There has been a flurry of advertisements on TV and print lately touting new higher speed access to the Internet. Cincinnati Bell offers a new fiber based system which is very good and robust and provides both very high speed Internet access and high definition TV service. They promise Internet speeds up to 100 mbps. Unfortunately, they do not yet provide this enhanced service throughout the region. Time Warner Cable has been pushing what they call Wideband. According to the ads, the new service can provide up to 50 mbps. To put this all in perspective, the regular turbo RoadRunner runs at about 3 mbps.
Time was when most of us only used the Internet to send and receive emails which, for the most part, were made up of text and, on occasion, a few pictures. This required very little bandwidth and many of us used our regular telephone lines to make the Internet connection. You may remember the term “dial up.” Today we use the Internet for tasks that were unheard of just a few years ago. Watching high definition video, making video calls to persons around the world and connecting our smart phones to the cloud all require a great amount of bandwidth. The big question is what speed is right for your situation.
Watching the new TV commercials for Time Warner’s Wideband can give the impression that we all need super high speed services. This may be a bit of a stretch and can also be very expensive. For sure, if you are going to use the Internet to download full length high definition TV programming, the higher speed is a good idea. A ten page text email uses less bandwidth to download than one second of HD video. The fact is that, so far, few use the Internet as the primary way of watching TV programs.
Some people are confused about the advertisements because they blur the lines between watching TV via the Internet and watching TV via digital cable. You need the Wideband speed only if you watch programming via the Internet from services like Hulu.com or Netflix.com. If you are a digital cable subscriber you don’t need Wideband to watch TV.
I find it interesting and somewhat disingenuous on the part of Time Warner with their commercials promoting Wideband. The ads show a family happily playing games and watching movies. All of these activities require Wideband band service. Then the commercial cuts to a graphic with large text, “Starting at only $29.99 a Month.” Of course, when you investigate further, you will find that Wideband is much more expensive and will cost as much as $99.99 per month. The $29.99 per month has fine print indicating this rate is for a 2 to 10 mbps service. The remaining 40 mbps will cost you a bit more. Caveat Emptor!
Showing posts with label Broadband. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broadband. Show all posts
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
FCC Reports US Lags Online
For most of the past year the Federal Communications Commission has discussed our country’s lagging online infrastructure. According to a 2009 broadband survey (the most recent data available to the FCC), the United States ranked ninth in broadband access out of the 29 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation on a per capita basis. That same study showed that the US ranks 12th in terms of the pure percentage of households having broadband Internet access. This places us well behind the UK, South Korea, Iceland, and the Netherlands.
When you look closer you find that even those of us with high speed or broadband access have speeds that are very slow when compared to other countries. Olympia, Washington has our nation’s highest average download speeds of about 21 Mbps. I just checked my speed and find that right now my lap top on the kitchen table has about 4.5 Mbps. Paris and Berlin average about 35.8 Mbps. We have a long way to go.
High on the FCC’s priority list is wireless broadband access. Here again we trail other developed countries in wireless broadband adoption, ranking ninth, behind the likes of Ireland, Australia and Sweden. With many of us purchasing smart phones, iPads and other tablet computers, the wireless speed lag may get worse before it gets better.
Hard wired broadband access is admittedly more of a problem in a country the size of the United States. Unlike South Korea which would almost fit into the borders of Indiana, the US must span great distances with copper or fiber networks. A high rise apartment building in Seoul may well have more people than many small towns in the US. Delivering Internet floor by floor is easy compared to running circuits to homes spread out over several square miles.
The wireless challenge is even more difficult. Wireless internet beamed to your smart phone requires the use of radio waves and we are running out of space in the radio spectrum. These hand held devices can’t use just any old radio frequency. They must use frequencies that can penetrate walls of office buildings or be received in a moving car or train. Oh yes, we consumers don’t like to have those pesky little antennas protruding from our svelte iPhone. Can you hear me now?
The FCC is looking for frequencies that can be repurposed. One of the targets may be broadcast TV stations. The frequencies used by digital TV transmission use, for the most part, the UHF band. Discussion is taking place that may again change the over-the-air TV broadcast system in the US. This is only one option; there are a few others that might free up some spectrum space but as Scotty often responded to Captain Kirk, “I cannot change the laws of physics!”
When you look closer you find that even those of us with high speed or broadband access have speeds that are very slow when compared to other countries. Olympia, Washington has our nation’s highest average download speeds of about 21 Mbps. I just checked my speed and find that right now my lap top on the kitchen table has about 4.5 Mbps. Paris and Berlin average about 35.8 Mbps. We have a long way to go.
High on the FCC’s priority list is wireless broadband access. Here again we trail other developed countries in wireless broadband adoption, ranking ninth, behind the likes of Ireland, Australia and Sweden. With many of us purchasing smart phones, iPads and other tablet computers, the wireless speed lag may get worse before it gets better.
Hard wired broadband access is admittedly more of a problem in a country the size of the United States. Unlike South Korea which would almost fit into the borders of Indiana, the US must span great distances with copper or fiber networks. A high rise apartment building in Seoul may well have more people than many small towns in the US. Delivering Internet floor by floor is easy compared to running circuits to homes spread out over several square miles.
The wireless challenge is even more difficult. Wireless internet beamed to your smart phone requires the use of radio waves and we are running out of space in the radio spectrum. These hand held devices can’t use just any old radio frequency. They must use frequencies that can penetrate walls of office buildings or be received in a moving car or train. Oh yes, we consumers don’t like to have those pesky little antennas protruding from our svelte iPhone. Can you hear me now?
The FCC is looking for frequencies that can be repurposed. One of the targets may be broadcast TV stations. The frequencies used by digital TV transmission use, for the most part, the UHF band. Discussion is taking place that may again change the over-the-air TV broadcast system in the US. This is only one option; there are a few others that might free up some spectrum space but as Scotty often responded to Captain Kirk, “I cannot change the laws of physics!”
Monday, April 5, 2010
US Broadband Plan Overdue
Recently the FCC released its much anticipated strategy for addressing the United State’s failure to provide universally available and affordable high speed broadband services. It may come as a surprise to many that US citizens have much slower access to the Internet than many much smaller and less affluent nations. The RoadRunner or Zoomtown offerings that we have available from Time Warner or Cincinnati Bell would seem like “dial up” to someone in South Korea, France or even Portugal.
There are many reasons why many of these countries are ahead of us. Some governments have been quicker than others to see the importance of universally available high speed access to the Internet for their economies to prosper. Other countries are ahead of us since they do not have in place an extensive legacy infrastructure which must be integrated into any new one. This is certainly a big issue in our country. In fact many developing counties will never have a hard wired telephone system since the installation of a cellular system is more economical and quicker to deploy.
No matter the reasons for our current less-than-adequate system, the new FCC Broadband initiative does a good job of identifying the problems and suggesting steps that need to be taken to address them. It also articulates the tremendous importance to our economy to be leaders in the digital era. While the FCC can make recommendations, it will be up to the Congress to find the funds to actually make the changes.
There are four major areas of concentration in the FCC’s Broadband plan. The first calls for policies to ensure robust competition and investment in the private sector.
The second calls for the efficient allocation and management of government controlled assets, such as spectrum, poles, and rights-of-way, to encourage network upgrades to these assets. This includes examining the wireless bandwidth now allocated to broadcasters to see if some of those channels would be better used for wireless broadband instead of radio and TV transmissions.
The third recommendation calls for reform of current Universal Service policies so that broadband services will be made available in high cost areas; and ensure that low-income Americans can afford broadband. It also supports efforts to boost adoption and utilization. The Universal Service concept began some 60 years ago to make sure telephone service was available in rural parts of the country. Expanding it to broadband seems only logical.
Finally, the FCC plan calls for the reform of laws, policies, standards and incentives to maximize the benefits of broadband in sectors that the government influences significantly, such as public education, health care and government operations.
The release of this plan is only the beginning. Over the next few years much discussion and debate will center on improving the availability and speed of our Broadband networks. I’ll try to give you updates on this critical issue.
There are many reasons why many of these countries are ahead of us. Some governments have been quicker than others to see the importance of universally available high speed access to the Internet for their economies to prosper. Other countries are ahead of us since they do not have in place an extensive legacy infrastructure which must be integrated into any new one. This is certainly a big issue in our country. In fact many developing counties will never have a hard wired telephone system since the installation of a cellular system is more economical and quicker to deploy.
No matter the reasons for our current less-than-adequate system, the new FCC Broadband initiative does a good job of identifying the problems and suggesting steps that need to be taken to address them. It also articulates the tremendous importance to our economy to be leaders in the digital era. While the FCC can make recommendations, it will be up to the Congress to find the funds to actually make the changes.
There are four major areas of concentration in the FCC’s Broadband plan. The first calls for policies to ensure robust competition and investment in the private sector.
The second calls for the efficient allocation and management of government controlled assets, such as spectrum, poles, and rights-of-way, to encourage network upgrades to these assets. This includes examining the wireless bandwidth now allocated to broadcasters to see if some of those channels would be better used for wireless broadband instead of radio and TV transmissions.
The third recommendation calls for reform of current Universal Service policies so that broadband services will be made available in high cost areas; and ensure that low-income Americans can afford broadband. It also supports efforts to boost adoption and utilization. The Universal Service concept began some 60 years ago to make sure telephone service was available in rural parts of the country. Expanding it to broadband seems only logical.
Finally, the FCC plan calls for the reform of laws, policies, standards and incentives to maximize the benefits of broadband in sectors that the government influences significantly, such as public education, health care and government operations.
The release of this plan is only the beginning. Over the next few years much discussion and debate will center on improving the availability and speed of our Broadband networks. I’ll try to give you updates on this critical issue.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Broadband Access Critical
A recent development in Europe caught my attention this week. The government of Finland is requiring all telecommunications companies serving that country to offer a minimum of 1 megabit per second (mb/s) Internet access to all citizens no matter if they live in cities or in isolated rural locations. By 2015 the government plans for this minimum to be expanded to 100 mb/s. For perspective, the 1 mb/s is about what you get from a standard Cincinnati Bell DSL line - if that service is available to you, and in rural areas it is not.
Finland is not alone in adopting these “broadband as a right” mandates. The United Nations is promoting this concept heavily as it sees the new communications available via broadband to be as important to countries as good roads, electricity and clean water.
Over the past two years I have mentioned several times in this column that the US continues to fall behind many countries of the world in the availability of new telecommunications technologies for ALL its citizens. I have also opined about the high cost of the services we do have.
Among the countries of the world, the United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high speed broadband. This may be one of the reasons that the US is 23rd in the world with 60% of us having high speed service. South Korea still leads the world with 95% penetration.
There seems to be some movement to address this situation. In February, the Federal Communications Commission is slated to submit a national plan to Congress. It will not be inexpensive. The FCC reports that expanding the service will require subsidies and investments of as much as $350 billion. With so many critical initiatives facing the nation, such as health care reform and education improvement, it is unlikely that such an investment will get much traction in Congress. I, for one, hope that it does get the attention it deserves.
Daily, each of us experiences more and more uses of a robust broadband connected economy. The ATM where you get your cash and the gas pump where you fill your car rely on this network. Increasingly, the news you read and the instruction your kids get in school will require greater and greater capacities of our broadband networks. For these networks not to be available to all citizens no matter their geographic location sets up a “have” vs “have not” society. Such a situation will not serve the US well as we compete in a worldwide interconnected economy.
In the past our government has developed policies to expand the electric power grid to unserved rural areas, phone service to isolated communities and a network of interstate highways to connect communities large and small. The expansion of the broadband network needs to follow these same Federal initiatives.
Finland is not alone in adopting these “broadband as a right” mandates. The United Nations is promoting this concept heavily as it sees the new communications available via broadband to be as important to countries as good roads, electricity and clean water.
Over the past two years I have mentioned several times in this column that the US continues to fall behind many countries of the world in the availability of new telecommunications technologies for ALL its citizens. I have also opined about the high cost of the services we do have.
Among the countries of the world, the United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high speed broadband. This may be one of the reasons that the US is 23rd in the world with 60% of us having high speed service. South Korea still leads the world with 95% penetration.
There seems to be some movement to address this situation. In February, the Federal Communications Commission is slated to submit a national plan to Congress. It will not be inexpensive. The FCC reports that expanding the service will require subsidies and investments of as much as $350 billion. With so many critical initiatives facing the nation, such as health care reform and education improvement, it is unlikely that such an investment will get much traction in Congress. I, for one, hope that it does get the attention it deserves.
Daily, each of us experiences more and more uses of a robust broadband connected economy. The ATM where you get your cash and the gas pump where you fill your car rely on this network. Increasingly, the news you read and the instruction your kids get in school will require greater and greater capacities of our broadband networks. For these networks not to be available to all citizens no matter their geographic location sets up a “have” vs “have not” society. Such a situation will not serve the US well as we compete in a worldwide interconnected economy.
In the past our government has developed policies to expand the electric power grid to unserved rural areas, phone service to isolated communities and a network of interstate highways to connect communities large and small. The expansion of the broadband network needs to follow these same Federal initiatives.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Broadband Adoption on the Rise 2007
Just as the development of the Interstate Highway system transcended its goal of providing efficient and rapid deployment of military resources throughout our vast country during the era of the “Great Red Menace,” the accelerated construction and use of high speed internet connections are also having a major impact on our society apart from merely providing some new technology. Today, the geographic and demographic development of our cities and suburbs can be directly attributed to the construction of super highways. So too, the availability of high speed internet access has changed the way we work, play and communicate. It took the better part of 50 years to complete the Interstate Highway System, the information super highway has take much less time.
Recently a major study by the Pew Foundation Internet & American Life Project, found that nearly half (47%) of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 42% in early 2006 and 30% in early 2005. Among individuals who use the internet at home, 70% have a high-speed connection while 23% use dialup.
I found it interesting that the study showed strong growth in home broadband adoption from 2006 to 2007, namely:
• African Americans: 40% of now have broadband at home.
• Rural Americans: 31% of those living in rural areas have broadband at home.
• Low income households, that is, adults who report living in households with annual household incomes under $30,000 annually: 30% of those in this group report having broadband at home.
There are several reasons that broadband has taken off. Since colleges and universities where pioneers in establishing high speed networks on campus reaching not only into classrooms and laboratories but into residence halls and dorms, graduating students had little patience with slow dial up connections when they moved off campus. In many cases they were more interested in obtaining broadband than they were in subscribing to cable or satellite TV.
Another growing segment was made up of retired office workers who had robust connections to the internet at work. When they retired they were already very much wedded to using the internet to keep track of family and friends, do banking and investment tracking and other tasks that require high speed access.
In the recent past, hotels and motels hyped their swimming pool or cable TV. They now brag about the free high speed internet connections and WiFi.
Recently a major study by the Pew Foundation Internet & American Life Project, found that nearly half (47%) of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 42% in early 2006 and 30% in early 2005. Among individuals who use the internet at home, 70% have a high-speed connection while 23% use dialup.
I found it interesting that the study showed strong growth in home broadband adoption from 2006 to 2007, namely:
• African Americans: 40% of now have broadband at home.
• Rural Americans: 31% of those living in rural areas have broadband at home.
• Low income households, that is, adults who report living in households with annual household incomes under $30,000 annually: 30% of those in this group report having broadband at home.
There are several reasons that broadband has taken off. Since colleges and universities where pioneers in establishing high speed networks on campus reaching not only into classrooms and laboratories but into residence halls and dorms, graduating students had little patience with slow dial up connections when they moved off campus. In many cases they were more interested in obtaining broadband than they were in subscribing to cable or satellite TV.
Another growing segment was made up of retired office workers who had robust connections to the internet at work. When they retired they were already very much wedded to using the internet to keep track of family and friends, do banking and investment tracking and other tasks that require high speed access.
In the recent past, hotels and motels hyped their swimming pool or cable TV. They now brag about the free high speed internet connections and WiFi.
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