Unknown at 7:19 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments