From pete at ideapete.com Thu Jan 1 00:40:47 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:40:47 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest shuts down SkyWi , Zianet, one connect network - New Mexico Business Weekly: Message-ID: <495C818F.9020505@ideapete.com> http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2008/12/29/daily21.html?ana=yfcpc -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pete at ideapete.com Thu Jan 1 00:43:31 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:43:31 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest Ordered to Restore SkyWi Network Services Message-ID: <495C8233.1000107@ideapete.com> http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-qwest-ordered-restore-skywi-network-services-/2008/12/31/3885308.htm -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Thu Jan 1 07:28:47 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 08:28:47 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest, ISP and PRC spent New Year's Eve together Message-ID: Customers Casualties in Phone Dispute Albuquerque Journal - front page Thursday, January 01, 2009 By Tamara N. Shope Journal Staff Writer Thousands of New Mexicans are without phone and Internet service this week due to a payment dispute between Qwest and a local service provider. Several 911 services, hospitals, banks and local authorities were disconnected as well, leaving New Mexicans who rely on them in the lurch. The New Mexico Public Service Commission was scrambling late New Year's Eve to find even a short-term solution. A federal judge will be hearing the two parties' arguments Jan. 13, so the PRC issued an interim order late Wednesday: Qwest must immediately begin the process of restoring service to "critical" customers, including local governments, public safety, hospitals, banks and other such facilities. Qwest warned that could take several days. Qwest cut service to SkyWi Inc. and subsidiaries, including OneConnect IP and ZiaNet, beginning at 3 a.m. Tuesday, said Qwest spokesman Mark Molzen. SkyWi is the state's largest independent Internet service provider, with about 13,000 customers. It is based in Albuquerque and operates in six states. The issue was brought before the PRC, which called an emergency meeting Wednesday night because it deemed the matter a public safety and economic crisis. During the meeting, the PRC told Qwest that if it does not restore the services by 8 a.m. today, it must show why it shouldn't be sanctioned by the PRC. During the meeting, Qwest claimed it would take days, maybe even a week, to restore all service. Qwest was ordered to report its progress to the PRC by 10 a.m. Friday. The PRC has no jurisdiction over Internet company SkyWi, which it scolded for allowing its services to be disconnected without notifying its customers. It ordered the company to hand control of its phone numbers to the actual customers, so they could seek alternate providers if they so desire. Since the service was cut, the PRC has received calls from concerned municipalities, businesspeople and residents, who said the outage is costing them both safety and money. The Roswell Medical Center was down, as were several 911 systems, said PRC Chairman Jason Marks. One nonprofit called Marks to say it couldn't process payroll; another claimed it would be forced into bankruptcy if the matter wasn't resolved soon. At issue, Qwest says, is about $1.7 million owed to the communications giant. SkyWi has known of Qwest's intent to disconnect service for at least 10 days but did not notify its customers, nor did it contact Qwest to make payment arrangements, Qwest said. In a news release, SkyWi suggested the matter is much bigger than nonpayment. "We believe we are under attack by Qwest Communications," SkyWi president Jack Leach said in the release. "SkyWi filed a lawsuit against Qwest in federal court in New Mexico earlier in December regarding Qwest's predatory anticompetitive and unfair trade practices." Qwest began demanding payment in November. According to copies of documents Qwest sent to the Journal, it had issued bills totaling $581,921.06 at that time. SkyWi paid about a third of that. Qwest served a 10-day notice that service would be disconnected. When SkyWi didn't respond by Qwest's deadline, plans were put in motion to cut service. "We asked for something in writing saying they would pay it by Friday," spokesman Molzen said. "We were going to extend the deadline. Had they responded, given us assurance, then their service would still be on. Unfortunately for their customers, they chose to ignore the request." Qwest claims the company now owes more than $1.7 million, but it would extend services if SkyWi paid the $581,000 and continued to negotiate. PRC Commissioner Sandy Jones said he believes both companies acted improperly, because thousands of New Mexicans lost access to urgent and emergency services. "If anyone can go to bed and sleep very good tonight about the way they treated these people, good luck," he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From granoff at zianet.com Wed Jan 7 08:32:40 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:32:40 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 1.9 FCC Reform Message-ID: <20090107163246.09AB0ED67B1@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >FCC Reform: No longer If, But How, PK >Yesterday's Public Knowledge - Silicon Flatirons >conference entitled "Reforming the Federal >Communications Commission" brought together >former Chairmen, Commissioners and staff members >of the agency, along with other experts. They >provided perspectives on the agency and how it >has operated in the past, how it operates >currently, and how it might operate in the >future. The consensus was clear ? the FCC has >serious procedural, organizational and cultural >problems and is long overdue for an overhaul. > http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/504694402/1927 > >New FCC Reform Website, Spectrum Talk >Yesterday was the FCC Reform conference >sponsored by The University of Colorado's >Silicon Flatirons program and Public Knowledge. >Much of the conference focused on the keynote >paper by Phil Weiser, "FCC Reform and the Future >of Telecommunications Policy". A new website on >FCC reform has the paper, along with several >responses including mine. The site allows you to make your own suggestions! > >http://spectrumtalk.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-fcc-reform-website-yesterday-was.html From tom at jtjohnson.com Wed Jan 7 16:31:44 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 17:31:44 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] AT&T moves closer to offering in-home cell base stations Message-ID: AT&T moves closer to offering in-home cell base stations http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090107-femtocells-from-att-for-home.html -- tj ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed Jan 7 17:14:02 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:14:02 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Cable Channel Moves to Albuquerque Message-ID: <20090107171402.ui47q3otasookc4g@www2.dcn.org> www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6627390.html ReelzChannel Relocates To Land Of Enchantment Network moving from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Albuquerque. By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/7/2009 4:26:00 PM ReelzChannel, the network for movie buffs, is moving its corporate headquarters from snowy Minneapolis-St. Paul to Albuquerque, New Mexico, the network announced Wednesday. The move will commence immediately and the network expects to be up and running by May. ReelzChannel, which is owned by Hubbard Media Group, also owns a TV station in Albuquerque -- NBC affiliate KOB-TV. KOB was instrumental in getting ReelzChannel Chairman and CEO Stan E. Hubbard interested in the idea of relocating to business-friendly New Mexico. ReelzChannel is the first TV network to move there. ?We are excited to welcome ReelzChannel to New Mexico and into our state?s thriving television and film industry,? Governor Bill Richardson said in a statement. ?The network?s decision to relocate operations to New Mexico is a testament to the hard work we?ve put into making our state a world-class production destination. We look forward to growing that reputation through this new partnership.? ReelzChannel, with its tag line "TV About Movies," should find plenty of programming fodder right in its new backyard. Richardson has made movie and TV production a priority during his administration. And the state is home to myriad film festivals and has been home to dozens of film and TV productions including the latest iterations of the Indiana Jones and Transformers franchises as well as 3:10 to Yuma and No Country for Old Men. "Joining New Mexico's thriving film and television industry creates exciting opportunities for our fast growing network dedicated to TV About Movies,? said Hubbard in a statement. "We have witnessed remarkable efforts by the Governor and the New Mexico Film Office to quickly rally strong public and private support, and we are confident the move will benefit New Mexico by contributing new jobs that will help to solidify this new entertainment stronghold.? The move will consolidate ReelzChannel's programming, production, web development, creative services, marketing and communications divisions under the same proverbial roof for the first time. Advertising sales will remain in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and a Los Angeles bureau will be established for coverage of major entertainment and movie stories and events. ReelzChannel is available in more than 43 million homes via cable and satellite including Direct TV and DISH. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Fri Jan 9 09:27:03 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 10:27:03 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Udall committee assignments Message-ID: <5EF2E4B3775C4A2480B1B9E71D7E117E@yourfsyly0jtwn> Udall Learns His Senate Assignments Albuquerque Journal Friday, January 09, 2009 By Michael Coleman Journal Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, learned this week that he has been appointed to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, as well as the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Commerce Committee has especially wide-ranging jurisdiction, including consumer protection, telecommunications, railways, and science and innovation. The Environment and Public Works Committee in recent years has served as the chief committee responsible for combating climate change, and also plays a leading role in crafting federal environmental policy. Udall, who is succeeding longtime Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, was sworn in for his first Senate term on Tuesday and said he was thrilled with the appointments. "Both of these committee assignments will help me protect New Mexico," Udall said in a brief interview. He pointed out that the science element of his committee work will dovetail effectively with the needs of Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, and that New Mexicans also "care really deeply about environment and public works issues." Udall highlighted the Commerce Committee's role in spurring economic development. "New Mexico's future ability to create high-quality jobs depends on having a modern system of transportation and communication," he said in a prepared statement. "We also need strong rules to protect consumers and help American businesses keep the public's trust. On the Commerce Committee, I will be able to address all of these issues and ensure that my constituents have a strong advocate for their interests." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Fri Jan 9 10:56:45 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:56:45 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest Stimulus Funding Request Message-ID: <20090109105645.isxumgnhl4488oos@www2.dcn.org> New Mexico Business Weekly - January 8, 2009 http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/01/05/daily42.html Qwest seeks stimulus dollars for broadband Qwest Communications International Inc. sent a letter to the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday asking the federal government to use some of its planned economic stimulus spending to increase high-speed Internet access in unserved areas. The Denver-based telecom mailed the four-page proposal to the transition team and to Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter. In it, the company proposes that the government make an unspecified amount money available to states, which would request bids from companies proposing to achieve 95 percent statewide availability of broadband that?s 7-megabits-per-second or faster. Chuck Ward, Qwest?s Colorado president, helped formulate aspects of the proposal and said he?s optimistic broadband expansion will be included in the Obama administration?s proposed infrastructure spending. ?It certainly satisfies the stimulus program?s objective, and that?s putting people to work,? Ward said. Qwest doesn?t know how much money its proposal would require, because no one knows exactly what areas various private broadband service providers fail to reach, Ward said. The proposal?s cost would run into the billions of dollars, at a minimum, however. Qwest alone spent $300 million in 2008 upgrading its existing broadband infrastructure in 23 cities to make its network there capable of offering between 7 mbps or 20 mbps download speeds. Building a new fiber optic network to unserved areas nationwide, many of them remote, is far more costly given the greater distances. Beyond the creation of thousands of new jobs and helping protect existing telecommunications employment, Qwest argues, such spending would help close the glaring technology gap between urban and rural parts of America. ?...while many urban areas have multiple broadband service providers, competitive prices, and speeds in excess of 7 Mbps, many rural areas lack even the most basic broadband offerings,? Qwest?s letter said. The company considers 7 Mbps speed to be the lowest at which movie and song downloading is quick enough to satisfy consumers and fast enough for to handle other online video applications. Greg Avery of the Denver Business Journal, an affiliated publication, contributed this report. All contents of this site ? American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tom at jtjohnson.com Fri Jan 9 13:43:05 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 14:43:05 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Join the Member Call on Jan. 15 In-Reply-To: <9112410.1231529300331.JavaMail.www@app18> References: <9112410.1231529300331.JavaMail.www@app18> Message-ID: fyi, folks. -tj ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Misty Perez Truedson Date: Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 12:27 PM Subject: Join the Member Call on Jan. 15 To: tom at jtjohnson.com [image: Internet for Everyone] Hi Tom, [image: Bridging America's Digital Divide] [image: The Quintero Family, Los Angeles] *Watch these new **videos from InternetforEveryone.org* Yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama made a clear commitment to "expanding broadband across America, so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world." Obama's timing was perfect, as it coincided with the launch of InternetforEveryone.org's online forum (the Digital Town Hall), allowing people from across the country to speak out about the issues they face getting online in their communities. Your participation in the next town hall meeting and the Digital Town Hall is so important. Please join a meeting of all InternetforEveryone.org members to discuss our next steps as a coalition. The all-member conference callis on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT). If you are unable to join us please consider having another member of your team dial in. Join the discussion about the town hall meeting in February. Click here to RSVP for the conference call. *InternetforEveryone.org Member Call Agenda: * *3:00 *-- Brief introductions *3:10* -- InternetforEveryone.org updates *3:15* -- Report back from the Los Angeles town hall meeting *3:20* -- Future town hall meetings *3:30* -- Working group structure *3:35* -- Member updates *3:40* -- Next steps It would be great to have as many participants on the call as possible. Please feel free to share this invitation with any new organizations that you would like to join the InternetforEveryone.org coalition. I look forward to talking with you! Misty Perez Truedson Campaign Coordinator Free Press :: http://www.freepress.net/ 413-585-1533 X217 mperez at freepress.net InternetforEveryone.org is a national coalition of individuals, public interest and industry groups who are working together to see that the Internet continues to drive free speech, economic growth and prosperity in America. Learn more at *www.internetforeveryone.org/ * -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Mon Jan 12 11:43:01 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:43:01 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Obama broadband plan Message-ID: <8B6BD150ED784831B6C4E27F70F0C62F@yourfsyly0jtwn> There is a golden opportunity, with the Obama Administration coming in, to re-think (and, more importantly, to re-DO) communications infrastructure in these United States - including our own. However, there is some worrisome content in this article (along with only one hopeful note). Emphasis supplied. Neither public, nor public-private "open" networks, seem to be under consideration at this point. Carroll Obama's Broadband Plan Tax breaks for companies that increase Internet speed or create new networks are likely to go to existing large players January 7, 2009 BusinessWeek David Foldvari By Arik Hesseldahl The Obama Administration has pledged support for universal broadband, or making speedy Internet service available to all Americans. But the ideas under consideration by the President-elect's transition team are likely to fall short of the radical changes some activists have sought. At the core of the $20 billion to $30 billion effort under discussion by Obama's advisers are tax breaks for companies that extend the availability of broadband or, in regions where it already exists, boost the speed of service, several people involved in the discussions tell BusinessWeek. Companies that build broadband networks in areas with no service could receive as much as 60% of their investment back in tax credits. Companies that increase the speed of existing networks could get tax credits of as much as 40%. The tax incentives also could be structured to promote high broadband speeds, according to Jeffrey Campbell, director of technology and communications policy for network equipment maker Cisco Systems (CSCO ). For example, some analysts say the government could give 20% tax credits for 20-megabit-per-second service and 40% credits for 100-megabit service. As currently conceived, the incentives would be available to any company. However, those most likely to benefit would be existing broadband providers such as AT&T (T ), Verizon Communications (VZ ), and Comcast (CMCSA ), because they have the capital to make investments, and it costs less to extend their networks than it does to build new ones. The new Administration appears unlikely to push forcefully for more competition in broadband, an idea that activist groups such as Free Press and Public Knowledge say is essential if the U.S. wants to catch up to broadband leaders such as Korea. "Broadband is a natural duopoly," counters Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. Proposals to create a third competitor to take on the telecom and cable companies in most markets, he says, are "misguided." Bonds in the Offing? The Obama transition team is still working on the broadband plan, and details could change. One issue that has not been resolved is whether the federal government will help companies issue bonds to finance broadband buildouts. Such a program could help companies such as Clearwire (CLWR ), a struggling Kirkland (Wash.) startup that wants to roll out wireless broadband service across the country. Blair Levin, point person for broadband on the transition team, declined to comment for this story. Levin and his team are working on proposals to stimulate demand for broadband service. Schools, libraries, and health-care organizations could get tax breaks or grants for expanding the range of services they offer online. One of Obama's talking points during the Presidential campaign was that wider use of digital health records could improve the industry's productivity and cut costs. In addition to the tax credits under discussion, the federal government may also provide grants to states for the construction of broadband networks in regions that never get coverage. States probably would use the money to hire private companies to build networks in remote areas. The Agriculture Dept. already has a Rural Development Broadband Program, which has connected nearly 600,000 households in 40 states since 2002. The broadband push is an important part of the Obama Administration's broader stimulus plan because it addresses several goals. Besides creating immediate jobs in construction and allowing more people to use the Internet, the effort could raise the country's broadband standing internationally. Once ranked fourth in the world by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, the U.S. has fallen to 15th among developed countries in broadband penetration, well behind nations such as Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. "Broadband is the key to America's economic future," says S. Derek Turner, research director at Free Press. "Broadband is a great way to create thousands of new jobs, but we have to do it in the right way." Although details of the Obama plan have not been announced, telecom and cable companies are in favor of the government's support for universal broadband. "It's a worthy goal," says Thomas J. Tauke, executive vice-president at Verizon Communications. The existing broadband companies say it's crucial that Washington doesn't hurt the ongoing investments in Internet infrastructure. Many outfits, for example, don't think the government should make direct investments in broadband networks that could compete against the telecom and cable players' services. But Turner at Free Press is skeptical that a broadband program relying heavily on tax credits is the best approach. The risk, he says, is that the country will fail to encourage competition, and the money spent will go largely to the telecom and cable companies that already dominate the business. "There's no point to doing all this if all we're doing is writing the incumbent [players] a blank check," he says. With Pete Engardio and Peter Elstrom in New York. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From john at citylinkfiber.com Mon Jan 12 16:16:37 2009 From: john at citylinkfiber.com (John Brown) Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:16:37 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Update on SkyWi, TRO hearing moved to Feb 2, 2009 In-Reply-To: <494C4C2C.9060903@bobknight.net> References: <494C492D.4030601@ideapete.com> <494C4BCD.1050500@bobknight.net> <494C4C2C.9060903@bobknight.net> Message-ID: <45E6CE14DCD69E4490CF3ACDA767AED1048D8E@deathstar.citylinkfiber.intra> The Federal Court hearing that was scheduled for January 13, 2009 to determine if a preliminary injunction was needed in the matter SkyWi vs Qwest has been vacated and reset to early Feb. The attached public record document explains why. To quote The continuance of the scheduled hearing is requested to allow the Parties to continue negotiations with a third party seeking to purchase part of Plaintiff's companies which may negate the need for injunctive relief in this case. The negotiations between the Parties and the third party are anticipated to continue through the end of the month of January. As such, Plaintiff requests that the hearing on Plaintiff's Amended Motion for Preliminary Injunction be rescheduled at the Court's convenience after February 2, 2009. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: pdf.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 15952 bytes Desc: pdf.pdf URL: From granoff at zianet.com Tue Jan 13 09:20:29 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:20:29 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, January 13, 2009 Message-ID: <20090113172043.54BB52BAB@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >More States Seek to Collect Internet Sales Taxes > With the recession pummeling states' budgets, their > governments increasingly want to fill the gaps by collecting taxes > on Internet sales, which are growing even as the economy shudders. > And that is sparking conflict with companies that do business > online only and have enjoyed being able to offer sales-tax free shopping. > Read more: > http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2009-01-12-online-sales-taxes_N.htm > > >Security, Privacy Among Reasons Against Obama's BlackBerry > Why can't President-elect Barack Obama keep his BlackBerry? > Obama would be an extraordinarily juicy target for hackers, spies > and other snoops who could try to exploit any kind of error made in > configuring the device or the White House BlackBerry server to read > Obama's e-mail. > Read more: > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/technology/internet/12blackberry.html?_r=1 From owen at backspaces.net Tue Jan 13 15:18:23 2009 From: owen at backspaces.net (Owen Densmore) Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:18:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Message-ID: I was probing around for internet tv services (I'm considering dropping cable/sat/.. and moving to AppleTV + "home theater" or similar .. i.e. "internet tv") and happened across a NFL football site that offers HD service through something called FiOS .. which I hadn't seen before. Apparently there's a very nifty broadband service evolving: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fios Here's an older survey on it: http://tinyurl.com/8m4mgx One interesting statement they make is: The results are clear. If speed is what you're after, go with FiOS first, cable second and DSL last. (I'd be suspicious of the DSL/Cable difference, given the shared nature of cable.) Has anyone tried FiOS? Unfortunately it is not available in Santa Fe .. we're a bit third world, alas. But maybe it'll get here some time and I'd like to know if your experiences are good. -- Owen From editorsteve at gmail.com Wed Jan 14 06:19:48 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:19:48 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <496DF484.9010901@gmail.com> Yup on FiOS. Look, I edit a magazine that LOVES fiber to the home. So I have a bias. But the word from Consumer's Union on FiOS specifically is "get it if you can... it is amazing." Customers seem to like it... a lot. The churn is 1.5% a month -- basically, the rate at which people change addresses. Otherwise, they can't pry FiOS out of customers' hands. This is the way it is for FTTH. More than 450 mainly rural providers (for the most part, small "tier 3 Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers" -- the phone companies) also offer FTTH, and their churn rate is lower in the aggregate than Verizon's -- apparently because folks who live in rural areas don't move as often as the national average. About 15 million homes can now get FTTH in the US, and more than 70% are served by Verizon. Verizon will have half its 35-million-home footprint served by FiOS in another 18 months. Verizon itself is so comfortable with the technology that it is quietly overbuilding AT&T U-Verse in Texas and Maryland. U-Verse is fiber to the node, which means the fiber ends on average 2500 feet from the subscriber and old copper takes over from there, using a souped-up variant of DSL called ADSL2+. It may be the only reason to move to Plano, Texas. Imagine. AT&T, with a damn good service offering up to 10 Mbps, is in competition with a better service offering 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up.... while most of New Mexico is "served" (in the sense a bull serves a cow down at the ranch) by Qwest. To be fair, Verizon spends about $5 billion a year on FiOS expansion alone, and Qwest's entire market value is less than that. The new fiber technologies, especially GPON and EPON for FTTH, are amazingly reliable, because the fiber is immune to lightning and electrical interference. In fact, the distribution hubs are for the most part entirely optical. There's no electricity at all in the distribution system -- just at the customer end and in the central office. The routers and switches are all pretty "smart," so they monitor themselves; quality of service is thus excellent. All broadband network builders use "oversubscription." That is, the total backhaul bandwidth does not come close to the total bandwidth promised individual subscribers. But Verizon is evidently very conservative. If you signed up for 50 Mbps, and you need it, it's there when you press your pedal to the metal. This all contributes to low latency -- especially neat for gamers. so Verizon (it's evidently not your father's phone company) funds the "world championships" for gamers -- in Korea, where it has no customers -- to stimulate demand, because only FTTH can deliver the performance gamers need. So... you need a phone... with a dial... we have that in... black... Large housing complexes -- MDUs -- can get FiOS through its "Verizon Enhanced Communities" program. Verizon basically invades a lackluster competitor's territory as a CLEC -- competitive local exchange carrier. It works when Verizon can latch on to a fiber interstate trunk nearby. This is a twist on an old business, that of the "private cable operator." So many large property owners are happy to play ball. Some cities do it themselves, too. But cash flow has to be carefully planned or you end up like a carrier in Albuquerque did. Otherwise, you need a forward-looking state that really cares about economic development (or a President with a national broadband plan... and it may happen... I'm up to my armpits in transition plans). Our latest studies on that are at www.bbpmag.com. There's also a 32-page "primer" there that explains this stuff in reasonably plain English. Or Spanish (we did it for South American telcos). Once the fiber is laid, it is pretty much future proof. Instead of carrying one wavelength of light, off-the-shelf equipment now allows multiples, and the standard calls for 1024. The new "10Gig" lasers up the throughput by 4 times more per wavelength by pulsing faster. Acoustically-linked optical circular polarization (already used in some equipment, but not for communications) gives each wavelength a thousand-fold increase. So swap out some electronics at the central office and each single plain fiber laid today will be able to carry 4 million fibers' worth of traffic down the road. That's about 500 exabytes per second ON A SINGLE FIBER. Total world traffic today is about 500 exabytes a YEAR. Copper... is so... last-century. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Tom Johnson wrote: > Steve: > You have experience with FiOS, don't you? > > -tom > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *Owen Densmore* > > Date: Jan 13, 2009 4:18 PM > Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia > To: 1st-Mile-NM <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > >, The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group > > > I was probing around for internet tv services (I'm considering > dropping cable/sat/.. and moving to AppleTV + "home theater" or > similar .. i.e. "internet tv") and happened across a NFL football site > that offers HD service through something called FiOS .. which I hadn't > seen before. > > Apparently there's a very nifty broadband service evolving: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fios > Here's an older survey on it: > http://tinyurl.com/8m4mgx > One interesting statement they make is: The results are clear. If > speed is what you're after, go with FiOS first, cable second and DSL > last. (I'd be suspicious of the DSL/Cable difference, given the > shared nature of cable.) > > Has anyone tried FiOS? Unfortunately it is not available in Santa > Fe .. we're a bit third world, alas. But maybe it'll get here some > time and I'd like to know if your experiences are good. > > -- Owen > > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > > -- > ========================================== > J. T. Johnson > Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA > www.analyticjournalism.com > 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) > http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com > > > "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. > To change something, build a new model that makes the > existing model obsolete." > -- Buckminster Fuller > ========================================== From john at citylinkfiber.com Wed Jan 14 06:51:44 2009 From: john at citylinkfiber.com (John Brown) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:51:44 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In-Reply-To: <496DF484.9010901@gmail.com> Message-ID: <45E6CE14DCD69E4490CF3ACDA767AED1048DE9@deathstar.citylinkfiber.intra> CityLink offers Fiber to the Home in Albuquerque. Our Service isn't FiOS, its BETTER, 100Mb/s up and down. We've attempted to do this in Santa Fe, but the City seems VERY VERY slow in getting the approval process moving forward. We've spent a year and no one in the Santa Fe City has been able to even provide the details on starting the Franchise process. Santa Fe is only behind the times because its leadership doesn't keep up or is to tied down with local politics. Its sort of funny. You have a private sector company that wants to spend its money and deploy fiber. All it needs is permission to use the Rights of Way. Its willing to hook schools, community centers, libraries and City buildings up at no cost. Yet the City can't seem to sort out how to let this happen. We are the only GREEN builder of Fiber networks in the state. We use robots to deeply fiber via the existing storm and sewer systems, we use specialized micro-trenching which only requires 5/8" by 8" trench to place 288 strands of fiber. That's 288 homes. Our methods use between 70 and 90 percent less oil based products, fuels and materials than traditional methods. John Brown CityLink Fiber Holdings, Inc. New Mexico's only Certified FTTH Provider Certification by the National Fiber-to-the-Home Council -----Original Message----- From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Steve Ross Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:20 AM To: Tom Johnson; 1st-Mile-NM Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia Yup on FiOS. Look, I edit a magazine that LOVES fiber to the home. So I have a bias. But the word from Consumer's Union on FiOS specifically is "get it if you can... it is amazing." Customers seem to like it... a lot. The churn is 1.5% a month -- basically, the rate at which people change addresses. Otherwise, they can't pry FiOS out of customers' hands. This is the way it is for FTTH. More than 450 mainly rural providers (for the most part, small "tier 3 Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers" -- the phone companies) also offer FTTH, and their churn rate is lower in the aggregate than Verizon's -- apparently because folks who live in rural areas don't move as often as the national average. About 15 million homes can now get FTTH in the US, and more than 70% are served by Verizon. Verizon will have half its 35-million-home footprint served by FiOS in another 18 months. Verizon itself is so comfortable with the technology that it is quietly overbuilding AT&T U-Verse in Texas and Maryland. U-Verse is fiber to the node, which means the fiber ends on average 2500 feet from the subscriber and old copper takes over from there, using a souped-up variant of DSL called ADSL2+. It may be the only reason to move to Plano, Texas. Imagine. AT&T, with a damn good service offering up to 10 Mbps, is in competition with a better service offering 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up.... while most of New Mexico is "served" (in the sense a bull serves a cow down at the ranch) by Qwest. To be fair, Verizon spends about $5 billion a year on FiOS expansion alone, and Qwest's entire market value is less than that. The new fiber technologies, especially GPON and EPON for FTTH, are amazingly reliable, because the fiber is immune to lightning and electrical interference. In fact, the distribution hubs are for the most part entirely optical. There's no electricity at all in the distribution system -- just at the customer end and in the central office. The routers and switches are all pretty "smart," so they monitor themselves; quality of service is thus excellent. All broadband network builders use "oversubscription." That is, the total backhaul bandwidth does not come close to the total bandwidth promised individual subscribers. But Verizon is evidently very conservative. If you signed up for 50 Mbps, and you need it, it's there when you press your pedal to the metal. This all contributes to low latency -- especially neat for gamers. so Verizon (it's evidently not your father's phone company) funds the "world championships" for gamers -- in Korea, where it has no customers -- to stimulate demand, because only FTTH can deliver the performance gamers need. So... you need a phone... with a dial... we have that in... black... Large housing complexes -- MDUs -- can get FiOS through its "Verizon Enhanced Communities" program. Verizon basically invades a lackluster competitor's territory as a CLEC -- competitive local exchange carrier. It works when Verizon can latch on to a fiber interstate trunk nearby. This is a twist on an old business, that of the "private cable operator." So many large property owners are happy to play ball. Some cities do it themselves, too. But cash flow has to be carefully planned or you end up like a carrier in Albuquerque did. Otherwise, you need a forward-looking state that really cares about economic development (or a President with a national broadband plan... and it may happen... I'm up to my armpits in transition plans). Our latest studies on that are at www.bbpmag.com. There's also a 32-page "primer" there that explains this stuff in reasonably plain English. Or Spanish (we did it for South American telcos). Once the fiber is laid, it is pretty much future proof. Instead of carrying one wavelength of light, off-the-shelf equipment now allows multiples, and the standard calls for 1024. The new "10Gig" lasers up the throughput by 4 times more per wavelength by pulsing faster. Acoustically-linked optical circular polarization (already used in some equipment, but not for communications) gives each wavelength a thousand-fold increase. So swap out some electronics at the central office and each single plain fiber laid today will be able to carry 4 million fibers' worth of traffic down the road. That's about 500 exabytes per second ON A SINGLE FIBER. Total world traffic today is about 500 exabytes a YEAR. Copper... is so... last-century. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Tom Johnson wrote: > Steve: > You have experience with FiOS, don't you? > > -tom > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *Owen Densmore* > > Date: Jan 13, 2009 4:18 PM > Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia > To: 1st-Mile-NM <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > >, The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group > > > I was probing around for internet tv services (I'm considering > dropping cable/sat/.. and moving to AppleTV + "home theater" or > similar .. i.e. "internet tv") and happened across a NFL football site > that offers HD service through something called FiOS .. which I hadn't > seen before. > > Apparently there's a very nifty broadband service evolving: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fios > Here's an older survey on it: > http://tinyurl.com/8m4mgx > One interesting statement they make is: The results are clear. If > speed is what you're after, go with FiOS first, cable second and DSL > last. (I'd be suspicious of the DSL/Cable difference, given the > shared nature of cable.) > > Has anyone tried FiOS? Unfortunately it is not available in Santa Fe > .. we're a bit third world, alas. But maybe it'll get here some time > and I'd like to know if your experiences are good. > > -- Owen > > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > > -- > ========================================== > J. T. Johnson > Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA > www.analyticjournalism.com > 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) > http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com > > > "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. > To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model > obsolete." > -- Buckminster Fuller > ========================================== _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From william.zayas at fibercrossing.net Wed Jan 14 07:01:38 2009 From: william.zayas at fibercrossing.net (William Zayas) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:01:38 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Message-ID: <76ldcu$jcv1g@mailfilter3.centennialpr.net> Steve, Down here in Puerto Rico we are currently building a FTTP network based on Active Ethernet gear from Packetfront . We decide to go with AE topology for several reason but the most important in the cost. Because we are a small island but with a high density population area is more cost effective the Active Ethernet topology. Other important thing is the operational model is based on Open Access. Basically we are building a fourth utility system for the people of Puerto Rico. Just imagine a dedicated Optical Ethernet port of 100Mbps symmetrical stream with the freedom of choice to select the best cost effective Service Provider. regards William Zayas Chief Technology Officer Fibercrossing Corp. City View Plaza Suite 107 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00968 Office:(787)620-0046 Mobile:(787)530-9191 www.fibercrossing.net -----Original Message----- From: "John Brown" To: editorsteve at gmail.com; "Tom Johnson" ; "1st-Mile-NM" <1st-mile-nm at crank.dcn.davis.ca.us> Sent: 1/14/09 10:51 AM Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia CityLink offers Fiber to the Home in Albuquerque. Our Service isn't FiOS, its BETTER, 100Mb/s up and down. We've attempted to do this in Santa Fe, but the City seems VERY VERY slow in getting the approval process moving forward. We've spent a year and no one in the Santa Fe City has been able to even provide the details on starting the Franchise process. Santa Fe is only behind the times because its leadership doesn't keep up or is to tied down with local politics. Its sort of funny. You have a private sector company that wants to spend its money and deploy fiber. All it needs is permission to use the Rights of Way. Its willing to hook schools, community centers, libraries and City buildings up at no cost. Yet the City can't seem to sort out how to let this happen. We are the only GREEN builder of Fiber networks in the state. We use robots to deeply fiber via the existing storm and sewer systems, we use specialized micro-trenching which only requires 5/8" by 8" trench to place 288 strands of fiber. That's 288 homes. Our methods use between 70 and 90 percent less oil based products, fuels and materials than traditional methods. John Brown CityLink Fiber Holdings, Inc. New Mexico's only Certified FTTH Provider Certification by the National Fiber-to-the-Home Council -----Original Message----- From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Steve Ross Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:20 AM To: Tom Johnson; 1st-Mile-NM Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia Yup on FiOS. Look, I edit a magazine that LOVES fiber to the home. So I have a bias. But the word from Consumer's Union on FiOS specifically is "get it if you can... it is amazing." Customers seem to like it... a lot. The churn is 1.5% a month -- basically, the rate at which people change addresses. Otherwise, they can't pry FiOS out of customers' hands. This is the way it is for FTTH. More than 450 mainly rural providers (for the most part, small "tier 3 Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers" -- the phone companies) also offer FTTH, and their churn rate is lower in the aggregate than Verizon's -- apparently because folks who live in rural areas don't move as often as the national average. About 15 million homes can now get FTTH in the US, and more than 70% are served by Verizon. Verizon will have half its 35-million-home footprint served by FiOS in another 18 months. Verizon itself is so comfortable with the technology that it is quietly overbuilding AT&T U-Verse in Texas and Maryland. U-Verse is fiber to the node, which means the fiber ends on average 2500 feet from the subscriber and old copper takes over from there, using a souped-up variant of DSL called ADSL2+. It may be the only reason to move to Plano, Texas. Imagine. AT&T, with a damn good service offering up to 10 Mbps, is in competition with a better service offering 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up.... while most of New Mexico is "served" (in the sense a bull serves a cow down at the ranch) by Qwest. To be fair, Verizon spends about $5 billion a year on FiOS expansion alone, and Qwest's entire market value is less than that. The new fiber technologies, especially GPON and EPON for FTTH, are amazingly reliable, because the fiber is immune to lightning and electrical interference. In fact, the distribution hubs are for the most part entirely optical. There's no electricity at all in the distribution system -- just at the customer end and in the central office. The routers and switches are all pretty "smart," so they monitor themselves; quality of service is thus excellent. All broadband network builders use "oversubscription." That is, the total backhaul bandwidth does not come close to the total bandwidth promised individual subscribers. But Verizon is evidently very conservative. If you signed up for 50 Mbps, and you need it, it's there when you press your pedal to the metal. This all contributes to low latency -- especially neat for gamers. so Verizon (it's evidently not your father's phone company) funds the "world championships" for gamers -- in Korea, where it has no customers -- to stimulate demand, because only FTTH can deliver the performance gamers need. So... you need a phone... with a dial... we have that in... black... Large housing complexes -- MDUs -- can get FiOS through its "Verizon Enhanced Communities" program. Verizon basically invades a lackluster competitor's territory as a CLEC -- competitive local exchange carrier. It works when Verizon can latch on to a fiber interstate trunk nearby. This is a twist on an old business, that of the "private cable operator." So many large property owners are happy to play ball. Some cities do it themselves, too. But cash flow has to be carefully planned or you end up like a carrier in Albuquerque did. Otherwise, you need a forward-looking state that really cares about economic development (or a President with a national broadband plan... and it may happen... I'm up to my armpits in transition plans). Our latest studies on that are at www.bbpmag.com. There's also a 32-page "primer" there that explains this stuff in reasonably plain English. Or Spanish (we did it for South American telcos). Once the fiber is laid, it is pretty much future proof. Instead of carrying one wavelength of light, off-the-shelf equipment now allows multiples, and the standard calls for 1024. The new "10Gig" lasers up the throughput by 4 times more per wavelength by pulsing faster. Acoustically-linked optical circular polarization (already used in some equipment, but not for communications) gives each wavelength a thousand-fold increase. So swap out some electronics at the central office and each single plain fiber laid today will be able to carry 4 million fibers' worth of traffic down the road. That's about 500 exabytes per second ON A SINGLE FIBER. Total world traffic today is about 500 exabytes a YEAR. Copper... is so... last-century. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Tom Johnson wrote: > Steve: > You have experience with FiOS, don't you? > > -tom > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *Owen Densmore* > > Date: Jan 13, 2009 4:18 PM > Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia > To: 1st-Mile-NM <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > >, The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group > > > I was probing around for internet tv services (I'm considering > dropping cable/sat/.. and moving to AppleTV + "home theater" or > similar .. i.e. "internet tv") and happened across a NFL football site > that offers HD service through something called FiOS .. which I hadn't > seen before. > > Apparently there's a very nifty broadband service evolving: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fios > Here's an older survey on it: > http://tinyurl.com/8m4mgx > One interesting statement they make is: The results are clear. If > speed is what you're after, go with FiOS first, cable second and DSL > last. (I'd be suspicious of the DSL/Cable difference, given the > shared nature of cable.) > > Has anyone tried FiOS? Unfortunately it is not available in Santa Fe > .. we're a bit third world, alas. But maybe it'll get here some time > and I'd like to know if your experiences are good. > > -- Owen > > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > > -- > ========================================== > J. T. Johnson > Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA > www.analyticjournalism.com > 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) > http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com > > > "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. > To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model > obsolete." > -- Buckminster Fuller > ========================================== _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From editorsteve at gmail.com Wed Jan 14 07:18:54 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:18:54 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In-Reply-To: <76ldcu$jcv1g@mailfilter3.centennialpr.net> References: <76ldcu$jcv1g@mailfilter3.centennialpr.net> Message-ID: <496E025E.9020008@gmail.com> We've been following Puerto Rico -- thanks to PacketFront -- and will want to do a story on it soon. I spend a lot of time in Jamaica and tell them to do the same thing. Makes sense even at their household income. The ability of P2P to do open access easier than with GPON (it is easier for ISPs to co-locate in a P2P CO, for one thing) is beginning to erode. But P2P is amazingly flexible in other ways -- easier VPNs, for instance, and more symmetrical bandwidth. BTW, in many US cities, the COs are space-constrained and power-constrained, and GPON can offer a real advantage there. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile William Zayas wrote: > Steve, > Down here in Puerto Rico we are currently building a FTTP network based on Active Ethernet gear from Packetfront . > We decide to go with AE topology for several reason but the most important in the cost. > Because we are a small island but with a high density population area is more cost effective the Active Ethernet topology. > Other important thing is the operational model is based on Open Access. Basically we are building a fourth utility system for the people of Puerto Rico. > Just imagine a dedicated Optical Ethernet port of 100Mbps symmetrical stream with the freedom of choice to select the best cost effective Service Provider. > > > regards > > William Zayas > Chief Technology Officer > Fibercrossing Corp. > City View Plaza Suite 107 > Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00968 > Office:(787)620-0046 > Mobile:(787)530-9191 > www.fibercrossing.net > > -----Original Message----- > From: "John Brown" > To: editorsteve at gmail.com; "Tom Johnson" ; "1st-Mile-NM" <1st-mile-nm at crank.dcn.davis.ca.us> > Sent: 1/14/09 10:51 AM > Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia > > > > CityLink offers Fiber to the Home in Albuquerque. > > Our Service isn't FiOS, its BETTER, 100Mb/s up and down. > > We've attempted to do this in Santa Fe, but the City seems VERY VERY > slow in getting the approval process moving forward. We've spent a year > and no one in the Santa Fe City has been able to even provide the > details on starting the Franchise process. Santa Fe is only behind the > times because its leadership doesn't keep up or is to tied down with > local politics. Its sort of funny. You have a private sector company > that wants to spend its money and deploy fiber. All it needs is > permission to use the Rights of Way. Its willing to hook schools, > community centers, libraries and City buildings up at no cost. Yet the > City can't seem to sort out how to let this happen. > > We are the only GREEN builder of Fiber networks in the state. We use > robots to deeply fiber via the existing storm and sewer systems, we use > specialized micro-trenching which only requires 5/8" by 8" trench to > place 288 strands of fiber. That's 288 homes. Our methods use between > 70 and 90 percent less oil based products, fuels and materials than > traditional methods. > > > John Brown > CityLink Fiber Holdings, Inc. > New Mexico's only Certified FTTH Provider > Certification by the National Fiber-to-the-Home Council > > > -----Original Message----- > From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org > [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Steve Ross > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:20 AM > To: Tom Johnson; 1st-Mile-NM > Subject: Re: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia,the free > encyclopedia > > Yup on FiOS. > > Look, I edit a magazine that LOVES fiber to the home. So I have a bias. > But the word from Consumer's Union on FiOS specifically is "get it if > you can... it is amazing." > > Customers seem to like it... a lot. The churn is 1.5% a month -- > basically, the rate at which people change addresses. Otherwise, they > can't pry FiOS out of customers' > hands. > > This is the way it is for FTTH. More than 450 mainly rural providers > (for the most part, small "tier 3 Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers" -- > the phone companies) also offer FTTH, and their churn rate is lower in > the aggregate than Verizon's -- apparently because folks who live in > rural areas don't move as often as the national average. > > About 15 million homes can now get FTTH in the US, and more than 70% are > served by Verizon. Verizon will have half its 35-million-home footprint > served by FiOS in another 18 months. > > Verizon itself is so comfortable with the technology that it is quietly > overbuilding AT&T U-Verse in Texas and Maryland. > U-Verse is fiber to the node, which means the fiber ends on average 2500 > feet from the subscriber and old copper takes over from there, using a > souped-up variant of DSL called ADSL2+. > > It may be the only reason to move to Plano, Texas. Imagine. > AT&T, with a damn good service offering up to 10 Mbps, is in competition > with a better service offering 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up.... while most > of New Mexico is "served" (in the sense a bull serves a cow down at the > ranch) by Qwest. > > To be fair, Verizon spends about $5 billion a year on FiOS expansion > alone, and Qwest's entire market value is less than that. > > The new fiber technologies, especially GPON and EPON for FTTH, are > amazingly reliable, because the fiber is immune to lightning and > electrical interference. In fact, the distribution hubs are for the most > part entirely optical. > There's no electricity at all in the distribution system -- just at the > customer end and in the central office. The routers and switches are all > pretty "smart," so they monitor themselves; quality of service is thus > excellent. > > All broadband network builders use "oversubscription." That is, the > total backhaul bandwidth does not come close to the total bandwidth > promised individual subscribers. But Verizon is evidently very > conservative. If you signed up for 50 Mbps, and you need it, it's there > when you press your pedal to the metal. > > This all contributes to low latency -- especially neat for gamers. so > Verizon (it's evidently not your father's phone > company) funds the "world championships" for gamers -- in Korea, where > it has no customers -- to stimulate demand, because only FTTH can > deliver the performance gamers need. > So... you need a phone... with a dial... we have that in... > black... > > Large housing complexes -- MDUs -- can get FiOS through its "Verizon > Enhanced Communities" program. Verizon basically invades a lackluster > competitor's territory as a CLEC -- competitive local exchange carrier. > It works when Verizon can latch on to a fiber interstate trunk nearby. > This is a twist on an old business, that of the "private cable > operator." So many large property owners are happy to play ball. > > Some cities do it themselves, too. But cash flow has to be carefully > planned or you end up like a carrier in Albuquerque did. > > Otherwise, you need a forward-looking state that really cares about > economic development (or a President with a national broadband plan... > and it may happen... I'm up to my armpits in transition plans). Our > latest studies on that are at www.bbpmag.com. There's also a 32-page > "primer" there that explains this stuff in reasonably plain English. Or > Spanish (we did it for South American telcos). > > Once the fiber is laid, it is pretty much future proof. > Instead of carrying one wavelength of light, off-the-shelf equipment now > allows multiples, and the standard calls for 1024. The new "10Gig" > lasers up the throughput by 4 times more per wavelength by pulsing > faster. Acoustically-linked optical circular polarization (already used > in some equipment, but not for communications) gives each wavelength a > thousand-fold increase. > > So swap out some electronics at the central office and each single plain > fiber laid today will be able to carry 4 million fibers' worth of > traffic down the road. That's about 500 exabytes per second ON A SINGLE > FIBER. Total world traffic today is about 500 exabytes a YEAR. > > Copper... is so... last-century. > > > > Steven S. Ross > Editor-in-Chief > Broadband Properties > steve at broadbandproperties.com > www.bbpmag.com > SKYPE: editorsteve > +1 781-284-8810 > +1 646-216-8030 fax > +1 201-456-5933 mobile > > Tom Johnson wrote: >> Steve: >> You have experience with FiOS, don't you? >> >> -tom >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: *Owen Densmore* > > >> Date: Jan 13, 2009 4:18 PM >> Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Verizon FiOS - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia >> To: 1st-Mile-NM <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> >, The Friday Morning Applied >> Complexity Coffee Group > >> >> I was probing around for internet tv services (I'm considering >> dropping cable/sat/.. and moving to AppleTV + "home theater" or >> similar .. i.e. "internet tv") and happened across a NFL football site > >> that offers HD service through something called FiOS .. which I hadn't > >> seen before. >> >> Apparently there's a very nifty broadband service evolving: >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fios >> Here's an older survey on it: >> http://tinyurl.com/8m4mgx >> One interesting statement they make is: The results are clear. If >> speed is what you're after, go with FiOS first, cable second and DSL >> last. (I'd be suspicious of the DSL/Cable difference, given the >> shared nature of cable.) >> >> Has anyone tried FiOS? Unfortunately it is not available in Santa Fe >> .. we're a bit third world, alas. But maybe it'll get here some time >> and I'd like to know if your experiences are good. >> >> -- Owen >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 1st-mile-nm mailing list >> 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm >> >> >> -- >> ========================================== >> J. T. Johnson >> Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA >> www.analyticjournalism.com >> 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) >> http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com >> >> >> "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. >> To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model >> obsolete." >> -- Buckminster Fuller >> ========================================== > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > > From granoff at zianet.com Thu Jan 15 08:18:34 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:18:34 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, January 15, 2009 Message-ID: <20090115161844.9DF1A2BCB@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. From another list. >Denial-of-Service Attack Hits GoDaddy.com > A distributed denial-of-service attack turned dark at least > several thousand Web sites hosted by GoDaddy.com morning. The > outage was intermittent over several hours, according to Nick > Fuller, GoDaddy.com communications manager. > Read more:http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10143010-2.html > From granoff at zianet.com Fri Jan 16 11:07:27 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:07:27 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Article from bizjournals.com: PRC likely to review Qwests treatment of ISPs Message-ID: <20090116190730.6C06C25EC@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. > >PRC likely to review Qwest's treatment of ISPs > > > >Published: January 19, 2009 > >Jane Hill, president of Cyber Mesa Telecom, said that every month >her staff gets a bill from Qwest Communications International that >is thousands of pages long. > >To continue reading, go to: >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/01/19/story4.html?surround=etf > > >Copyright(c) American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Sun Jan 18 10:03:48 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:03:48 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] PRC, Qwest and ISPs Message-ID: PRC likely to review Qwest's treatment of ISPs New Mexico Business Weekly - by Kevin Robinson-Avila NMBW Staff Friday, January 16, 2009 Jane Hill, president of Cyber Mesa Telecom, said that every month her staff gets a bill from Qwest Communications International that is thousands of pages long. "I have one full-time person who pretty much spends her time just dealing with Qwest bills," Hill said. "She has to review it carefully for errors, and when she finds problems, it often takes months to get them straightened out." Like many small phone and Internet companies, Santa Fe's Cyber Mesa buys wholesale access to Qwest's telecommunications infrastructure to sell retail services, such as DSL. But Cyber Mesa and others say the Baby Bell has used its monopoly control over fiber and wireline systems to make business costly and difficult. Common problems cited by the companies in a New Mexico Attorney General's report include lengthy phone bills (often with extensive errors and no easy way to address them), as well as extensive delays and problems when competitors ask Qwest to provide wholesale services. In addition, Hill and executives from other companies said Qwest regularly "slams" customers by unilaterally cutting off Internet service to their patrons without reason. Then, before hooking them back up, these executives add, Qwest tries to convince customers to switch to Qwest. The state attorney general documented these complaints by Cyber Mesa and five other companies in a report it filed with the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission last May. The AG is now pressing the PRC to hold hearings on the issues raised, said Assistant Attorney General Brian Harris. "The report aimed to supply probable cause to encourage the PRC to open an investigation," Harris said. "That still needs to happen." Qwest spokesman Mark Molzen, however, said the AG report lacks specific case examples and is largely based on "anonymous hearsay." "The commission has never made a finding that Qwest has violated any law, contract, tariff or rule in connection with any of our ISP [Internet service provider] customers," Molzen said. Nevertheless, PRC Chairman Sandy Jones said the commission will look at the issues very soon. "I hope to get it on the agenda as a general discussion item in the next couple of weeks," Jones said. "We must decide if we need a hearing to examine this further, or if it should just go straight into an investigation by commission staff." PRC Vice Chairman David King said he wants the attorney general to provide more information. "The report contains general charges that are not very specific," King said. "If we get enough specifics, that might open it up to a more general hearing about the issues." For their part, Hill and executives from two other companies - CNSP Internet in Santa Fe and Southwest Communications Systems in Gallup - said specific case documentation would be easy to compile. All three companies complain of Qwest's "slamming" [FCC definition: When your preferred telephone company is switched without your permission.] of customers, and they all described extensive billing problems in detail. "The slamming just goes on and on," Hill said. "Last week, we had two people slammed in one day, and another one over the weekend. Qwest uses any excuse when talking with customers to pull them off Cyber Mesa and put them on to Qwest service." Wendy Heinz, CFO and co-owner of Southwest Communications, said slamming is hurting her company. "It's the biggest problem we face," Heinz said. "We constantly lose DSL customers because of it." Heinz also said Qwest frequently bills her company for services not provided, and it has locked her firm into long-term contracts that prevent her from getting price reductions and discounts that Qwest retail customers receive. CNSP Vice President Albert Catanach said his company has faced chronic billing problems with Qwest. For example, CNSP requested a DS-3 circuit from Qwest in 2003 to offer faster DSL service to its business customers. The upgrade was not performed until 2005, and then, Catanach says, Qwest ended up offering a much more expensive OC-3 line that CNSP refused to pay for. "We've never had or used the OC-3, but Qwest has been billing us for it right up to today," Catanach said. In addition, CNSP says Qwest double-bills it for T-1 cables every time CNSP switches a current T-1 line to a new customer. Qwest now says CNSP has $460,000 in outstanding bills, pushing CNSP to seek PRC intervention, Catanach said. Harris said the attorney general wants these issues examined collectively by the PRC as part of a broad hearing to better regulate Qwest's treatment of ISPs. "I don't believe these problems can be resolved on a case-by-case basis," Harris said. "The PRC needs to create the appropriate conditions for competition to thrive." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Jan 20 13:55:17 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:55:17 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Santa Fe Resolution Message-ID: <20090120135517.z7sfs40uoc00c4s0@www2.dcn.org> Here?s the text of a Resolution currently before the City of Santa Fe. Any added information on supporting this, or on follow-up, from subscribers, is appreciated. rl ------- A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION TO CARRY OUT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE SANTA FE REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COALITION ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SANTA FE AND AUTHORIZING THE DIVISION TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNING DELIBERATIONS OF THE SANTA FE REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS COALITION. (Wurzburger, Dominguez) (Lee Depietro) WHEREAS, the Santa Fe Regional Telecommunications Coalition (SFRTC) was created to organize primary telecommunications bandwidth users in the Santa Fe region (defined to mean the geographic boundaries of Santa Fe County) with participation from Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, and the Santa Fe Community College (the Parties); and WHEREAS, the governing bodies of Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, and the Santa Fe Community College each have passed prior resolutions (City Resolution No. 2008-45)endorsing the creation and continuing collaboration of the SFRTC, and providing authorization for the SFRTC to seek membership in the NM LambdaRail network, which is the official access gateway and organization, managed by the University of New Mexico, and providing access to the ultra-high-speed national digital fiber telecommunications network; and WHEREAS, the Coalition has sought and been granted membership in the NM LambdaRail network, and use of the network or its equivalent has been considered as necessary to attaining the objectives of providing network connectivity from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and of constructing a local network loop that would serve all of the Parties and their constituent interests; and WHEREAS, each Party is currently engaged in the development of economic development projects and workforce development programming that rely on the existence of high-speed telecommunications networks: Santa Fe County (the ?County?) has entered into agreement with Santa Fe Studios to develop the Santa Fe County Media Park, providing land and funding for its establishment; the City of Santa Fe (the ?City?) is invested in various economic development projects that meet the Angelou plan to stimulate local business development; the Santa Fe Community College (?SFCC?) is developing two new facilities, its Health and Sciences Building and its Trades and Advanced Technology Center, promoting workforce development and distance learning, and SFCC has also been identified as a potential Santa Fe location for connection to the New Mexico Computing Applications Center; and WHEREAS, the Parties have engaged in a series of discussions outlining the importance of working together to make the Santa Fe region a connected community, with unlimited access for all to information resources that improve the quality of life, economic development opportunities, sustainability, education and training, and the provision of health and government services; WHEREAS, and the Parties now desire to formalize the establishment of the SFRTC and to set forth the methods and means by which the specific priorities and plans for the development of telecommunications infrastructure will be developed; and WHEREAS, the Parties have created a Memorandum of Agreement adopted by the Governing Body of the City of Santa Fe on ______________; and WHEREAS, the Memorandum of Agreement outlines the operating guidelines and agreements to accomplish these purposes and objectives under the organizational framework of the Coalition and requires the activities of the SFRTC be carried out by representatives who are full time employees of the respective Party, who shall be provided necessary responsibility and authority to actively participate in the planning deliberations of the SFRTC. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF SANTA FE that the city?s economic development division is directed to carry out the activities of the Santa Fe Regional Telecommunications Coalition on behalf of the city of Santa Fe and the division is authorized to actively participate in the planning deliberations of the Santa Fe Regional Telecommunications Coalition. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tom at jtjohnson.com Thu Jan 22 14:42:56 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:42:56 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Kids to Obama: 'We need Internet for everyone!' In-Reply-To: <4706918.1232657668906.JavaMail.www@app18> References: <4706918.1232657668906.JavaMail.www@app18> Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Misty Perez Truedson Date: Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 1:54 PM Subject: Kids to Obama: 'We need Internet for everyone!' To: tom at jtjohnson.com [image: Internet for Everyone] Tom, [image: President Obama can you please give us Internet?] *"President Obama, **can you please give us the Internet?"* Free Press has created an amazing new video with exclusive footage that we hope you'll share with your members. As the president and Congress decide how to invest in high-speed Internet buildout, millions of Americans still struggle on the wrong side of the digital divide. Last week, we spoke to children in Washington, D.C., who have a message for President Obama: *"We need Internet access." * *Help their message get heard by embedding and linking to this video on your site, and forwarding it to your members and allies.* As I've mentioned in previous calls, we're documenting the digital divide across the country, and this D.C. video is part of a series on this story. I'll keep you all posted as we roll them out, and as we work on InternetforEveryone.org together. Thanks for all that you do. Best, Misty Perez Truedson Campaign Coordinator Free Press :: http://www.freepress.net/ P.S. Don't forget to embed or link to the video on your site. *"President Obama, can you please give us Internet?" *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLYRDoC8nY* * Embed code: http://free.convio.net/site/CO InternetforEveryone.org is a national coalition of individuals, public interest and industry groups who are working together to see that the Internet continues to drive free speech, economic growth and prosperity in America. Learn more at *www.internetforeveryone.org/ * -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Fri Jan 23 08:57:55 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:57:55 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Widespread Worm Infects Millions of Computers Message-ID: <20090123165801.20A2B2BD4@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI >http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/internet/23worm.html?_r=1 > >Widespread Worm Infects Millions of Computers > A new digital plague has hit the Internet, infecting millions > of personal and business computers in what seems to be the first > step of a multistage attack. The world's leading computer security > experts do not yet know who programmed the infection, or what the > next stage will be. From granoff at zianet.com Fri Jan 23 08:58:32 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:58:32 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, January 23, 2009 Message-ID: <20090123165832.989822BD4@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >House Committee OKs $3 Billion for Net Service > The House Energy and Commerce Committee backed including about > $3 billion in grants to expand Internet service as part of a larger > economic stimulus bill, including a provision requiring "open > access" in wireless service and on the Internet. The Democratically > controlled committee cleared the provisions aimed at expanding > high-speed Internet and wireless service in rural and hard-to-serve > areas over objections from several Republican members. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50L67O20090122 From ggomes at soundviewnet.com Fri Jan 23 09:05:05 2009 From: ggomes at soundviewnet.com (Gary Gomes) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:05:05 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, January 23, 2009 In-Reply-To: <20090123165832.989822BD4@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20090123165832.989822BD4@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <67DAFDE678E94A03BE897E76EFF1A2D3@GARY> The text of the House Energy & Commerce Committee report can be found here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/images/stories/Documents/Markups/PDF/broadba nd%20stimulus%20language%20(ec).pdf Gary -----Original Message----- From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Marianne Granoff Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:59 AM To: 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, January 23, 2009 FYI. >House Committee OKs $3 Billion for Net Service > The House Energy and Commerce Committee backed including about > $3 billion in grants to expand Internet service as part of a larger > economic stimulus bill, including a provision requiring "open > access" in wireless service and on the Internet. The Democratically > controlled committee cleared the provisions aimed at expanding > high-speed Internet and wireless service in rural and hard-to-serve > areas over objections from several Republican members. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50L67O20090122 _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From granoff at zianet.com Mon Jan 26 13:21:24 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:21:24 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: CHANGE.FCC Message-ID: <20090126212137.756572BB7@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >1/26/09 Remarks Of Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps To The Federal >Communications Commission Staff. >Acrobat >http://www.fcc.gov/012609-copps.pdf > >"Change" From pete at ideapete.com Thu Jan 29 09:16:21 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:16:21 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Google M-Labs: Your Personal Traffic Cop - The Channel Wire - IT Channel News And Views by CRN and VARBusiness Message-ID: <4981E465.3060700@ideapete.com> http://www.crn.com/networking/212903447 -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Jan 29 14:32:38 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:32:38 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: PRC to SkyWi: Give us advance warning Message-ID: <20090129223246.623D82BBB@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI >PRC to SkyWi: Give us advance warning > >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/01/26/daily47.html?ana=e_du_pub From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Fri Jan 30 13:22:08 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:22:08 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Geoff Daily on broadband policy Message-ID: <85C2C6B6A41548D8B4AB8B62D71D0F4B@yourfsyly0jtwn> Geoff Daily App-Rising.com By Geoff Daily January 30, 2009 8:31 AM What Broadband Competition Means In A 100Mbps Nation "Competition" is a key buzzword in telecom policy. Existing providers think there's plenty, while many public interest groups think we need more. But getting in the way of effective policymaking is that the truth lies somewhere in between. If you only consider the broadband speeds of today then in some areas the marketplace can look pretty competitive. Between cable, DSL, possibly fiber, and a variety of wireless technologies, consumers do often have multiple choices for 1Mbps+ service. And as new wireless technologies are deployed the possibility of a competitive 5Mbps marketplace isn't out of reach over the next few years. But let's look forward to 2015. That's the year that Senator Rockefeller and others have set out as the goal for achieving a 100Mbps Nation. What will competition look like then? First off, DSL and BPL are out of the picture. BPL in particular may find more targeted uses than delivering generic connectivity, but neither of these technologies are able to deliver 100Mbps, and assuming 100Mbps is universally available DSL is likely to go the way of the dinosaur. Secondly, while wireless 4G technology promises speeds at 100Mbps, there's no guarantee these networks will be universally available in the US, their claims of 100Mbps refer to the capacity of each tower not how much each user will get, and a number of factors can contribute to lowering that number further, like rain and fog. No other existing wireless technology can reach 100Mbps speeds besides point-to-point systems that don't offer the advantages of mobility. So what are we left with? DOCSIS 3.0-enabled cable and full fiber networks. That's it. Assuming consumers will need and demand reliable 100Mbps speeds by 2015, that means the most competition we can hope for is between cable and fiber. Taking that a step further, the only chance we'll have any broadband competition at 100Mbps is if we have a fiber pipe to every home, otherwise we'll be left with a cable monopoly, which is less reliable with fiber. This doesn't mean wireless goes away, just that as overall demand for bandwidth outstrips the capacity of wireless it will become increasingly clear that it doesn't compete with wireline, it's complementary to it. Though within the wireless world there's likely to be competition between companies and technologies for quite some time. What this all means is that contrary to industry opinion, without someone deploying fiber we either won't have any competition or we won't be able to achieve a 100Mbps Nation. But contrary to public interest opinion, the best competition we can hope for is a duopoly in a 100Mbps Nation. Of course there's always a chance a new technology will come about that will enable 100Mbps competition either over wireless or copper. But not only does it need to be invented it will have to be deployed, which will be expensive and take a lot of time. Because of this we can't afford to wait around for something to show up that may never arrive. Instead a pragmatic national broadband strategy must acknowledge the truth about competition in a 100Mbps Nation, and make one of two choices: - Specifically support the deployment of both DOCSIS 3.0 and fiber in the hope of preserving competition between technologies. - Or focus on establishing competition between services on the same strand of fiber. This second option is important to understand and consider as with fiber everywhere it would be relatively easy to enable a world where any number of service providers could compete over the same infrastructure. In fact, our only hope for insuring competition beyond a duopoly in a 100Mbps Nation is if we pursue this model. Looking further ahead there will come a time when we'll need a 1Gbps or even 10Gbps Nation and beyond, the outlook for competition between last-mile access technologies looks increasingly bleak. At some point in the not-too-distant future demand for bandwidth will outstrip the supply that copper cable networks can offer. The total capacity of a cable plant today is 5Gbps if you took out TV. But fiber has no real limitation. While cable's testing 300Mbps service in the labs today, fiber's being tested at 6Tbps, or 20,000 times higher than cable. And the odds of any other technology coming along that can keep up with fiber are essentially zero as fiber transmits data at the speed of light. So this will eventually lead us into fiber being a natural monopoly. The only way we can prevent this is by either getting multiple fiber pipes to every house or encouraging competition between services on the same pipe. But given the high cost of deploying fiber and its ability to accommodate any number of service providers, the former of these approaches doesn't appear to be the most pragmatic relative to concentrating investment on establishing the latter. But the most important takeaway from this post isn't necessarily that we need to be moving full-steam ahead to a One Pipe, Multi-Service World, which may take decades to fully realize, but instead that we must acknowledge the shifting dynamics of broadband competition that will be taking place over the next few years. We can't afford to continue taking a "all broadband is created equal" approach and assume that all broadband will be roughly equivalent for all time. If we do then we risk not even having the competition of a cable/fiber duopoly. And this isn't a discussion about some time in the distant future, we're talking about less than a decade. Policymakers need to understand that the broadband they're subsidizing today will be in place for at least a decade. So while these may sound like way out there issues, the decisions being made today must take into consideration where the market's going tomorrow otherwise we'll hamstring our country's ability to continue evolving its digital economy in the 21st century. Posted by Geoff Daily on January 30, 2009 8 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4660 bytes Desc: not available URL: From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Fri Jan 30 13:16:20 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:16:20 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Senate and House differ on broadband stimlus spending approach Message-ID: Bookmark & ShareDaily Yonder To: From: Note: Favorites Email Digg Del.icio.us MySpace Facebook Google Live More ... * January 29, 2009, 05:17 PM EST * Wall Street Journal How the Senate and House Differ on Broadband Spending * By Amy Schatz Differences between the two broadband stimulus proposals working their way through Congress could take a little while to work out, but details of the plans that have popped up this week offer a map of where things might end up. The House and Senate haven't agreed on much about the broadband stimulus so far, neither the cost ($6 billion in the House, $9 billion in the Senate) nor Internet speeds ("advanced broadband" in the House clocks in at 45mbps, while the Senate says "next-generation" broadband is 100 mpbs). Cable operators aren't thrilled about language in the House and Senate bills, which sets aside grant money for broadband providers who can provide 100 mbps service, since that would tend to favor phone companies installing fiber-to-the-home service. "We all want faster speeds. What's the appropriate role of providing incentives for next-generation architecture?" asked Kyle McSlarrow, head of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, in a YouTube video posted on the lobbying group's Web site Thursday. House lawmakers would hand out $6 billion in broadband grants. Half would be given out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture without speed requirements, although 75% of the money has to be used in "rural area(s) without sufficient access to high-speed broadband service." A quarter of the grant money handed out by the Commerce Department would be for "basic" broadband service (a.k.a 5 mbps download/1 mbps upload) to "un-served" areas while the rest would go for "advanced" broadband service (a.k.a 45 mbps/15 mbps) in "underserved" areas. Wireless providers would need to offer Internet service with a download speed of at least 3 mbps and upload of 1 mbps. The House would leave it up to the FCC to decide how to define un-served and underserved areas. Senators want $9 billion in broadband, half of which would be set aside for providing service in rural areas. The Senate Finance Committee tacked on limited tax credits of 10% or 20% to providers offering "current generation" (a.k.a. 5 mbps/1 mbps) service in rural areas and 20% credit for "next generation" (a.k.a. 100 mbps/20mbps) service in rural or low-income areas. The tax credits are relatively small, estimated to cost about $110 million over 10 years. Open access, or net neutrality, conditions could be a major sticking point for phone and cable companies, which don't want significant government constraints on their network management practices. Right now, companies are concerned about how "open access" might be defined in the legislation. In the House, lawmakers say the FCC would be required to define "open access" within 45 days of the legislation's passage. Senate lawmakers say their grants would be dependent on "interconnection and nondiscrimination requirements." The broadband spending would also fall on the long-term side of benefits which may came from the economic stimulus plan. The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that much of the spending on broadband wouldn't really have much of an impact on consumers for several years. It could take "up to five to seven years" to finish some projects funded by the $2.8 billion handed out by the Agriculture Department's rural development broadband program. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Mon Feb 2 21:03:28 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 22:03:28 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband to Nowhere Message-ID: _____ * FEBRUARY 1, 2009, Congress Approves Broadband to Nowhere By L. GORDON CROVITZ Wall Street Journal In Japan, wireless technology works so well that teenagers draft novels on their cellphones. People in Hong Kong take it for granted that they can check their BlackBerrys from underground in the city's subway cars. Even in France, consumers have more choices for broadband service than in the U.S. The Internet may have been developed in the U.S., but the country now ranks 15th in the world for broadband penetration. For those who do have access to broadband, the average speed is a crawl, moving bits at a speed roughly one-tenth that of top-ranked Japan. This means a movie that can be downloaded in a couple of seconds in Japan takes half an hour in the U.S. The BMW 7 series comes equipped with Internet access in Germany, but not in the U.S. So those of us otherwise wary of how wisely the stimulus package will be spent were happy to suspend disbelief when Congress invited ideas on how to upgrade broadband. Maybe there are shovel-ready programs to bring broadband to communities that private providers have not yet reached, and to upgrade the speed of accessing the Web. These goals sound like the digital-era version of Eisenhower's interstate highway projects, this time bringing Americans as consumers and businesspeople closer together on a faster information highway. But broadband, once thought to be in line for $100 billion as part of the stimulus legislation, ended up a low priority, set to get well under $10 billion in the package of over $800 billion. This is a reminder that even with a new president whose platform focused on technology, and even with the fully open spigot of a stimulus bill, technology gets built by private capital and initiative and not by government. The relatively small appropriation is not for want of trying. A partial list of the lobbying groups involved in the process is a reminder of how Washington's return to industrial policy requires lobbying by all: the Information Technology Industry Council, Telecommunications Industry Association, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Fiber-to-the-Home Council, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance and Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies. The result was a relatively paltry $6 billion for broadband in the House bill and $9 billion in the Senate, with each bill micromanaging the spending differently. The bills include different standards, speeds and other requirements for providers that would use the public funds. This may balance competing interests among cable, telecom and local phone companies, but it doesn't address the underlying problems of too few providers delivering too few options to consumers. Techies may be surprised by how these funds would be dispersed. The House would give the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service control over half the grants and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration control of the other half. Tax credits would have been a faster way to make a difference than government agencies dividing spoils across the country. The House bill also calls for "open access." This phrase can include hugely controversial topics such as net neutrality, which in its most radical version would bar providers from charging different amounts for different kinds of broadband content. Now that video, conferencing and other heavy-bandwidth applications are growing in popularity, price needs to be one tool for allocating scarce resources. Analysts at Medley Global Advisors warn that if these provisions remain in the bill, "it will keep most broadband providers out of the applicant pool" for the funds intended specifically for them. More fundamentally, nothing in the legislation would address the key reason that the U.S. lags so far behind other countries. This is that there is an effective broadband duopoly in the U.S., with most communities able to choose only between one cable company and one telecom carrier. It's this lack of competition, blessed by national, state and local politicians, that keeps prices up and services down. In contrast, most other advanced countries have numerous providers, using many technologies, competing for consumers. A recent report by the Pew Research Center entitled "Stimulating Broadband: If Obama Builds It, Will They Log On?" concluded that for many people, the answer is no, often due to high monthly prices. By one estimate, the lowest monthly price per standard unit of millions of bits per second is nearly $3 in the U.S., versus about 13 cents in Japan and 33 cents in France. We're told that we now live in an era of more regulation and more government spending, but neither approach is how problems get solved in technology. Government mandates on how networks should be operated and subsidies administered by USDA aren't going to ensure broadband access, make connections faster, or lower prices. What we need to get the U.S. back into the top ranks of wired countries is more competition, not taxpayer handouts. That would be a real stimulus. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From editorsteve at gmail.com Tue Feb 3 06:00:32 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:00:32 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Insanely ill-informed NYT broadband article Message-ID: <49884E00.7090001@gmail.com> The front page of the NYT today leads with a story on broadband in the stimulus bill so utterly, insanely stupid that it could only have been stimulated by spokesmen for incumbent providers -- the big cable and telco interests. In fact, I KNOW it was, because I rejected the same bullshit when these guys and gals started calling almost two weeks ago. Broadband to nowhere? Give me a break. The incumbents' PR teams worked overtime for THAT one. But it seems the bullshit has found a home after all. And the NYT carelessness will now set the tone for all the clueless parrots and stenographers who call themselves reporters out there. Aside from the usual unnamed "sources say," there are several quotes from people whose names simply never come up in the debate on ultrabroadband issues. There are several active public policy listservs on this topic, going full-tilt right now. Craig Settles, who has played a useful role in the debate on municipal wifi (NOT rural broadband -- and the issues are not even close to being the same) and who is the lead quote in the article, is not contributing to either of them. Our magazine follows broadband policy better, I think, than anyone else, and called for $30 billion for ultra-broadband in the stimulus package. The best wowsers in the NYT involve the idea that it would take 15 years to do the rural buildout, and that nothing is ready to go in the next 18 months. The implication is also that rural broadband is very expensive. Reality check: 1. Except for a bit of point-to-point wireless, rural areas do not do wifi. It doesn't scale to the bandwidths and reliability needed for economic development, telemedicine, distance learning, and so forth. 2. Rural broadband can make money, and we track (as a small part of our mission) 400 "tier 3 incumbent local exchange carriers" -- mainly small rural telcos -- that make money at it and have installed fiber-optic networks -- often with better technology than Verizon is using in its FiOS build. The trick is not to look at population density, but at homes passed per mile on the roads. A year ago, you needed 8-12 homes passed per mile to make it pay. You now need 6 or 8 thanks to some clever technology improvements announced in early October (our November issue, at www.bbpmag.com details it in plain English). That's because the "take rate" and average revenue per customer is so much higher in rural areas. This may exclude some rural areas in the flatlands, but they add up to 1-2% of US homes. 3. How fast can these things be built? The NYT article says 15 years. We know of dozens of good business plans (and, yes, a half-dozen not-good) that could start construction TOMORROW if they could raise the money. We're talking about credit markets so frozen that, for example, a $93 million 22-town build in Vermont, presold to nearly half the residents and with experienced management, can't sell muni lease paper with a coupon rate around 8 percent and an after-tax return of 11 percent. We see $1-2 billion of the $9 billion in the federal bill that could be spent TOMORROW. 4. Can the industry scale to absorb the $9 billion? Easily. US spending on telecom infrastructure was over $60 billion in 2007 -- some 50% greater than spending on roads!!! And the equipment/skillset required for deploying the best technology, fiber-optic cable, is sitting idle now because of the housing construction collapse. Basically, you lash the new broadband cable to existing telephone wires on poles. My magazine (which is more about policy than nitty-gritty technical details, but covers a lot of technology as well) estimated that we could provide the underserved 80 percent of the ENTIRE COUNTRY in five years for $150 billion. Geez, we gave AIG almost that much! Talk about "banker money to nowhere." And THINK ABOUT THE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES PEOPLE ON THIS LIST COULD OFFER if we had the same broadband infrastructure as, say, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Sweden.... -- Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile From ggomes at soundviewnet.com Tue Feb 3 06:14:40 2009 From: ggomes at soundviewnet.com (Gary Gomes) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 07:14:40 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband to Nowhere In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <482105455EB84A3B81531C218147BC1E@GARY> Carroll, I fully agree that we suffer from "duopoly" service and that the answer is more competition - but I disagree with the "solution" offered.. The statements about international markets are misleading. While competition in the core fiber network and Right off the top of my head, I do not know any country where there is a multiplicity of first mile competitors (FTTH or equivalent). The cost of the first mile makes it an inherent monopoly and needs to be provided as a utility (private or publically owned) with true open access to encourage competition for services. And since microwave frequencies are limited, it too ends up being a oligopoly - how much price competition exists today for cellular service? The statement about the danger of "Net Neutrality" is also loaded and bogus. Net Neutrality does not imply that a "transport" provider cannot charge for bandwidth consumed. Without the mandate for true "open access" and "net neutrality", any government funding will perpetuate the present duopoly model. Gary _____ From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces+ggomes=soundviewnet.com at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces+ggomes=soundviewnet.com at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Carroll Cagle Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 10:03 PM To: '1st-Mile-NM' Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband to Nowhere _____ * FEBRUARY 1, 2009, Congress Approves Broadband to Nowhere By L. GORDON CROVITZ Wall Street Journal In Japan, wireless technology works so well that teenagers draft novels on their cellphones. People in Hong Kong take it for granted that they can check their BlackBerrys from underground in the city's subway cars. Even in France, consumers have more choices for broadband service than in the U.S. The Internet may have been developed in the U.S., but the country now ranks 15th in the world for broadband penetration. For those who do have access to broadband, the average speed is a crawl, moving bits at a speed roughly one-tenth that of top-ranked Japan. This means a movie that can be downloaded in a couple of seconds in Japan takes half an hour in the U.S. The BMW 7 series comes equipped with Internet access in Germany, but not in the U.S. So those of us otherwise wary of how wisely the stimulus package will be spent were happy to suspend disbelief when Congress invited ideas on how to upgrade broadband. Maybe there are shovel-ready programs to bring broadband to communities that private providers have not yet reached, and to upgrade the speed of accessing the Web. These goals sound like the digital-era version of Eisenhower's interstate highway projects, this time bringing Americans as consumers and businesspeople closer together on a faster information highway. But broadband, once thought to be in line for $100 billion as part of the stimulus legislation, ended up a low priority, set to get well under $10 billion in the package of over $800 billion. This is a reminder that even with a new president whose platform focused on technology, and even with the fully open spigot of a stimulus bill, technology gets built by private capital and initiative and not by government. The relatively small appropriation is not for want of trying. A partial list of the lobbying groups involved in the process is a reminder of how Washington's return to industrial policy requires lobbying by all: the Information Technology Industry Council, Telecommunications Industry Association, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Fiber-to-the-Home Council, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance and Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies. The result was a relatively paltry $6 billion for broadband in the House bill and $9 billion in the Senate, with each bill micromanaging the spending differently. The bills include different standards, speeds and other requirements for providers that would use the public funds. This may balance competing interests among cable, telecom and local phone companies, but it doesn't address the underlying problems of too few providers delivering too few options to consumers. Techies may be surprised by how these funds would be dispersed. The House would give the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service control over half the grants and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration control of the other half. Tax credits would have been a faster way to make a difference than government agencies dividing spoils across the country. The House bill also calls for "open access." This phrase can include hugely controversial topics such as net neutrality, which in its most radical version would bar providers from charging different amounts for different kinds of broadband content. Now that video, conferencing and other heavy-bandwidth applications are growing in popularity, price needs to be one tool for allocating scarce resources. Analysts at Medley Global Advisors warn that if these provisions remain in the bill, "it will keep most broadband providers out of the applicant pool" for the funds intended specifically for them. More fundamentally, nothing in the legislation would address the key reason that the U.S. lags so far behind other countries. This is that there is an effective broadband duopoly in the U.S., with most communities able to choose only between one cable company and one telecom carrier. It's this lack of competition, blessed by national, state and local politicians, that keeps prices up and services down. In contrast, most other advanced countries have numerous providers, using many technologies, competing for consumers. A recent report by the Pew Research Center entitled "Stimulating Broadband: If Obama Builds It, Will They Log On?" concluded that for many people, the answer is no, often due to high monthly prices. By one estimate, the lowest monthly price per standard unit of millions of bits per second is nearly $3 in the U.S., versus about 13 cents in Japan and 33 cents in France. We're told that we now live in an era of more regulation and more government spending, but neither approach is how problems get solved in technology. Government mandates on how networks should be operated and subsidies administered by USDA aren't going to ensure broadband access, make connections faster, or lower prices. What we need to get the U.S. back into the top ranks of wired countries is more competition, not taxpayer handouts. That would be a real stimulus. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From editorsteve at gmail.com Tue Feb 3 06:28:48 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:28:48 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Insanely ill-informed NYT broadband article In-Reply-To: <702138d90902030604q2b651631l1894f5212e85fb7f@mail.gmail.com> References: <49884E00.7090001@gmail.com> <702138d90902030604q2b651631l1894f5212e85fb7f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <498854A0.5010504@gmail.com> yes Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Geoff Daily wrote: > Steve, > > Can I run this email as a guest post on App-Rising.com with links back > to Broadband Properties? > > It's freakin' brilliant and needs to be heard far and wide. > > G > > On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 9:00 AM, Steve Ross > wrote: > > > > The front page of the NYT today leads with a story on broadband in > the stimulus bill so utterly, insanely stupid that it could only > have been stimulated by spokesmen for incumbent providers -- the big > cable and telco interests. In fact, I KNOW it was, because I > rejected the same bullshit when these guys and gals started calling > almost two weeks ago. Broadband to nowhere? Give me a break. The > incumbents' PR teams worked overtime for THAT one. > > But it seems the bullshit has found a home after all. And the NYT > carelessness will now set the tone for all the clueless parrots and > stenographers who call themselves reporters out there. > > Aside from the usual unnamed "sources say," there are several quotes > from people whose names simply never come up in the debate on > ultrabroadband issues. > > There are several active public policy listservs on this topic, > going full-tilt right now. Craig Settles, who has played a useful > role in the debate on municipal wifi (NOT rural broadband -- and the > issues are not even close to being the same) and who is the lead > quote in the article, is not contributing to either of them. > > Our magazine follows broadband policy better, I think, than anyone > else, and called for $30 billion for ultra-broadband in the stimulus > package. > > The best wowsers in the NYT involve the idea that it would take 15 > years to do the rural buildout, and that nothing is ready to go in > the next 18 months. The implication is also that rural broadband is > very expensive. > > Reality check: > > 1. Except for a bit of point-to-point wireless, rural areas do not > do wifi. It doesn't scale to the bandwidths and reliability needed > for economic development, telemedicine, distance learning, and so forth. > > 2. Rural broadband can make money, and we track (as a small part of > our mission) 400 "tier 3 incumbent local exchange carriers" -- > mainly small rural telcos -- that make money at it and have > installed fiber-optic networks -- often with better technology than > Verizon is using in its FiOS build. The trick is not to look at > population density, but at homes passed per mile on the roads. > > A year ago, you needed 8-12 homes passed per mile to make it pay. > You now need 6 or 8 thanks to some clever technology improvements > announced in early October (our November issue, at www.bbpmag.com > details it in plain English). That's because > the "take rate" and average revenue per customer is so much higher > in rural areas. This may exclude some rural areas in the flatlands, > but they add up to 1-2% of US homes. > > 3. How fast can these things be built? The NYT article says 15 > years. We know of dozens of good business plans (and, yes, a > half-dozen not-good) that could start construction TOMORROW if they > could raise the money. > > We're talking about credit markets so frozen that, for example, a > $93 million 22-town build in Vermont, presold to nearly half the > residents and with experienced management, can't sell muni lease > paper with a coupon rate around 8 percent and an after-tax return of > 11 percent. We see $1-2 billion of the $9 billion in the federal > bill that could be spent TOMORROW. > > 4. Can the industry scale to absorb the $9 billion? Easily. US > spending on telecom infrastructure was over $60 billion in 2007 -- > some 50% greater than spending on roads!!! And the > equipment/skillset required for deploying the best technology, > fiber-optic cable, is sitting idle now because of the housing > construction collapse. Basically, you lash the new broadband cable > to existing telephone wires on poles. > > My magazine (which is more about policy than nitty-gritty technical > details, but covers a lot of technology as well) estimated that we > could provide the underserved 80 percent of the ENTIRE COUNTRY in > five years for $150 billion. Geez, we gave AIG almost that much! > > Talk about "banker money to nowhere." And THINK ABOUT THE PRODUCTS > AND SERVICES PEOPLE ON THIS LIST COULD OFFER if we had the same > broadband infrastructure as, say, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Sweden.... > > -- > Steven S. Ross > Editor-in-Chief > Broadband Properties > steve at broadbandproperties.com > www.bbpmag.com > SKYPE: editorsteve > +1 781-284-8810 > +1 646-216-8030 fax > +1 201-456-5933 mobile > > From editorsteve at gmail.com Tue Feb 3 07:37:37 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:37:37 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Insanely ill-informed NYT broadband article In-Reply-To: <702138d90902030650g2e86c0b9kce3b6153e3ff2b21@mail.gmail.com> References: <702138d90902030650g2e86c0b9kce3b6153e3ff2b21@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <498864C1.2040702@gmail.com> The problem is that the incumbents dictated the story to the NYT, and the stenographer there just put it all in. So I don't really want to let them off the hook. BTw, clarification as I was typing like mad. There's a totally unsourced statement in the article that it would take until 2015 to do the build. That's 6-7 years. The only way THAT could happen is if the regulatory machinery for handing out the funds is delayed. Steve Geoff Daily wrote: > Don - I think that could be a great suggestion. > > Steve - This letter may be more powerful if it doesn't start out bashing > the incumbents. That's not needed here: we just need to bash the faulty > information/ideas/perceptions of this article. > > Let me know if you want to rework yours a bit. I may do so myself and/or > start my own response. > > G > > On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 9:46 AM, > wrote: > > *All:* > ** > *I think a response has to be crafted that would be an op-ed piece, > or column, that has the capacity to be widely circulated. It's too > "off the cuff" for now. Perhaps Steve can develop the draft and get > it out for comments immediately so that he could send it in tomorrow.* > ** > *Don* > > > From editorsteve at gmail.com Wed Feb 4 08:18:40 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:18:40 -0500 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] DRAFT NYT letter Sign on by 3 PM EST Message-ID: <4989BFE0.2080509@gmail.com> If you want to sign on, please note your Name, title, city, state, phone, email address in one paragraph so I can easily paste it in. I hope to get this out to the NYT in 4 hours. Feel free to forward. Also note that the Times letter page is handled mainly by interns. Tough to get in. The letter is at the outer limit for length now. No editing allowed except for outright factual errors. The article was so absurd and so utterly lacking in journalistic standards that I have already sent a detailed response to the NYT public editor. This would not have passed in my basic writing course (I taught full-time at Columbia University's Graduate school of Journalism for 20 years). How could it possibly have ended up on the front page? Steve ---- DRAFT NYT Letter to Editor To the Editor: David M. Herszenhorn?s Feb. 3 front-page story, ?Internet Money in Fiscal Plan: Wise or Waste,? unfairly targets $9 billion for rural broadband in the Senate bill ? 1 percent of the total package. The third paragraph describes rural broadband as a ?cyberbridge to nowhere,? although all sources named in the article insist later in the story that (unlike Alaska?s bridge) building broadband pays. Timing? The article also states, with no sourcing whatsoever, that ?it will take at least until 2015 to spend all the money... vastly limiting the stimulating punch.? That, too, is absurd. We know about dozens of rural projects that have been put on hold due to the credit crunch. They could be build immediately. For example, a $93 million 22-town project in Vermont, presold to nearly half the residents and with experienced management, can't sell muni lease paper with a coupon rate around 8 percent and an after-tax return of 11 percent. Could the industry scale to absorb the $9 billion? Easily. US spending on telecom infrastructure was over $60 billion in 2007 ? some 50 percent greater than spending on roads. The equipment and skilled labor required for deploying the best technology, fiber-optic cable, is sitting idle due to the housing collapse. Steven S. Ross Feb. 4, 2009 Revere, MA Mr. Ross is editor of Broadband Properties Magazine. This letter was also signed by: Name, title, city, state, phone, email address -- Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile From william.zayas at fibercrossing.net Wed Feb 4 10:43:49 2009 From: william.zayas at fibercrossing.net (William Zayas) Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 14:43:49 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] DRAFT NYT letter Sign on by 3 PM EST In-Reply-To: <4989BFE0.2080509@gmail.com> References: <4989BFE0.2080509@gmail.com> Message-ID: <002401c986f8$86816c50$938444f0$@zayas@fibercrossing.net> William Zayas,Guaynabo,Puerto Rico, 787-620-0046,William.zayas at fibercrossing.net Good job. -----Original Message----- From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces+william.zayas=fibercrossing.net at crank.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces+william.zayas=fibercrossing.net at crank.dcn.davis. ca.us] On Behalf Of Steve Ross Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 12:19 PM To: RFF List; 1st-Mile-NM Subject: [1st-mile-nm] DRAFT NYT letter Sign on by 3 PM EST If you want to sign on, please note your Name, title, city, state, phone, email address in one paragraph so I can easily paste it in. I hope to get this out to the NYT in 4 hours. Feel free to forward. Also note that the Times letter page is handled mainly by interns. Tough to get in. The letter is at the outer limit for length now. No editing allowed except for outright factual errors. The article was so absurd and so utterly lacking in journalistic standards that I have already sent a detailed response to the NYT public editor. This would not have passed in my basic writing course (I taught full-time at Columbia University's Graduate school of Journalism for 20 years). How could it possibly have ended up on the front page? Steve ---- DRAFT NYT Letter to Editor To the Editor: David M. Herszenhorn's Feb. 3 front-page story, "Internet Money in Fiscal Plan: Wise or Waste," unfairly targets $9 billion for rural broadband in the Senate bill - 1 percent of the total package. The third paragraph describes rural broadband as a "cyberbridge to nowhere," although all sources named in the article insist later in the story that (unlike Alaska's bridge) building broadband pays. Timing? The article also states, with no sourcing whatsoever, that "it will take at least until 2015 to spend all the money... vastly limiting the stimulating punch." That, too, is absurd. We know about dozens of rural projects that have been put on hold due to the credit crunch. They could be build immediately. For example, a $93 million 22-town project in Vermont, presold to nearly half the residents and with experienced management, can't sell muni lease paper with a coupon rate around 8 percent and an after-tax return of 11 percent. Could the industry scale to absorb the $9 billion? Easily. US spending on telecom infrastructure was over $60 billion in 2007 - some 50 percent greater than spending on roads. The equipment and skilled labor required for deploying the best technology, fiber-optic cable, is sitting idle due to the housing collapse. Steven S. Ross Feb. 4, 2009 Revere, MA Mr. Ross is editor of Broadband Properties Magazine. This letter was also signed by: Name, title, city, state, phone, email address -- Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From granoff at zianet.com Wed Feb 4 11:03:51 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:03:51 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest's lobbyists still have clout in NM legislature Message-ID: <20090204190404.16E752B43@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> This was introduced in the New Mexico legislature last night. http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/09%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0445.pdf Is it me or is it just irony that the bill's sponsor Senator Carlos Cisneros represents Questa, NM. I wonder just how much telecommunications competition there is for Qwest in Questa that Senator Cisneros felt the need to sponsor this legislation? Marianne From dlc at lampinc.com Wed Feb 4 15:23:39 2009 From: dlc at lampinc.com (Dale Carstensen) Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:23:39 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Senate to vote on broadband investment (fwd) Message-ID: <20090204232258.57EA938D600@lampinc.com> Here is a message I just received from the Communications Workers of America union's speedmatters project. They run a speedtest website, and if you use that and let them know your e-mail address, you get on their mailing list. One can certainly find more information about both the CWA and speedmatters.org by doing a search for "CWA speedmatters". I'm not sure their point-of-view is exactly aligned with either incumbent phone companies, or cable companies, or any duopoly cabal. But the wording of these messages tends to be very diplomatic and I suspect legal staff has gone over it with a find-tooth comb to avoid offending anyone at all, except maybe Western Union and the Pony Express. ------- Forwarded Message Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:31:23 GMT To: "" From: "Speed Matters" Subject: Senate to vote on broadband investment Dear Speed Matters Activist, We're getting closer to important new investments in high speed Internet across America. After hearing from thousands of Speed Matters activists like you, the House of Representatives included funding for broadband infrastructure in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Senate is debating stimulus legislation this week. But you know what can happen when Congress picks through a piece of legislation -- some parts are added, some parts are removed, and what finally passes can look very different from the original version. That's why the entire Speed Matters community must send a strong, united message about the importance of broadband investment -- for the sake of our Internet and for the sake of our economy. Make your voice heard by contacting your Senators right now: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stimulus_senate_vote/3bsw8b84y7bi3ji3? Broadband funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a good start on the road to universal high speed Internet access, job creation, and economic growth. Every $5 billion in broadband investment creates an additional 100,000 jobs -- and provides the key infrastructure to keep our economy growing in the long-term. The Senate stimulus legislation couples flexible grant programs with tax incentives to spur investment in rural areas and high speed networks and encourage job growth. It also includes funding for grants for broadband mapping, setting up community technology teams, and other broadband community outreach efforts. Together, these policies can solve the challenges of expanding broadband access and adoption and upgrading networks - -- all while giving a strong boost to our economy. Universal, affordable broadband also helps us address other pressing concerns, including health care, education, online job search and job training, our environmental crisis, access for people with disabilities, public safety, and civic participation. Make sure your Senators know about all these benefits of broadband investment. Contact them today: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/stimulus_senate_vote/3bsw8b84y7bi3ji3? We've gotten this close to new broadband investment and hundreds of thousands of good jobs -- we can't afford to let up now. Sincerely, Beth Allen speedmatters.org Online Mobilization Coordinator To stop receiving email from Speed Matters, reply via email with REMOVE as the subject line of your message or use the following link: http://www.unionvoice.org/speedmatters/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=center&nkey =3bsw8b84y7bi3ji3& ****************************** This email is Powered by Convio, Inc. http://www.convio.com ****************************** ------- End of Forwarded Message From granoff at zianet.com Fri Feb 6 11:15:09 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:15:09 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: In this week's Business Weekly Message-ID: <20090206191513.1A4CB6E962A@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> >Bill would let PRC keep an eye on ISPs > >When Qwest Communications International suddenly >shut down SkyWi Inc.???s telecommunications >network last Dec. 29, it left some 13,000 New >Mexico Internet, e-mail and phone customers stranded for days. > >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/02/09/story1.html?ana=e_ph From rl at 1st-mile.com Sat Feb 7 11:42:27 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:42:27 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Building a 21st Century Broadband Superhighway Message-ID: <20090207114227.jsgvfrm0o44gkck4@www2.dcn.org> An excellent proposal. rl The New America Foundation has issued an Issue Brief titled: Building a 21st Century Broadband Superhighway, noting that the U.S. has fallen from first to no longer in the top ten in terms of broadband access, adoption, speeds, and prices. The brief outlines a broadband initiative that would be as extensive as the U.S. interstate system. The proposal would have broadband development funded through the five-year reauthorization of an omnibus transportation bill focused on improving the nation's infrastructure. http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/building_21st_century_broadband_superhighway -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From rl at 1st-mile.com Sun Feb 8 20:00:00 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2009 20:00:00 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Senate compromise stimulus bill Message-ID: <20090208200000.4oyzmcli8k8s8ssk@www2.dcn.org> Forwarded by DC-based colleague, Stephen Ronan. Despite reducing the appropriations committee's 9 billion dollars for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program down to 7 billion dollars, the compromise Senate bill, after the past few days of negotiations, continues to include the following provisions unchanged: "not less than 200 million shall be available for competitive grants for expanding public computer center capacity, including at community colleges and public libraries; not less than $250,000,000 shall be available for competitive grants for innovative programs to encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service". And the bill continues to provide that 50% of the funds be used to support projects in rural communities , and continues to allocate the funds originally to NTIA control, with the possibility of its transferring some of the funds to USDA. The bill also continues to include "up to" 350 million to be "expended pursuant to Public Law 110-385... and for the purpose of developing and maintaining a broadband inventory map." I don't yet find any changes in the broadband tax credits as they had appeared in S. 350 passed by the Senate Finance Committee under Senator Baucus' chairmanship. Those provisions had seemed extraordinarily favorable to Verizon relative to potential competitors: ... http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/senate-looks-to-stimulate-verizon/ A .pdf of the compromise bill is available at: http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/senatestimamendment.pdf See pp 8, 11-12, 37-39, 48-57, 498-519 -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- _______________________________________________ Members mailing list Members at afcn.org http://mail.afcn.org/mailman/listinfo/members_afcn.org From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Feb 10 13:38:47 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:38:47 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Google PowerMeter Message-ID: <20090210133847.op2mq03mokwkco8o@www2.dcn.org> We should expect to see lots of activity and new tools for integration of tele-networking and demand-side energy management/conservation. RL -------- Google PowerMeter http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/googling-your-home-electricity-usage/ February 10, 2009 Googling Your Home Electricity Usage By Miguel Helft If people knew how much electricity they were using every time they turned on the lights, fired up the oven or lowered the thermostat on their air-conditioner, they would make smarter decisions about their energy use, and presumably, conserve more. That?s the idea behind a prototype service that Google unveiled Tuesday, which my colleague Matthew Wald and I wrote about in Tuesday?s paper. The service, which will be called Google PowerMeter, will allow users to measure their energy use in real time. It one of many new consumer products that would be enabled by ?smart grid? technologies, and it is one of Google?s many initiatives in the energy area. As a way to attract partners to its endeavor, Google is unveiling the prototype for PowerMeter well before it has a functioning product available. The company also hopes that the announcement will bolster its own advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels in support of policies and investments that will promote the development of a smart grid. ?We are in conversations with a number of device makers and utilities,? said Kirsten Olsen Cahill, a program manager at Google.org, the company?s corporate philanthropy. ?We?d love to talk to more people and build out this ecosystem.? For now, Google developed its prototype using an electricity measuring device that clamps onto a house?s main circuit breaker and sends the information back to Google?s servers, where it is charted. Google plans to enhance PowerMeter with ?social? tools that will allow users to compare their electricity consumption with that of their neighbors or friends. And it plans to allow third parties to develop their own applications that would enhance its usefulness. A programmer, for instance, could create a tool that normalizes the data for variations in weather. About 30 Google employees, including co-founder Sergey Brin, are currently using PowerMeter in their homes. Ms. Olsen Cahill said that on a recent morning she checked the tool on her computer when she woke up and noticed that her usage was about 600 watts, or triple her typical consumption level. That sent her looking around the house for answers. ?It turns out my husband had used the toaster oven the night before and the dial got stuck,? Ms. Olsen Cahill said. ?It had been on all evening.? Google said PowerMeter had helped sharply reduce energy use at one Googler?s house: power savings were down by 44 percent and energy bills were cut by 56 percent over the past year. (In an recent experiment in Oklahoma, which used technology from a company called Silver Spring Networks, homeowners who had real-time information about their power consumption and the price of electricity at that moment saved an average of 15 percent on their bills.) PowerMeter was developed jointly between Google.org and a small team of engineers working at Google itself. Google said that it developed PowerMeter because it fitted with both its goal to organize the world?s information and its environmentally oriented philosophy and philanthropic goals. The company said it had no plans to generate revenue from the service at this time, either through a fee or through advertisements. Then again, Google often releases products free and later decides to place advertisements on them. And of course, Google, which excels at making money from the data it collects about users? online activities, could probably figure out novel ways to make money based on detailed information about their energy use. Google also hopes that the PowerMeter announcement will raise the profile of its advocacy efforts. PowerMeter?s success depends on the deployment of so-called smart meters that measure energy consumption in real time. While some state regulators have ordered utilities to deploy smart meters, their focus has been on their use by utilities and grid managers, said Michael Terrell, a program manager at Google.org, who works on the company?s energy policy initiatives. ?There is not much in the mandates about how the information should flow to consumers,? Mr. Terrell said. He said that he hoped PowerMeter, and similar tools for consumers being developed by other companies, would help showcase the importance of getting information into consumers? hands. ?Ultimately when you get people engaged you will see demand pull from people to get these services,? he said. ?We are at the moment where we have the potential to revolutionize the way people use energy.? Mr. Terrell, who also has PowerMeter installed in his San Francisco apartment, said the tool could be an eye-opener: turning on his kitchen halogen lights, for instance, raised his baseline energy use by a startling 100 percent, he said. ?It changes the way you think about electricity,? he said. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Thu Feb 12 13:48:04 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:48:04 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 2.12 Message-ID: <20090212214822.0C66C2BA9@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >Let's Be Clear: ISPs Don't Want Accurate Public Broadband Data - >They want public data that paints a rosy picture & keeps government >at bay..., dslreports >New York Times tech columnist Saul Hansell, who only a few weeks ago >called broadband coverage gaps "hooey," pens a piece today reminding >us that $350 million of the broadband stimulus package passed >yesterday will go toward mapping broadband coverage. That's >incredibly important, since we have absolutely no idea who has broadband. > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Lets-Be-Clear-ISPs-Dont-Want-Accurate-Public-Broadband-Data-100815 > > >Judge Seeks Further Briefing on Constitutionality of Telecom Immunity, EFF >Today Chief Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District of >California federal court asked for further briefing on a key >constitutional question in the litigations brought against AT&T and >the other telecommunications carriers for their involvement in the >NSA's warrantless wiretapping. The Court noted that the FISA >Amendments Act, the law passed by >http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/02/judge-seeks-further-briefing-constitutionality-tel >More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/security/fisa.htm From pete at ideapete.com Thu Feb 12 16:53:47 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:53:47 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest Shutoff threatened for Town Hall, again Message-ID: <4994C49B.30308@ideapete.com> http://taosnews.com/articles/2009/02/12/news/doc49949b30ec3a1075930279.txt When is the PRC going to take action regarding Qwest's all out sabotage and war to kill its competition How about a bill to nationalize Qwest NM ( : ( : pete -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pete at ideapete.com Sat Feb 14 10:10:23 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:10:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] SkyWi to be disconnected Feb. 26 Message-ID: <4997090F.4050500@ideapete.com> http://kob.com/article/stories/S788954.shtml?cat=517 The war continues -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Mon Feb 16 08:40:28 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:40:28 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, February 16, 2009 Message-ID: <20090216164032.25C621B6AD8@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >Microsoft Sued for Fees to Downgrade to Windows XP > Microsoft is under antitrust attack again, this time for the > fees PC vendors charge to consumers who buy PCs preinstalled with > Vista and then "downgrade" to Windows XP. "Microsoft has used its > market power to take advantage of consumer demand for the Windows > XP operating system by requiring consumers to purchase computers > preinstalled with the Vista operating system and to pay additional > sums to 'downgrade' to the Windows XP operating system," the suit alleges. > Read more: http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3803026 From granoff at zianet.com Tue Feb 24 09:30:28 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:30:28 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, February 24, 2009 Message-ID: <20090224173034.C85AFA59319@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >More Internet Attacks Take Aim at Bank Accounts > New and nasty banking trojans are on the rise on the Internet > and attacking online bank accounts. The new trojan programs -- > which wait on your hard drive for an opportunity to crack your > online banking account -- are different from traditional "phishing" > e-mail scams that try to trick you into typing your login > information at fake bank websites. > Read more: > http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2009-02-22-bank-accounts-hackers_N.htm > From granoff at zianet.com Tue Feb 24 09:36:23 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:36:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 2.24.9 Message-ID: <20090224173627.33472CCCA53@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Edited for interest. FYI. >Qwest: $1 Billion Would Provide 95% DSL Coverage >- Carrier continues to complain about $7 billion plan..., dslreports >Qwest last week claimed that it would cost them >$3 billion to get 7 Mbps broadband service >available to 95% percent of its current >footprint. That's of course first-generation >DSL, providing even deployment of their 12Mbps & >20Mbps ADSL2+ service would cost substantially >more. Qwest has been lobbying a long time for a stimulus plan that would > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Qwest-1-Billion-Would-Provide-95-DSL-Coverage-101048 > >BPL Lives On, Again, Techdirt >Broadband over powerline has gotten lots and >lots of attention and investment over the past >decade or so, but remains little more than a >black hole of hype. Every once in a while, a >story comes along to remind us that despite its >near-total lack of traction, BPL abides. Now it >could apparently be in line to get some money from the economic stimulus bill. > http://techdirt.com/articles/20090220/0916293842.shtml > >The King is Dead, Long Live the King: 802.11n >dramatically improves Wi-Fi outdoors, Muni >IEEE 802.11n is the new international standard >for wireless Local Area Networks, incorporating >new smart antenna technologies (MIMO - Multiple >In and Multiple Out) permitting a 5x performance >and 2x coverage improvement for WLANs. While >this new technology is becoming the de facto >standard in consumer and enterprise networks, it has not > http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/muniwireless/~3/ciOMPahy2AM/ > >FCC Hammers Slammer Jammer, CommLawBlog >Never mind the personal jet packs. We just want >a little gadget in our pocket with a pushbutton >on it, so when the teenager behind us in line at >the post office ? or worse, sitting next to us >on a long and crowded commuter train ride ? whips out her cell > http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/CommLawBlog/~3/s8i1w_XC4k4/ > > >Rural Broadband And Telemedicine Save Stroke Victims??? Lives, Speed Matters >Broadband saves lives -- at least according to a >recent article in the USA Today. A two-way video >and audio link -- made possible by rural >broadband access -- saved the life of a woman experiencing a stroke. > http://www.speedmatters.org/blog/rural-broadband.html > From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Feb 24 11:50:22 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:50:22 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] NM PRC Hearing Today Message-ID: <20090224115022.5hm12m9tmowk0wgo@www2.dcn.org> SkyWi getting further disconnections in New Mexico; FCC involvement next? www.fiercetelecom.com/ 02/23/2009 While Qwest may be the first phone company serving New Mexico to pull the plug on SkyWi and it subsidiaries, it will soon have company. Windstream, Tularosa Basin Telephone Company, Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative and E.N.M.R. Telephony Cooperative will shut down SkyWi services on March 9 due to SkyWi's failure to pay past due bills. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission may become involved with the SkyWi saga. Sources tell FierceTelecom that FCC representatives may be present at the New Mexico Public Regulations Commission (PRC) meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, but it is not clear if they will be present in solely an observatory capacity, or if they may provide additional support to the New Mexico PRC. One source speculated that the FCC may delegate some of its authority to the state for number porting in order to expedite the move of telephony numbers from SkyWi onto other service providers; the FCC supposedly already permits this under some circumstances, such as "slamming" or "cramming" of phone number and services. Another outcome of (the) PRC meeting may be a temporary order to stop Qwest from terminating services to give customers and service providers more time to migrate off of SkyWi's network. Having all service providers synchronize their cut-offs on March 9 may not be what Qwest desires, but it may be in the best interests of both the PRC and New Mexico businesses and consumers affected by the situation. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Feb 24 20:14:10 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:14:10 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Cohill: FTTH Webinar - Wed. Message-ID: <20090224201410.tqlhp92ko44wcsg0@www2.dcn.org> Open Access and Open Services Networks A free Fiber to the Home Council webinar with Dr. Andrew M. Cohill, President of Design Nine, Inc. Wednesday, February 25, 2009 2:00pm EST; 12:00 Noon, New Mexico/Mountain Time www.ftthcouncil.org/?t=303 (log on to register ahead of time) Dr. Cohill, a 1st-Mile subscriber, will discuss open access and open services networks, open projects that are underway in the U.S., the differences between ?open access? and ?open services,? some of the advantages of open services networks, and some common misconceptions about open networks. Dr. Cohill is the President and CEO of Design Nine. He is a broadband architect with an international reputation for his work advising communities on technology and telecommunications issues. In the United States, he has worked with clients across the country, with recent work in Minnesota, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, Illinois, New Mexico, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas. His international work has taken him to British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec, France, the Guernsey Isles, and Japan. He was the Director of the world renowned Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) at Virginia Tech from 1993 to 2002. He is a widely published writer, and author and co-editor of the popular book about Blacksburg (Community Networks: Lessons learned from Blacksburg, Virginia). His numerous papers and reports are widely circulated, and his technology news blog has thousands of readers per month. Dr. Cohill has an extensive background in technology and telecommunications dating back to the early eighties, when he worked at AT&T Bells Labs and for AT&T Technology Systems. Cohill has a B.S. in Computer Science, a Master?s degree in Information Systems, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning (all from Virginia Tech). -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Thu Feb 26 06:13:49 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:13:49 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Appeals court reinstates Nacchio conviction Message-ID: <20090226141357.22E86F9BFA0@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> > >Appeals court reinstates Nacchio conviction > > > >Published: February 25, 2009 > >A Denver federal appeals court on Wednesday reinstated the >insider-trading conviction of former Qwest Communications >International Inc. CEO Joe Nacchio. > >To continue reading, go to: >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/02/23/daily33.html?surround=etf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Feb 26 12:48:02 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:48:02 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: NTIA Fed Reg Notice Broadband Grant Programs Meeting March 2 Message-ID: <20090226204806.72687ED74D0@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list >Fed Reg Vol 74 No 35 Feb. 24 2009 > >DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE >National Telecommunications and Information >Administration Notice: Broadband Grant Programs Meetings > >AGENCY: National Telecommunications and >Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce > >ACTION: Notice of meetings. > >SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and >Information Administration (NTIA) will begin >holding meetings with interested parties on >Monday, March 2, 2009, in connection with the >broadband grant programs described in the >Broadband Data Services Improvement Act and the >American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 >(collectively, ??????Broadband Grant >Programs??????). All interested parties are invited to schedule a meeting. > >DATES: Meetings will be scheduled beginning >March 2, 2009, and will continue until further notice. > >ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the U.S. >Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and >Information Administration, 1401 Constitution >Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. (Please enter at >14th Street.) Room numbers will be provided to >interested parties when meetings are scheduled. >The disability accessible entrance is located at >the 14th Street Aquarium Entrance. > >FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To schedule a >meeting, contact Barbara Brown at (202) 482?4374 or >bbrown at ntia.doc.gov. > >SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NTIA is scheduling >meetings to afford interested parties the >opportunity to discuss implementation of the >Broadband Grant Programs as described in the >Broadband Data Services Improvement Act and the >American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. >The Broadband Data Services Improvement Act was enacted >in October 2008 and directs the Secretary of >Commerce to award grants to eligible entities on >a competitive basis to assess, identify and >track broadband service deployment in each >State. The American Recovery and Reinvestment >Act of 2009 was enacted in February 2009 and >directs NTIA to establish the ??????Broadband >Technology Opportunities Program?????? to make >grants available on a competitive basis to >accelerate and expand broadband deployment. >Information about the Broadband Grant Programs >will be made available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ >broadbandgrants. > >Each meeting will be considered an ex parte >presentation, and the substance of the meeting >will be placed on the public record. No later >than two (2) days after a meeting, an interested >party must submit a memorandum to NTIA which >summarizes the substance of the meeting. Any >written presentations provided at the meeting >will also be placed on the public record. NTIA >reserves the right to hold individual or group >meetings, depending on the number of meeting >requests received. Group meetings may be >transcribed and/ or streamed to the Web and placed on the public record. > >Attendance at the meetings is limited to space >available. Meetings will be physically >accessible to people with disabilities. >Individuals requesting accommodations, such as >sign language interpretation or other ancillary >aids, are asked to indicate this to Barbara >Brown at least two (2) days prior to each >meeting. Interested parties will have an >opportunity to ask questions at the meetings. >Individuals who would like to submit questions >in writing should email their questions to >Barbara Brown at BBrown at ntia.doc.gov at least 24 >hours in advance of the meeting. >Dated: February 19, 2009. > > From granoff at zianet.com Tue Mar 3 14:59:38 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:59:38 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Genachowski Message-ID: <20090303225947.3B7E2CFFC7E@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. >Obama names Genachowski as FCC chairman -W.House > http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSWBT01078520090303 From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Mar 3 15:21:29 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:21:29 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Public Meeting on "Stimulus" Broadband Initiatives Message-ID: <20090303152129.z3uawfhm2oggsgkw@www2.dcn.org> On Tuesday morning, March 10th, the FCC, NTIA and USDA will hold a: Public Meeting on the Broadband Initiatives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 March 10, 2009, U.S. Department of Commerce Auditorium Washington, D.C. (10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.) AGENDA 10:00 Welcome Anna Gomez, Acting Administrator, NTIA 10:05 President Obama?s Broadband Strategy Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture 10:20 Remarks from the Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairman Michael J. Copps 10:30 Remarks from NTIA Mark Seifert, Senior Advisor 10:40 Broadband Initiatives: Statutory Requirements & Timelines Dr. Bernadette McGuire-Rivera, Associate Administrator, NTIA David Villano, Assistant Administrator for Telecommunication Programs, USDA Rural Development Scott M. Deutchman, Acting Senior Legal Advisor to Acting Chairman Copps, FCC 11:00 Questions and Comments from the Public 11:30 Adjourn The Public Meeting will be streamed over the Web with captions and made available on NTIA?s website www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants. Interested parties wishing to submit questions in advance of the meeting may do so by emailing them to Barbara Brown (NTIA) at bbrown at ntia.doc.gov; Christi Shewman (FCC) at Christi.Shewman at fcc.gov; or Mary Campanola (USDA) at mary.campanola at usda.gov. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From pete at ideapete.com Wed Mar 4 16:45:35 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:45:35 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Ex-Qwest chief Nacchio ordered to prison Message-ID: <49AF20AF.50307@ideapete.com> http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/02/daily41.html -- Peter Baston *IDEAS* /www.ideapete.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Mar 12 09:00:50 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:00:50 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 3.12 Message-ID: <20090312160111.D68182BD6@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >Comcast Now Third Largest Phone Company - Passes Qwest with >explosive digital voice growth..., dslreports >Sure, we've given Comcast some grief over the years, but one thing >that can't be denied is the speed at which the company absolutely >dominated of the VoIP (sorry, Digital Voice) market. Today Comcast >reached out to us to note that they're now the third largest >residential phone company in the United States, only behind AT&T and >Verizon. As of the > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Now-Third-Largest-Phone-Company-101317 From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Mar 12 15:11:04 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:11:04 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest rate deregulation legislation Message-ID: <20090312151104.qwhfspkh9koo8ww8@www2.dcn.org> The following is from this week's NM Business Weekly. ------- Friday, March 6, 2009 Qwest wants to set its own prices Proposed telecom bill would deregulate rates New Mexico Business Weekly - by Kevin Robinson-Avila NMBW Staff http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/03/09/story1.html Qwest Communications International wants the state Legislature to end rate regulation. The company is lobbying heavily for a bill that would allow it, for the first time, to raise or lower prices at will for most telecommunications services. Under current statutes, the Baby Bell must request approval from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) for all rate changes. Sen. Carlos Cisneros, D-Questa, introduced the bill (SB 445), but it?s a Qwest initiative. ?It?s called ?the Qwest bill? because Qwest is taking the lead on it,? Cisneros said. ?Qwest continues to be regulated while most other telecommunications providers are not. It?s still the elephant in the room, but Qwest is losing a lot of money to competitors that offer new, inexpensive technologies and devices.? ------ See the web site for a chart comparing CLEC landline percentage of state markets. rl ------------------ Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Mar 12 15:31:01 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:31:01 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband Stimulus Projects and Funding Message-ID: <20090312153101.j8o20auwgsos00kw@www2.dcn.org> Most of you are following the current federal economic stimulus programs, to various extents. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, allocates $7.2 billion for broadband projects support, through two agencies: the DoC-NTIA and the USDA. Much of this will be applied to improving rural access and equity in unserved and underserved areas. Projects must be 'shovel ready'. New Mexico and its communities have the opportunity to be recipients of a sizeable share of the 'broadband stimulus' total. A 'feeding frenzy' is expected, that without attempted coordination and partnerings, will likely result in many good projects unnecessarily competing against each other. The State, community initiatives and telecom. companies would be well served to communicate about and coordinate proposed projects, to achieve greter 'bang for buck', and to build future-serving networks in NM. I'd like to offer and use this list to communicate about and facilitate understanding and updates about the federal 'broadband stimulus' programs; about statewide broadband projects considering or preparing proposals; about coordination of efforts; and about any other matters related to statewide broadband opportunities and initiatives. I'd like to get response to this, with any of your suggestions, critiques, or questions. More to follow, as broadband efforts in this state and nationally now gear up. Richard -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tom at jtjohnson.com Mon Mar 16 11:15:21 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:15:21 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Cheaper? Message-ID: [image: Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society] March 11, 2009, 4:00 am The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Cheaper? By Saul Hansell *This is the second in a series of three posts looking at the lessons for the United States from broadband deployment in other countries. Read the first installment here .* Broadband is cheaper in many other countries than in the United States. ?You have a pretty uncompetitive market by European standards,? said Tim Johnson, the chief analyst at Point-Topic, a London consulting firm. Other countries have lower costs for the same reasons their DSL service is faster. Dense urban areas reduce some of the cost of building networks. In addition, governments in some countries subsidized fiber networks. But the big difference between the United States and most other countries is competition. ?Now hold on there,? you might say to me. Since I wrote that many countries don?t have cable systems and the bulk of broadband is run by way of DSL through existing phone wires, how can there be competition? Aren?t those owned by monopoly phone companies? True enough. But most big countries have devised a system to create competition by forcing the phone companies to share their lines and facilities with rival Internet providers. Not surprisingly, the phone companies hate this idea, often called unbundling, and tend to drag their feet when it is introduced. So it requires rather diligent regulators to force the telcos to play fair. And the effect of this scheme depends a lot on details of what equipment is shared and at what prices. Britain has gone the furthest, forcing BT Group to split off a unit that operates the actual network and sells to various voice and Internet providers, including its own telephone service, on an equal basis. The United States was early with this sort of approach, requiring telephone companies to allow rival Internet service providers to sell DSL service using their networks. The way these rules were written, however, meant the wholesale cost was so high that providers like AOL and Earthlink couldn?t offer a better deal than the telcos themselves. And the plan was largely abandoned in 2003 by the Federal Communications Commission on the theory that the country is better served by encouraging competition for Internet service between cable companies and phone companies. The commission has a point that there is something rather forced and artificial about creating competition to resell what is essentially the same service. It?s like a supermarket that sells six different brands of peanut butter, all made with the same recipe in the same factory. Sometimes broadband providers try to create unusual price bundles or nice add-on features, and in some countries they use different underlying networks. But Internet providers that share the same line to their customers? home will very often be more the same than different. Unbundling can be seen as a slightly disguised form of price regulation. Profits dropped. Many of the new entrants have found it difficult to build sustainable businesses, while margins for the incumbent phone companies have been squeezed as well. It?s not exactly clear, however, that this approach is in the public?s long-term interest. Phone companies have less incentive to invest and upgrade their networks if they are going to be forced to share their networks. Some argue that this is the main reason that there is little investment in bringing fiber to homes in Europe. ?Investing in fiber is a huge risk,? Kalyan Dasgupta, a London-based consultant with LECG, wrote me in an e-mail, ?and the prospect of taking that risk alone, but having to ?share? the rewards with other players, is not a prospect that most rational businesses would consider.? Britain, which has been the biggest proponent of line sharing, has decided to deregulate the wholesale price BT can charge for fiber, so long as it doesn?t favor its own brand of Internet service. Japan faced a similar problem after several years where regulation forced NTT, the incumbent phone company, to sell access to its lines to rival Internet providers at low prices. In order to get NTT to invest in a faster network, the government set a much more attractive price for sharing access to its new fiber lines. Restoring some form of line sharing is one of the biggest issues facing the F.C.C. Without it, or some other way to increase competition, the oligopolistic nature of the market in the United States may well keep broadband prices well above the rates for similar service in the rest of the world. At the same time, the commission is looking to expand broadband access to rural areas and speed the deployment of higher speeds, so it may not want to slash telco profits if it will also slow investment. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/why-is-their-broadband-cheaper/?pagemode=print -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From editorsteve at gmail.com Mon Mar 16 11:44:42 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:44:42 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Cheaper? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <49BE9E1A.5050205@gmail.com> 1. European broadband providers don't always do it alone -- most builds (accounting for a third of the homes served) are public-private partnerships. 2. Europe lags in fiber -- a third the homes served as the US. This is in part because of comments in the post, but also due to fact that their DSL is better -- short copper loops over newer wire that allows easy pair bonding. Some areas get 50 Mbps over DSL. 3. Japan has the most fiber to home, and the networks are in general open-access (anything built by NTT East and NTT West has to be). Monthly charges are as high or higher than in the US, but for much more bandwidth and far more diversity of services offered. Mobile charges are higher than in the US as well. 4. Scandinavia, especially Sweden, leads Europe in open access fiber -- in part because the low population densities make other technologies awkward to deploy. 5. Data suggest that fiber "risk" to deploy is minimal. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Tom Johnson wrote: > > > > Bits - Business, Innovation, Technology, Society > > > March 11, 2009, 4:00 am > > > The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Cheaper? > > By Saul Hansell > > /This is the second in a series of three posts looking at the lessons > for the United States from broadband deployment in other countries. Read > the first installment here > ./ > > Broadband is cheaper in many other countries than in the United States. > > ?You have a pretty uncompetitive market by European standards,? said Tim > Johnson, the chief analyst at Point-Topic, a London consulting firm. > > Other countries have lower costs for the same reasons their DSL service > is faster. Dense urban areas reduce some of the cost of building > networks. In addition, governments in some countries subsidized fiber > networks. > > But the big difference between the United States and most other > countries is competition. > > ?Now hold on there,? you might say to me. Since I wrote that many > countries don?t have cable systems and the bulk of broadband is run by > way of DSL through existing phone wires, how can there be competition? > Aren?t those owned by monopoly phone companies? > > True enough. But most big countries have devised a system to create > competition by forcing the phone companies to share their lines and > facilities with rival Internet providers. > > Not surprisingly, the phone companies hate this idea, often called > unbundling, and tend to drag their feet when it is introduced. So it > requires rather diligent regulators to force the telcos to play fair. > And the effect of this scheme depends a lot on details of what equipment > is shared and at what prices. > > Britain has gone the furthest, forcing BT Group to split off a unit that > operates the actual network and sells to various voice and Internet > providers, including its own telephone service, on an equal basis. > > The United States was early with this sort of approach, requiring > telephone companies to allow rival Internet service providers to sell > DSL service using their networks. The way these rules were written, > however, meant the wholesale cost was so high that providers like AOL > and Earthlink couldn?t offer a better deal than the telcos themselves. > > And the plan was largely abandoned in 2003 by the Federal Communications > Commission on the theory that the country is better served by > encouraging competition for Internet service between cable companies and > phone companies. > > The commission has a point that there is something rather forced and > artificial about creating competition to resell what is essentially the > same service. It?s like a supermarket that sells six different brands of > peanut butter, all made with the same recipe in the same factory. > Sometimes broadband providers try to create unusual price bundles or > nice add-on features, and in some countries they use different > underlying networks. But Internet providers that share the same line to > their customers? home will very often be more the same than different. > > Unbundling can be seen as a slightly disguised form of price regulation. > Profits dropped. Many of the new entrants have found it difficult to > build sustainable businesses, while margins for the incumbent phone > companies have been squeezed as well. > > It?s not exactly clear, however, that this approach is in the public?s > long-term interest. Phone companies have less incentive to invest and > upgrade their networks if they are going to be forced to share their > networks. > > Some argue that this is the main reason that there is little investment > in bringing fiber to homes in Europe. ?Investing in fiber is a huge > risk,? Kalyan Dasgupta, a London-based consultant with LECG, wrote me in > an e-mail, ?and the prospect of taking that risk alone, but having to > ?share? the rewards with other players, is not a prospect that most > rational businesses would consider.? > > Britain, which has been the biggest proponent of line sharing, has > decided to deregulate the wholesale price BT can charge for fiber, so > long as it doesn?t favor its own brand of Internet service. > > Japan faced a similar problem after several years where regulation > forced NTT, the incumbent phone company, to sell access to its lines to > rival Internet providers at low prices. In order to get NTT to invest in > a faster network, the government set a much more attractive price for > sharing access to its new fiber lines. > > Restoring some form of line sharing is one of the biggest issues facing > the F.C.C. Without it, or some other way to increase competition, the > oligopolistic nature of the market in the United States may well keep > broadband prices well above the rates for similar service in the rest of > the world. At the same time, the commission is looking to expand > broadband access to rural areas and speed the deployment of higher > speeds, so it may not want to slash telco profits if it will also slow > investment. > > > http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/why-is-their-broadband-cheaper/?pagemode=print > > -- > ========================================== > J. T. Johnson > Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA > www.analyticjournalism.com > 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) > http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com > > > "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. > To change something, build a new model that makes the > existing model obsolete." > -- Buckminster Fuller > ========================================== > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From tom at jtjohnson.com Tue Mar 17 11:21:48 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:21:48 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Sunshine Review Weekly In-Reply-To: <20090317113149.57847126@samadamsalliance.org> References: <20090317113149.57847126@samadamsalliance.org> Message-ID: This is the newsletter published by the Sunlight Foundation, a great band of literal do-gooders working to bring more transparency to our governments, which I believe is one of the major objectives of this list. Note especially: Sunshine Review?s ten-point transparency checklist. -tom johnson ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: SR Wiki Writers Date: Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:32 AM Subject: Sunshine Review Weekly To: SR Wiki Writers Subscriber *(Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions, is located at the end of this message.)* *Sunshine Review Weekly* * * *W* *elcome to Sunshine Review Weekly, an informative communication to keep you apprised of current events in the world of Sunshine Review wikying.* *Sunshine Review Wiki Community Update:* * * On March 2, 2009, the city of Carbondale, Illinoisintroduced their new website ( www.explorecarbondale.com). According to the Mayor of Carbondale, their ?Citizen Access page contains helpful information about the long standing policies on open government.? The City also stated that they used Sunshine Review as an ?online resource guide? for the development of their new website. Carbondale is the only government in Illinois to have successfully satisfied Sunshine Review?s ten-point transparency checklist. Carbondale even added their checkbook register online based on Sunshine Review?s suggestion. Of greater noteworthiness, is the fact that your wiki contributions have given Sunshine Review the muscle to influence local government into creating greater access and transparency for all its citizens. That?s a win-win for everyone. Sunshine Review?s ten-point transparency checklisthas quickly become the standard in which all levels of government should be measured against. Job well done! * * *Collaborative Project of the Month:* The focus of March is creating stub articles for school districts across the United States. Please visit the project page for more information: Sunshine Review:School district stubs project . *This week focus*: Oklahoma school districts. Create 5 stub articles to help us achieve our goals! Let?s face it. We all have friends, family and neighbors who complain about government, but don?t do anything other than complain. Reviewing and evaluating your own local school district is a terrific way to help make public access to local government better. Better access creates better transparency. Better transparency creates better government. Better government creates a better use of taxpayer?s dollars. Why wouldn?t anyone want to write wikis? If you know anyone who may be interested in becoming a content contributor for the Sunshine Review wiki, please encourage them to contact Kristin McMurray: kristinpedia at sunshinereview.org. K *ristinpedia?s Korner* *Wiki Tip of the week:* * * If you were working on a wiki page a while back, and want to add some more to it but can't remember how to find it, try checking your contributions. You can do this by: 1. Log in. 2. Click "my contributions" in the upper right hand corner beside "log out". 3. You will see a list of all of the contributions you have ever made. * * *Wednesday Wiki Webinars* * * Wiki writing is easy, fun and very rewarding. Webinarsare offered every Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. CST. If you'd like to participate in a training webinarsend an e-mail to: kristinpedia at sunshinereview.org. * * To learn more about how to get started, visit our Getting Started on Sunshine Reviewpage. * * * * *Important Dates to Note:* * * *There?s just a few days left to enter the **Sammiescontest (deadline is March 20, 2009). Two award categories stick out specifically for Sunshine Review wiki writers: * - *Sunshine Award:* Use your state's open records laws to uncover government corruption, waste or malfeasance. Hint: FOIA is your best friend: $5,000 prize! - *Best Sunshine Review Wikiteer Contributor: *an award for contributors to Sam wikis - Ballotpedia , Judgepedia, and Sunshine Review - who has created and maintained the most accurate, comprehensive, and encyclopedic page or portal. $1,000 cash prize! Don?t miss out on a great opportunity to showcase your commitment to government transparency. The Sammieshave 9 categories, check them out and ENTER TODAY ! * * *We Need Your Help!* Please help the Sunshine Communitygrow by forwarding this email to your friends and family and/or donate your status line on Facebook,. Encourage them to evaluate their school district, become a SR Wiki contributor, sign up for our newsletter, and help spread the word! The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription: You are subscribed to the following list: *SR Wiki Writers* using the following email: *tom at jtjohnson.com* You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: http://samadamsalliance.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/SR_WIki_Writers/ If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism. You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen: http://samadamsalliance.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/SR_WIki_Writers If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: sunshinereview at samadamsalliance.org The following physical address is associated with this mailing list: 20 N. Wacker, Suite 3330 Chicago, IL 60606 Mailing List Powered by Dada Mail Powered by Dada Mail 3.0.0 Copyright ? 1999-2008, Simoni Creative . You may change your subscription settings or unsibscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: http://samadamsalliance.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/samadams/ [image: The Sam Adams Alliance- 20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 3330, Chicago, IL 60606 312-920-0080] -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." -- Buckminster Fuller ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Mar 19 14:42:33 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:42:33 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Article from bizjournals: Nacchio granted delay in prison date Message-ID: <20090319214252.4F3B12BCF@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. > >Nacchio granted delay in prison date > > > >Published: March 19, 2009 > >Ex-Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio's life as a free man may not end Monday after all. > >To continue reading, go to: >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/03/16/daily40.html?surround=etf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Mar 19 14:45:53 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:45:53 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Comcast says its jumped over Qwest as No. 3 home-phone provider Message-ID: <20090319214603.DBE3A2BBC@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> fyi. >Published: March 12, 2009 > >Cable giant Comcast Corp. claims it has become the third-largest >residential voice phone service provider in the U.S., surpassing >Qwest Communications International Inc. but remaining behind phone >giants Verizon and AT&T. > >To continue reading, go to: >http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/03/09/daily42.html?surround=etf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Apr 2 15:18:46 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:18:46 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest Corp. news Message-ID: <20090402151846.n3vfrbv6ogogoo80@www2.dcn.org> Qwest Wants To Sell Long-Haul Assets; But Buyers Scarce Posted by Eric Savitz, April 2, 2009 http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/04/02/qwest-wants-to-sell-long-haul-assets-but-buyers-scarce/ Qwest is seeking to sell its long-haul network, which carriers voice and data traffic for other telcos, according to the Wall Street Journal. The story said a transaction could bring the company between $2 billion and $3 billion in proceeds. The story theorizes that the business could be sold to the titans of U.S. telecommunications, Verizon (VZ) or AT&T (T), or perhaps a smaller player like Level 3 (LVLT) or TW Telecom (TWTC). But don?t count on such a deal happening any time soon. David Barden, telecom analyst at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch asserts in a research note late Wednesday that a sale of the type the WSJ describes is ?unlikely,? due to regulatory hurdles, the strategic direction of some potential buyers, and a lack of capital for others. He says Qwest might hold strategic value to a large local phone company, but that ?timing with regard to current industry consolidation precludes such a transaction at this time.? He theorizes that ?Qwest may simply be gauging interest prior to returning to the debt market.? In particular, he asserts that the regulatory environment appears unfavorable for a potential combination of Qwest?s long haul business with Verizon or AT&T. He notes that AT&T?s merger with Bell South got bogged down at the FCC while the commission was still in Republican control. Winning FCC approval for the sale of Qwest?s long-haul assets to T or VZ with the Democrats in control, he says ?is uncertain.? As for Level 3 and TW Telecom, he notes that they ?lack the currency to complete a transaction of this size.? Note that the current market cap for LVLT is $1.5 billion; TWTC has a market cap of $1.3 billion. (And both companies already shoulder substantial debt burdens.) Meanwhile, Barden maintains his Buy rating and $4 price target on Qwest shares, asserting that the company?s stock and debt are trading as if the company faces deeply challenging debt refunding requirements - but he contends that is not the case, and notes that investors are getting an 8.5% dividend yield as a result. -------- Qwest could become RLEC consolidator, analysts say Ed Gubbins April 2nd, 2009 http://blog.telephonyonline.com/unfiltered/2009/04/ Qwest Communications could become a consolidator of rural telcos if and when it divests its long-haul network (as the Wall Street Journal reports it is now looking to do), according to analysts at Stifel Nicolaus, who issued a research note this morning. ?A sale would certainly help alleviate near-term debt maturity concerns for [Qwest] and, we believe, would position the remaining ILEC business to be a player in the M&A game itself going forward,? the analysts wrote. Qwest has long been imagined as a potential consolidator of rural telcos but has thus far stayed on the sidelines as, for example, CenturyTel acuired Embarq last year. But the impending maturity of the company?s debt could motivate it to liquidate its long-haul assets sooner rather than later. Qwest has $2.8 billion in debt maturing between now and the end of next year and less than $600 million in cash at the end of 2008. That could pressure the company to sell quickly, Stifel Nicolaus said, and ? in today?s tight economy ? at a lower price than the carrier might have gotten 6 or 12 months ago. Splitting off the long-haul assets would essentially undo the merger of Qwest and local incumbent US West enacted in 1999 by Joe Nacchio, who is currently counting on the US Supreme Court to keep him from serving a 6-year prison sentence for insider trading. Industry prognosticators have cited Level 3, Time Warner Telecom, Global Crossing, AT&T and Verizon as potential bidders for Qwest?s long-haul network. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Mon Apr 6 20:54:04 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:54:04 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Interesting report Message-ID: <20090407035431.8E6D32BCA@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> This is a link to a report from The Utility Reform Network (TURN) regarding the effect of the California PUC's decisions regarding the elimination of regulation on telephone companies and the effect on California consumers. I urge all of you to take a few minutes and read the executive summary at least. Every state PUC or PRC is under pressure to de-regulate phone service because "there is so much competition" . This report shows why that competition is not adequate to protect consumers from significant price increases by their local phone companies when rates are de-regulated. http://www.turn.org/downloads/TURN-Telco-Competition-Is-Failing-Full-Report.pdf FYI. Marianne From josmon at rigozsaurus.com Mon Apr 6 21:10:58 2009 From: josmon at rigozsaurus.com (John Osmon) Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 22:10:58 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] [nmisp] Interesting report In-Reply-To: <200904070354.n373sBUQ096240@ame3.swcp.com> References: <200904070354.n373sBUQ096240@ame3.swcp.com> Message-ID: <20090407041058.GC24937@rigozsaurus.com> On Mon, Apr 06, 2009 at 09:54:04PM -0600, Marianne Granoff wrote: [...] > Every state PUC or PRC is under pressure to de-regulate phone service > because "there is so much competition" . This report shows why that > competition is not adequate to protect consumers from significant > price increases by their local phone companies when rates are de-regulated. I've always said that there was a single criterion that could be used to tell when there is sufficient "competition" in the wireline world: When the ILEC gives Caller-ID away for free. Caller-ID, voice-mail, and all of the other "extras" are free with most cell phone accounts, because *not* giving them away leaves a given carrier vulnerable to its competition. ILEC have no serious copmetition, and thus have no vulnerability to charging exhorbinant fees for a service that is (essentially) free once the switching gear is paid for... From granoff at zianet.com Tue Apr 14 21:26:36 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:26:36 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Article from bizjournals: Nacchios last-minute bid for freedom fails as prison deadline looms Message-ID: <20090415042651.5AE1A2BC6@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. > >Nacchio's last-minute bid for freedom fails as prison deadline looms > > > >Published: April 14, 2009 > >A federal appeals court Monday denied convicted ex-Qwest CEO Joseph >Nacchio's request to postpone his Tuesday deadline to report to >prison and remain free on bail while he awaits a decision from the >U.S. Supreme Court on whether to get involved in the case. > >To continue reading, go to: >http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/04/13/daily16.html?surround=etf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Apr 16 11:10:55 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:10:55 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, April 16, 2009 Message-ID: <20090416181124.6A4EAA70886@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >U.S. Bill Would End Tax-Free Shopping on Internet > If a little-known but influential alliance of state > politicians, large retailers, and tax collectors have their way, > the days of tax-free Internet shopping may be nearly over. A bill > expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress would rewrite the > ground rules for mail order and Internet sales by eliminating what > its supporters view as a "loophole" that, in many cases, allows > Americans to shop over the Internet without paying sales taxes. > Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10220649-38.html From rl at 1st-mile.com Fri Apr 17 07:36:23 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:36:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Farmington Cable Upgrade Message-ID: <20090417073623.p95jmyt69wkccg4k@www2.dcn.org> Comcast project to increase available Internet speeds, add HD TV The Daily Times, Farmington, N.M. Apr. 15--FARMINGTON -- A multi-million dollar renovation of cable infrastructure to provide high-speed Internet at least five times faster than what's available in the Farmington area is set to begin in May, Comcast Corporation officials said Tuesday. The privately funded Comcast project would offer residential Internet service at 8 megabytes per second and business service at speeds as high as 20 megabytes per second in Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec, Comcast Southwest area spokesman Chris Dunkeson said. DSL services currently available in San Juan County through Qwest Communications are limited to 1.5 megabytes per second, approximately three times faster than a traditional dial-up Internet connection.Some similar services are provided through Brainstorm Internet, a regional company. To complete the project, Comcast cable wires running along community power lines and other infrastructure electronics must be replaced and upgraded to a fiberoptic wire and connected to a service hub in Albuquerque. Once completed, the cable lines will be the most advanced in New Mexico. Similar high-speed Internet services already are available in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces and Silver City through Comcast. The upgrade also will provide more than 60 high-definition television channels and on-demand video services, the first cable alternative to satellite dish programming services. The project, which will begin construction the first week of May, is anticipated to be completed in November, with full services set to be made available before the end of the year. "This is our chance to make a long-term investment in the Farmington community," Dunkeson said. "... We believe the demand is here." The price tag of the seven-month project is not confirmed, but the upgrade expense will exceed $5 million, the company spokesman said. Residential Internet service is expected to cost $43 per month with no contract period; the HD service upgrade likely would cost an additional $7 to already-billed cable fees. Noting weekly calls requesting the improved services from Farmington area customers, Comcast officials said local demand was a driving factor in bringing the multi-million $ project to fruition. In addition to improved services, the project will increase a flow of revenue in the local economy and provide employment opportunities, Farmington Mayor Bill Standley said of the upgrade, which city government has promised to support after meeting with company officials Monday. The project will require more than 125 contract workers, 25 of which are expected to be hired from the area. "It couldn't happen at a better time. It's going to bring money into the community and (local) businesses," Standley said. "It's going to help that business infrastructure, as well as residential infrastructure, to provide better services they've been asking, and waiting, for." A consequence of the cable system upgrade will be temporary disruption of services for current Comcast subscribers in neighborhoods where work actively is being completed, company officials said. To limit the interruptions, Comcast intends to advertise weekly notices of where work will be completed in addition to posting door hangers in affected areas alerting to the pending work, said Mark Johnson, Comcast operations manager in Farmington. When completed, the Comcast upgrade will provide much-needed business competition in a market where Qwest practically has had a monopoly on high-speed Internet, Farmington Chamber of Commerce President Dorothy Nobis said. "It will benefit both companies and it certainly will benefit the business community," Nobis said. "We need, and deserve, a choice." Nobis described the available Internet connectivity as an inconvenience with which most local businesses are unhappy. "In the high technologies that most businesses operate in today, it's really critical for most of us," she said of increased Internet speeds. The Farmington mayor said he hoped the Comcast investment would encourage Qwest to reinvest in the services made available in the Four Corners area to stay competitive. "I think it's good that competition is coming to town," Standley said. A spokesman with Qwest said the company is working on construction of a new fiberoptic line that could provide Internet services of up to 20 megabytes per second to Farmington customers. "That's something we've been working on bringing to that area, and we've made a substantial effort in time and resources to be able to bring speeds of 20 megabytes to the Farmington area," said Qwest regional spokesman Mark Molzen. The Qwest project has been under development for approximately 18 months. However it's unknown when the faster Internet services would be made available in Farmington, Molzen said. James Monteleone: jmonteleone at daily-times.com http://www.daily-times.com -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From rl at 1st-mile.com Fri Apr 17 15:59:15 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:59:15 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] RUS Grants Announcement Message-ID: <20090417155915.pk0se85edc08g0g8@www2.dcn.org> RUS Announces New Funding For Broadband (not stimulus related) On Monday April 20 the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is expected to announce in the Federal Register that the Community Connect Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 will open for a 60-day period ending June 19, 2009 (see link below). This program is separate from the ARRA broadband stimulus program and is governed by pre-existing RUS rules. Grant authority can be used for the deployment of broadband transmission service to extremely rural, lower-income communities on a ?community-oriented connectivity? basis. The amount of funding is limited -- RUS is expected to announce that $13,406,000 is available for grants, with a minimum grant amount of $50,000 and a maximum grant amount of $1,000,000 for FY 2009. Note that applicants must demonstrate a matching contribution, in cash or in kind (new, non-depreciated items), of at least fifteen (15) percent of the total amount of financial assistance requested. http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/index.html -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Wed Apr 22 12:33:50 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:33:50 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, April 22, 2009 Message-ID: <20090422193409.B90F92BCF@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >Infections by Conficker.C Worm Reported Higher > IBM is the second company in two days to suggest that the > number of computers infected by the Conficker.C worm may be higher > than previously thought. Read more: http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/ibm-sees-conficker-hitting-4-percent-pcs-119 From granoff at zianet.com Fri Apr 24 07:21:01 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:21:01 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, April 23, 2009 Message-ID: <20090424142108.94CD9105073A@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >2 Million PCs Reportedly Hit by Ukrainian Hackers > Almost two million PCs globally, including machines inside > U.K. and U.S. government departments, have been taken over by > malicious hackers. Security experts Finjan traced the giant network > of remotely controlled PCs, called a botnet, back to a gang of > cyber criminals in Ukraine. > Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8010729.stm From granoff at zianet.com Mon Apr 27 20:24:06 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:24:06 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, April 27, 2009 Message-ID: <20090428032426.C4DDA2BCF@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >Weeks After Fear, Conficker Worm Starts to Activate > A malicious software program known as Conficker that many > feared would wreak havoc on April 1 is slowly being activated, > weeks after being dismissed as a false alarm, security experts > said. Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is quietly turning > thousands of personal computers into servers of e-mail spam and > installing spyware, they said. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE53N5I820090424 From granoff at zianet.com Fri May 1 08:04:43 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 01 May 2009 09:04:43 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 5.1 Message-ID: <20090501150450.3BFDB105C970@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >Incumbent Dirty Tricks In Wilson, NC - Telecom push pollsters arrive >in the Carolinas..., dslreports >We've discussed how regional incumbents are busy trying to crush >community developed broadband in Wilson, North Carolina -- where the >city has started offering consumers symmetrical fiber service up to >100Mbps. According to the city of Wilson blog, local incumbents are >busy "push polling," or polling local residents with skewed questions > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Incumbent-Dirty-Tricks-In-Wilson-NC-102206 > > >Obama to Name Mignon Clyburn as FCC Commissioner, CircleID >Following his pick of Julius Genakowski as FCC chairman, President >Obama moves to fill an open Democrat seat on the five-person panel >with Mignon L. Clyburn, a member of the South Carolina Public >Service Commission since 1998 and the daughter of House Majority >Whip Rep. James Clyburn. If approved by Congress, Clyburn will fill the > http://www.circleid.com/posts/mignon_clyburn_as_fcc_commissioner/ > > >Obama or AT&T -- The Choice for Commissioner-Designate Clyburn as >the Whitacre Era Ends, PK >House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) may not have done his >daughter, Mignon, any favors by getting her appointed to the Federal >Communications Commission (FCC). > http://feeds.publicknowledge.org/~r/publicknowledge-main/~3/UFxNc26jP48/2130 From rl at 1st-mile.com Sat May 2 16:02:08 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Sat, 02 May 2009 16:02:08 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from the Internet Message-ID: <20090502160208.padh9z7n8gcog80k@www2.dcn.org> A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from the Internet Written by Balaji Natarajan Posted April 30th, 2009 in Energy Balaji Natarajan is a senior IT strategist for Capgemini, focusing on smart grid, mobile computing, and unified communications. History is a great teacher. The Internet took decades to evolve and take shape. Now upon us is a more critical challenge: how to build and sustain a smarter power grid. The tech community is already starting to initiate significant efforts to address this challenge, but here are some thoughts for how we can learn from the history of how the Internet was built, which will help us move into the fast-lane to tackle this massive task and monumental opportunity. 1. Scalable, Service-Driven Smart Grid Architecture: The smart grid needs to develop architecture that can scale up quickly, driven by the same kind of on-demand service-based models by which bandwidth is sold on the Internet. Like the Internet, the smart grid represents a combination of systems at an unprecedented scale: supporting millions of users demanding access to services that must be responsive, robust and always available. The number of grid communication sessions and grid access requests by interacting components (producers, consumers and gateways) translates into a very high number of network requests, placing an enormous demand on resources. It is well-documented that power systems experience huge variations in service load, with bursts coinciding with the times that the service has the most value. In the early days of the Internet, the network relied upon the scaling capabilities of the operating system UNIX. Later, several systems capable of handling high-volume transactions were developed and coined as ?Internet Servers.? Similar capabilities need to be provisioned for servers of the smart grid. 2. Defined Communication Protocols: The smart grid needs to standardize around a set of protocols and, importantly, define a key protocol for smart-grid communications. It could even take a cue from, and if necessary re-architect, the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model to adapt to the ?Internet of Things.? In the case of the Internet, the Internet Protocol Suite (also referred to as TCP/IP) enabled a common inter-network protocol and, instead of the network being responsible for reliability (as in the ARPANET), the hosts became responsible. With the role of the network reduced to a bare minimum, it became possible to connect almost any network, with any characteristics, together. A similar protocol design will be essential for the smart grid, given the immediate need to connect diverse component types. 3. Security & Encryption: The smart grid community needs to publish detailed specifications for different levels of security and encryption standards. For secure communication purposes, the Internet leveraged data encryption standards, including variants of Digital Encryption Standard (DES) as endorsed by the National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST). To ensure secure user authentication and data integrity, techniques like digital signatures and the network authentication protocol Kerberos were also created. Some of these standards are openly available whereas certain encryption tools are patented and require licensing. Similarly, smart grid security needs to be thoroughly investigated to enable a multi-tiered security model for the grid. Once this is done, startups should be encouraged to build innovative tools that adhere to these standards. It?s important to note that the smart grid?s cyber-security layer may need to be more regulated (by federal policies) than the Internet?s has been, given the potential direct impact on national security systems. (See more details in No. 9.) 4. Management & Communication Tools for Energy: Simple HTML pages publicized the concept of the Internet to the common user back in the mid-1990s. A tool like this that offers a rich user experience can help in connecting the customer to the concept of the smart grid. 5. Open APIs: Companies building the next generation of the smart grid need to regularly publish APIs through working-groups and to meet specification requests. As they have done for the Internet, open APIs would ensure ease of integration of the grid with different endpoints, like smart meters, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), programmable logic controllers (PLC), wireless mesh networks and portal gateways. 6. Find the Killer App: The smart grid needs to clearly evangelize its first killer app that could appeal across all grid user communities, including customers, utilities, the federal government, local governments and business sectors. Email did the trick for the Internet. So what will it be for the smart grid? Demand response? Energy management? 7. Connect the Grid to Consumers: Extend the functionality of the smart grid into a variety of always-on lifestyle interfaces, including meters, panels, garages, vehicles, recharging stations and mobile devices. The Internet really took off within universities (and then everywhere else) because of the concept of the ?browser.? From that point on, Internet access wasn?t tied to an IBM supercomputer or a Windows proprietary desktop. With that shift, the tantalizing possibilities of open access invited strong investment, and we continue to reap more benefits of such a model more than two decades later. 8. Make a Task Force: The smart grid?s standardized framework needs to be driven by an engineering task force, similar to the Internet Engineering Task Force. Like the IETF, the smart grid task force (SGTF) would produce high quality, relevant technical and engineering documents that influence the way people design, use and manage the smart grid in such a way as to make the smart grid work better. These documents would include protocol standards, best current practices, and other informational documents. When the informational tools are dispersed, let application innovation (driven by businesses) drive the growth. 9. Allow for Secure Grid Layer: OK, this one is a little specific, but still quite relevant given the Internet?s roots with the Department of Defense. Because power grid security is so important, the smart grid needs to build policies and procedures that allocate a limited percent of a grid layer to be fully regulated and completely off limits for business access. This layer can be used for Pentagon/DoD grade security for administering, monitoring and controlling the resources and functions of the grid. It would basically be a virtual nerve center with selective access. While the Internet doesn?t have a nerve center per se, certain secure transmissions leverage the same distributed collaboration-architectures, and are fully controlled for classified access only ? e.g., command and control communications. 10. Recovery in a Disaster: In the event of an emergency or disaster, the smart grid needs to have a fault-tolerant channel and ensure that all resources are set up for collaboration to deliver an automated, self-healing recovery operations process. This channel should not disrupt any other basic channels of communications or utility services. In the early days of the Internet, the network was successfully able to keep basic telephony services running during network disasters. 11. Government Labs: Over the years, as the smart grid matures in the open market, it is important for a smart grid governing body to still own and maintain state-of-the art lab environments to focus on the technologies involved. This ensures that the smart grid will still be current, open and standardized and not influenced too greatly by specific vendor interests. In the case of the Internet, the Department of Defense created ARPANET, which was helpful in the development of early application-services like email, FTP and protocols like NCP and TCP/IP. 12. Demonstrate the Value: Finally, but probably most importantly, the smart grid needs to develop and clearly communicate and market its value proposition. Basically: Why do we need the smart grid now? This should be demonstrated and measured in terms of economics, lifestyle enhancements, energy conservation, and renewable energy integration. The value proposition of the Internet ? making the world smaller and connecting every one of us ? was more clear to consumers, and the Internet was its own chief marketing officer in its early days. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Sun May 3 06:21:31 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Sun, 03 May 2009 07:21:31 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Nebraska commission loses appeal on Internet call fees Message-ID: <20090503132139.CEF4EE4E7E0@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >Nebraska commission loses appeal on Internet call fees > >http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090501/ap_on_hi_te/ne_internet_calls_2 > >By MARGERY A. GIBBS, Associated Press Writer >Fri May 1, 2009 4:08PM EDT >OMAHA, Neb. > >A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court >ruling exempting Internet phone service provider >Vonage Holdings Corp. from paying a state telephone fee. > >In an opinion released Friday, a three-member >panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals >rejected arguments from members of the Nebraska >Public Service Commission. The PSC had been >trying to force Vonage and its customers to pay >into the state's Universal Service Fund. > >All traditional phone companies pay into the >Universal Service Fund. But Voice over Internet >Protocol ? or VoIP ? providers such as Ho >Holmdel, N.J.-based Vonage say they provide an >information service rather than a telecommunications service. > >Traditional telephone providers have argued that >VoIP services should be subject to the same >oversight and fee requirements that they face. > >But VoIP providers say they should be classified >as a data service provider and left alone, much >as cable TV companies have been. Vonage offers >Internet voice service by leasing transmission >lines from telephone and cable companies. > >[excerpted] > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: >270.12.15/2093 - Release Date: 05/02/09 14:23:00 From BHarris at nmag.gov Tue May 5 13:55:43 2009 From: BHarris at nmag.gov (Harris, Brian, WEU NMAGO) Date: Tue, 5 May 2009 14:55:43 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from theInternet In-Reply-To: <20090502160208.padh9z7n8gcog80k@www2.dcn.org> References: <20090502160208.padh9z7n8gcog80k@www2.dcn.org> Message-ID: <1A39F5669CCA3244B3535D002AE1AF1516A700@mizuno.AGO.LOCAL> "The digital economy will only work if both governments and industry embrace 'trans-sector thinking'. Infrastructure developments such as broadband, smart grids and other smart infrastructure need to be developed in such a way that they generate an economic multiplier effect." Paul Budde Entire story here: http://www.buddeblog.com.au/government-leaders-need-to-put-trans-sector- policies-in-place-for-stimulus-packages/ Brian Harris -----Original Message----- From: 1st-mile-nm-bounces+bharris=nmag.gov at mailman.dcn.org [mailto:1st-mile-nm-bounces+bharris=nmag.gov at mailman.dcn.org] On Behalf Of Richard Lowenberg Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2009 5:02 PM To: 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org Subject: [1st-mile-nm] A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from theInternet A Dozen Things the Smart Grid Can Learn from the Internet Written by Balaji Natarajan Posted April 30th, 2009 in Energy Balaji Natarajan is a senior IT strategist for Capgemini, focusing on smart grid, mobile computing, and unified communications. History is a great teacher. The Internet took decades to evolve and take shape. Now upon us is a more critical challenge: how to build and sustain a smarter power grid. The tech community is already starting to initiate significant efforts to address this challenge, but here are some thoughts for how we can learn from the history of how the Internet was built, which will help us move into the fast-lane to tackle this massive task and monumental opportunity. 1. Scalable, Service-Driven Smart Grid Architecture: The smart grid needs to develop architecture that can scale up quickly, driven by the same kind of on-demand service-based models by which bandwidth is sold on the Internet. Like the Internet, the smart grid represents a combination of systems at an unprecedented scale: supporting millions of users demanding access to services that must be responsive, robust and always available. The number of grid communication sessions and grid access requests by interacting components (producers, consumers and gateways) translates into a very high number of network requests, placing an enormous demand on resources. It is well-documented that power systems experience huge variations in service load, with bursts coinciding with the times that the service has the most value. In the early days of the Internet, the network relied upon the scaling capabilities of the operating system UNIX. Later, several systems capable of handling high-volume transactions were developed and coined as ?Internet Servers.? Similar capabilities need to be provisioned for servers of the smart grid. 2. Defined Communication Protocols: The smart grid needs to standardize around a set of protocols and, importantly, define a key protocol for smart-grid communications. It could even take a cue from, and if necessary re-architect, the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model to adapt to the ?Internet of Things.? In the case of the Internet, the Internet Protocol Suite (also referred to as TCP/IP) enabled a common inter-network protocol and, instead of the network being responsible for reliability (as in the ARPANET), the hosts became responsible. With the role of the network reduced to a bare minimum, it became possible to connect almost any network, with any characteristics, together. A similar protocol design will be essential for the smart grid, given the immediate need to connect diverse component types. 3. Security & Encryption: The smart grid community needs to publish detailed specifications for different levels of security and encryption standards. For secure communication purposes, the Internet leveraged data encryption standards, including variants of Digital Encryption Standard (DES) as endorsed by the National Institute of Science & Technology (NIST). To ensure secure user authentication and data integrity, techniques like digital signatures and the network authentication protocol Kerberos were also created. Some of these standards are openly available whereas certain encryption tools are patented and require licensing. Similarly, smart grid security needs to be thoroughly investigated to enable a multi-tiered security model for the grid. Once this is done, startups should be encouraged to build innovative tools that adhere to these standards. It?s important to note that the smart grid?s cyber-security layer may need to be more regulated (by federal policies) than the Internet?s has been, given the potential direct impact on national security systems. (See more details in No. 9.) 4. Management & Communication Tools for Energy: Simple HTML pages publicized the concept of the Internet to the common user back in the mid-1990s. A tool like this that offers a rich user experience can help in connecting the customer to the concept of the smart grid. 5. Open APIs: Companies building the next generation of the smart grid need to regularly publish APIs through working-groups and to meet specification requests. As they have done for the Internet, open APIs would ensure ease of integration of the grid with different endpoints, like smart meters, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), programmable logic controllers (PLC), wireless mesh networks and portal gateways. 6. Find the Killer App: The smart grid needs to clearly evangelize its first killer app that could appeal across all grid user communities, including customers, utilities, the federal government, local governments and business sectors. Email did the trick for the Internet. So what will it be for the smart grid? Demand response? Energy management? 7. Connect the Grid to Consumers: Extend the functionality of the smart grid into a variety of always-on lifestyle interfaces, including meters, panels, garages, vehicles, recharging stations and mobile devices. The Internet really took off within universities (and then everywhere else) because of the concept of the ?browser.? From that point on, Internet access wasn?t tied to an IBM supercomputer or a Windows proprietary desktop. With that shift, the tantalizing possibilities of open access invited strong investment, and we continue to reap more benefits of such a model more than two decades later. 8. Make a Task Force: The smart grid?s standardized framework needs to be driven by an engineering task force, similar to the Internet Engineering Task Force. Like the IETF, the smart grid task force (SGTF) would produce high quality, relevant technical and engineering documents that influence the way people design, use and manage the smart grid in such a way as to make the smart grid work better. These documents would include protocol standards, best current practices, and other informational documents. When the informational tools are dispersed, let application innovation (driven by businesses) drive the growth. 9. Allow for Secure Grid Layer: OK, this one is a little specific, but still quite relevant given the Internet?s roots with the Department of Defense. Because power grid security is so important, the smart grid needs to build policies and procedures that allocate a limited percent of a grid layer to be fully regulated and completely off limits for business access. This layer can be used for Pentagon/DoD grade security for administering, monitoring and controlling the resources and functions of the grid. It would basically be a virtual nerve center with selective access. While the Internet doesn?t have a nerve center per se, certain secure transmissions leverage the same distributed collaboration-architectures, and are fully controlled for classified access only ? e.g., command and control communications. 10. Recovery in a Disaster: In the event of an emergency or disaster, the smart grid needs to have a fault-tolerant channel and ensure that all resources are set up for collaboration to deliver an automated, self-healing recovery operations process. This channel should not disrupt any other basic channels of communications or utility services. In the early days of the Internet, the network was successfully able to keep basic telephony services running during network disasters. 11. Government Labs: Over the years, as the smart grid matures in the open market, it is important for a smart grid governing body to still own and maintain state-of-the art lab environments to focus on the technologies involved. This ensures that the smart grid will still be current, open and standardized and not influenced too greatly by specific vendor interests. In the case of the Internet, the Department of Defense created ARPANET, which was helpful in the development of early application-services like email, FTP and protocols like NCP and TCP/IP. 12. Demonstrate the Value: Finally, but probably most importantly, the smart grid needs to develop and clearly communicate and market its value proposition. Basically: Why do we need the smart grid now? This should be demonstrated and measured in terms of economics, lifestyle enhancements, energy conservation, and renewable energy integration. The value proposition of the Internet ? making the world smaller and connecting every one of us ? was more clear to consumers, and the Internet was its own chief marketing officer in its early days. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. _______________________________________________ 1st-mile-nm mailing list 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed May 6 17:12:50 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 17:12:50 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] 6:30 today @ SF Complex Message-ID: <20090506171250.k541zdc8gowccg80@www2.dcn.org> Short Notice. NM Broadband Stimulus Planning http://sfcomplex.org/wordpress/2009/04/broadband For those in Santa Fe, I'll be giving a brief presentation and discussion at the Santa Fe Comlex, at 6:30 tonight. If you can't make it, but are interested in broadband stimulus programs, please be in contact. Richard -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tom at jtjohnson.com Thu May 14 14:41:00 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 15:41:00 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Norwegian ISP: dig your own fiber trench, save $400 - Ars Technica Message-ID: I think there is also a whole lot of rock in Norway, too. And ours is dryer. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/norwegian-isp-dig-your-own-fiber-trench-save-400.ars Norwegian ISP: dig your own fiber trench, save $400 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From editorsteve at gmail.com Thu May 14 14:57:18 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 17:57:18 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Norwegian ISP: dig your own fiber trench, save $400 - Ars Technica In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4A0C93BE.40807@gmail.com> There's a lot of this, all over Scandinavia. We've done stories on it out of Sweden and Denmark as well, and there is at least one example in the Netherlands. People used to build their own phone networks in the US. Pretty much every history of a telephone cooperative here describes how the farmers laid or strung the first wires. Steven S. Ross Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile Tom Johnson wrote: > I think there is also a whole lot of rock in Norway, too. And ours is > dryer. > > http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/norwegian-isp-dig-your-own-fiber-trench-save-400.ars > > Norwegian ISP: dig your own fiber trench, save $400 > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue May 19 19:48:20 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 19:48:20 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Pew: The Future of the Internet III Message-ID: <20090519194820.6bcm55vh7o40o8co@www2.dcn.org> >From the Pew Internet & American Life Project The Future of the Internet III The full report can be found on the Pew site: www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/The-Future-of-the-Internet-III.aspx A survey of internet leaders, activists and analysts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virtual reality become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the internet itself improves. They disagree about whether this will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives. Here are the key findings on the survey of experts by the Pew Internet & American Life Project that asked respondents to assess predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020: # The mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2020. # The transparency of people and organizations will increase, but that will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance, or forgiveness. # Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the internet will be more prevalent and accepted by 2020. # Those working to enforce intellectual property law and copyright protection will remain in a continuing arms race, with the crackers who will find ways to copy and share content without payment. # The divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will be further erased for everyone who is connected, and the results will be mixed in their impact on basic social relations. # Next-generation engineering of the network to improve the current internet architecture is more likely than an effort to rebuild the architecture from scratch. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From tom at jtjohnson.com Sun May 24 15:52:40 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 16:52:40 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband); proposal open for votes Message-ID: FYI -- From O'Reilly Radar: Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband); proposal open for votes Posted: 24 May 2009 05:12 AM PDT I've posted a proposal titled Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband) to a forum on open government put up by the White House. I ask this blog's readers to tell other people who might be interested, and vote up the proposal if you like it. The Open Government Dialog site where this proposal appears is part of the White House's implementation of the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government that Obama signed on his first day in office. Hundreds of ideas have already been posted. Many are very specific and some look quite worthy, but I think mine stands out for the reasons listed in my justification: First, one of the Administration's major goals is to bring high-speed networking to every resident of the country. Second, this goal is fundamental to the other goals in the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. Members of the public need continuous access to the Internet and the ability to handle video and sophisticated graphical displays in order to make full use of the resources provided in open government efforts. The *local* community aspect is also crucial, for reasons I list in my justification. Many readers will note that the people who need my proposal the most the ones who have the most trouble participating in the forums--people who can't afford computers, who have access only to intermittent dial-up Internet access, etc. I deal with this ironic problem in the proposal in several ways (public terminals, face-to-face meetings, partnering with newspapers and television). Because the formatting came out a mess, I'm reprinting the proposal below. ------------------------------ Local forums to implement high-speed networks (broadband) Municipalities and regions undertaking projects in high-speed networking be encouraged to create online forums that: - Post regional maps showing the demographic features, geographical features, patterns of network use, and technological facilities relevant to the project - Accept proposals, provide comment and rating systems, and run polls - Provide public terminals and low-bandwidth versions of data, so that people who are currently on the disadvantaged side of the digital divide can offer input to help cross that divide - Are supplemented by face-to-face gatherings - Collaborate with newspapers and with television and radio news programs to publicize proposals, meetings, and opportunities for public comment - Create visitor accounts, perhaps with validation procedures for determining local residence, and allow visitors to identify their expertise and credentials - Provide tools for mapping proposed facilities and for calculating the reach, bandwidth, and costs of proposed facilities - Provide data about ongoing deployments in standardized, open formats on maps and in downloadable form The federal-level initiative can support these efforts by: - Mandating the types of information that participating municipalities and companies should provide, such as the capabilities of current facilities, statistics on current usage, demographic information such as income and connectivity on a neighborhood basis, and detailed implementation plans with measurable milestones - Funding the development of software tools, such as programs that can estimate the quality of wireless coverage for different terrains, or the time period required to recoup the costs of building out networks - Providing formats and quality standards for the data provided - Publicizing successful initiatives, the tools they used, and their best practices Why Is This Idea Important High-speed digital networking (also known as "broadband") should concern open government advocates in two ways. First, one of the Administration's major goals is to bring high-speed networking to every resident of the country. Second, this goal is fundamental to the other goals in the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. Members of the public need continuous access to the Internet and the ability to handle video and sophisticated graphical displays in order to make full use of the resources provided in open government efforts. Why do I stress the local nature of these forums? All networking is (on one level) local. Given the limited resources available for any network deployment, and the trade-offs that must be made during plans, decision-makers need to take into account local demographics, geography, topology, social and economic priorities, and existing facilities. Here are just a few examples the many local issues typically considered: - Which neighborhoods are already relatively well-served or poorly served - Where it's cost-effective to string fiber, versus serving a neighborhood through a high-bandwidth wireless solution - Whether there are existing facilities and lines that could be repurposed or upgraded for high-speed networking - How many public funds to invest and which private firms to contract with to provide infrastructure or Internet service - Whether a non-essential service, such as wireless for spots where tourists or businesspeople congregate, could generate enough new jobs or revenue to be worth an investment - What public and private partners and sources of investment are available - Whether people in potential new markets have the desire and education to use new network services, and how to create the conditions under which the populations would use the services Innumerable issues like these require local knowledge and judgment. That is why many innovative and successful initiatives to provide digital networks have been launched by local governments or local private service providers. Local collaboration to promote network penetration can also build bonds that support local communities in other ways. The global reach of the Internet has long been stressed, but the role of digital networks in connecting people within geographical communities and improving their way of life may be even more important and is beginning to be recognized. Although complex, the issues are no more complex than many other issues being considered for implementation of the open government directive. With proper organization and support, community members could make these decisions and monitor their implementation. Local community forums also attract participants more easily than geographically distributed "communities of interest." People are likely to respond to the invitations of friends and neighbors, and to be more loyal to the forums when they know the participants personally. So local forums are good ways to initiate the general public to the notion of transparent and participatory governance. A note on current federal broadband initiatives The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), operated through the NTIA, that creates a 4.7-billion-dollar program to promote broadband, particularly for unserved areas and populations. The implementation does not involve any of the innovative aspects of the open government directive, such as collaborative online forums and data exposed through open formats and APIs. Like other programs in ARRA, the focus on providing a fast economic stimulus led to a schedule that does not accommodate time to set up and accept comments in this manner. A public comment period was held from March 12 to April 13, 2009, and proposals must be submitted by September 2009. The FCC adopted the goal of expanding broadband access many years ago, and cites this goal in many opinions concerning competition. The FCC also continues to offer funds for broadband under the Universal Service Fund (USF), which was expanded by the 1996 Telecommunications Act to include Internet access. The USF does not involve public online forums or open data access. The FCC also plans to publish a national broadband plan by February 2010. Because the funds from BTOP will probably be disbursed by then, this plan could be a locus for the kinds of forums describes in this proposal. *Quick disclaimer*: broadband adoption is hard to measure--it depends on such fuzz factors as the minimum speed defined as "broadband," the difference between potential and usual speeds, and uncertainties about actual availability versus official penetration rates--but recent estimates suggest that half of the United States population has always-on, high-speed network access. Although this reflects a substantial increase in recent years, it still leaves the US behind many other developed nations. Further improvements will require more intensive planning and careful resource allocation, as we try to extend adoption to populations with fewer resources or geographical challenges. Summary of benefits - When the public can evaluate the options available to their community and the trade-offs required, they can reach agreement on a digital networking policy that reflects the values of many constituents and communities. - Tools for measuring the impacts of different proposals can help everyone in the community agree on what trade-offs exist, and provide a factual basis for decision-making. - Technically trained members of the community can use the measurement and visualization tools on the forum to educate those who are less technically sophisticated and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make valid and appropriate input. - Progress in implementation can be followed by the public, who can demand accountability in spending and results. - Collaboration in building local networks can lead to continued collaboration in using those networks to improve economic, educational, and policy initiatives in the communities. They can also give visitors the skills and interests to join larger, national efforts in fulfillment of the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, - Standardization and information sharing between communities can help later communities reach successful conclusions more quickly and with less wasted effort. - Finally, the public participation fostered by local forums can educate the public about telecommunications issues that have a national or even international scope, such as expanding major access points, fostering technological innovation, and changing national policies and laws. Welcoming Eric Ries to the Radar Team Posted: 23 May 2009 09:17 AM PDT The Radar blog is a community of thinkersorganized around the O?Reilly mission to change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators. Some of the folks with posting privileges on Radar are O'Reilly employees: Brady Forrest organizes the ETech, Where 2.0 and Web 2.0 Expoevents, Mike Loukides, Andy Oram, Brett McLaughlin, and Mike Hendrickson are editors of many of the books you know and love, Ben Lorica does data analysis in our research group , Andrew Savikas heads up our digital publishing efforts , Dale Dougherty is the publisher of Make: , Sara Winge runs the Radar group and organizes our annual Foo Camp. Others work part-time with us, such as our open source maven Alison Randal, who co-chairs the Open Source Convention, and ?Master of Disaster? Jesse Robbins, who co-chairs the Velocityconference on large scale web operations. Some are alumni such as Nat Torkington and Marc Hedlund, who have gone on to other jobs but remain very much part of the O'Reilly family. But others are interesting people we have met along the journey like Artur Bergman, Jim Stogdill, and Nick Bilton. These are people who've stimulated our thinking and helped us reflect on areas we want to learn about. In each case the goal is the same - talk about "Stuff That Matters" and generate meaningful conversation. With that in mind, I wanted to welcome Eric Ries to the Radar community. I met Eric a few months ago, and immediately realized that he was someone I could learn a lot from, and whose ideas I wanted to spread as widely as possible. Eric has been championing the concept of The Lean Startup; a methodology that helps startups learn and adapt faster than the competition. Startups get lean through a mixture of agile development, leveraged product development and implementing direct, tight customer feedback loops. The result is a new type of company - one that uses operational excellence to drive down costs and accelerate learning. Eric?s methodology has been honed by running successful startups (and learning from running unsuccessful ones) along with experience gathered through consulting, mentoring, and advising entrepreneurs. The Lean Startup is deeply prescriptive and practical; it is a vision for a new way to start, build and grow your company?starting on day one. One of the things that excites me about the Lean Startup is that it doesn?t just apply to the traditional ?two guys in a garage.? The questions that I have seen technology startups face time and again are increasingly relevant to institutions of all kinds: Who exactly is my customer? What exactly do they want? How do I deliver my product quickly and effectively at lower cost? Lessons learned in the crucible of entrepreneurship are applicable to enterprise and to government as both struggle to do more with less, to grow to reach new markets, and to innovate. You will find Eric here occasionally on Radar as well as on his blog. Additionally, Eric has partnered with O?Reilly to produce a series of upcoming workshops intended to help people master the concepts of The Lean Startup. -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "Quantitative and Digital Skills of International Journalism and Communications Educators" http://journosurvey.notlong.com ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Sun May 31 11:31:50 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 12:31:50 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: GigaLaw.com Daily News, May 28, 2009 Message-ID: <20090531183205.47E9BBDE389@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. From another list. >FCC Chairman Releases Report on Rural Broadband Strategy > Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps released a report on > broadband strategy for rural America as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. > In that bill Congress asked the Federal Communications Commission > to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to submit "a report > describing a comprehensive rural broadband strategy." > Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10250404-38.html From granoff at zianet.com Sun May 31 11:34:03 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 12:34:03 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fw: for cybertelecom Message-ID: <20090531183403.C90A4BDE3B6@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. from another list > > > > It's that time of year again: time to nominate > > individuals for our annual IP3 awards. As you may know, each > > year, Public Knowledge selects three individuals to receive > > the IP3 Award. These winners are people who have advanced > > the public interest in each of the three "IPs: > > Intellectual Property, Internet Protocol, and Information > > Policy. Previous IP3 winners have included everyone from EFF > > lawyer Fred von Lohmann and Virginia Congressman Rick > > Boucher to the band OK Go and Gnarls Barkley member DJ > > Danger Mouse. Be sure to nominate your picks by June 22nd > > and look out for list of winners in October. > > > > To submit a nomination for the IP3 Awards, email your picks > > to IP3nominees at publicknowledge.org. > > > > From tom at jtjohnson.com Tue Jun 2 14:58:13 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 15:58:13 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Your Government - The Oregonian Message-ID: The type of digital resource tool I wish some NM newspaper would develop. http://gov.oregonlive.com/ -tj -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Wed Jun 3 07:17:10 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:17:10 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Re: Graphic/Map of "The Internet"...? Message-ID: <20090603141725.012E62BCE@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> This link has a neat set of visuals that I thought folks would enjoy. It was provided as part of a discussion on another list. Marianne >Probably not what you need, but is fun to view: > > http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/InternetMap/ > > > >On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:33 AM, Savage, >Christopher wrote: > > Does anyone have a link to a good high-level "map" of the Internet, > > showing schematically where the Tier 1 folks have fiber and/or major > > nodes, as well as Tier 2 and maybe even some smaller folks? Need a good > > overview picture for a presentation... > > From stephen.guerin at redfish.com Wed Jun 3 19:58:55 2009 From: stephen.guerin at redfish.com (Stephen Guerin) Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 20:58:55 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Re: Graphic/Map of "The Internet"...? In-Reply-To: <20090603141725.012E62BCE@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20090603141725.012E62BCE@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <5418006F-F973-471F-990F-74DD1FFECC43@redfish.com> Chris has done a lot of cool research, btw. Check out his Scratch interface at: http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/research.html and his pseudo-3d webcam facetracking for video conferencing... -S --- -. . ..-. .. ... .... - .-- --- ..-. .. ... .... stephen.guerin at redfish.com (m) 505.577.5828 (o) 505.995.0206 redfish.com _ sfcomplex.org _ simtable.com _ lava3d.com On Jun 3, 2009, at 8:17 AM, Marianne Granoff wrote: > > > This link has a neat set of visuals that I thought folks would enjoy. > > It was provided as part of a discussion on another list. > > Marianne > > >> Probably not what you need, but is fun to view: >> >> http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/InternetMap/ >> >> >> >> On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:33 AM, Savage, >> Christopher wrote: >>> Does anyone have a link to a good high-level "map" of the Internet, >>> showing schematically where the Tier 1 folks have fiber and/or major >>> nodes, as well as Tier 2 and maybe even some smaller folks? Need a >>> good >>> overview picture for a presentation... >>> > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm --- -. . ..-. .. ... .... - .-- --- ..-. .. ... .... stephen.guerin at redfish.com (m) 505.577.5828 (o) 505.995.0206 redfish.com _ sfcomplex.org _ simtable.com _ lava3d.com On Jun 3, 2009, at 8:17 AM, Marianne Granoff wrote: > > > This link has a neat set of visuals that I thought folks would enjoy. > > It was provided as part of a discussion on another list. > > Marianne > > >> Probably not what you need, but is fun to view: >> >> http://www.chrisharrison.net/projects/InternetMap/ >> >> >> >> On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:33 AM, Savage, >> Christopher wrote: >>> Does anyone have a link to a good high-level "map" of the Internet, >>> showing schematically where the Tier 1 folks have fiber and/or major >>> nodes, as well as Tier 2 and maybe even some smaller folks? Need a >>> good >>> overview picture for a presentation... >>> > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From rl at 1st-mile.com Sun Jun 28 16:22:00 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:22:00 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Course list of open source tools Message-ID: <20090628162200.6s0sgw7esk4g8sww@www2.dcn.org> http://www.onlinecourses.org/2009/06/09/100-awesome-open-source-tools-for-writers-journalists-and-bloggers/ -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Tue Jun 30 11:03:55 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:03:55 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 6.30 :: Bye American! :: Fake News is Great! :: Michael News Crashes Net :: The Chair is in the Building :: Green Dam Delayed :: Message-ID: <20090630180412.5FD992BE0@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >Comcast ready to resell Clearwire's WiMAX, Muni >In news announcements today cable giant Comcast announced that it >would start reselling Clearwire's WiMax services, a business move >they promised earlier this year. >http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Muniwireless/~3/3KFDWuJyhYE/ >More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/broadband/wimax.htm > > >US Broadband Penetration Grows to 63%, Website Optimization >Overall broadband penetration in US homes grew to 63% in March 2009, >despite an increase in average monthly rates. Thi >http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0906/ >More Info: http://www.cybertelecom.org/data/broadband.htm > > >Amazon positioned to win state tax battle, CNET >Amazon.com is in a high-profile tax showdown with states over its >Associates referral program and is likely to come out a winner either way. > >http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10275757-38.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-PoliticsandLaw > > >News sites falter as traffic spikes after Jackson's death, CW >Michael Jackson's death on Thursday caused a spike in visits to news >Web sites that affected the performance and availability of some of >the biggest ones, according to Web monitoring company Keynote Systems. > >http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9134913&source=rss_news > > >New FCC Chair Brings Us One Step Closer to Net Neutrality, Save the Internet >Julius Genachowski, a strong proponent of Net Neutrality, was >confirmed by the Senate late Thursday to be the influential chairman >of the Federal Communications Commission. > >http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/09/06/26/new-fcc-chair-brings-us-one-step-closer-net-neutrality > > >FCC cracks down on "gamesmanship" of line-sharing rules, Ars Technica >Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps has been promising >to do it for months: clean up the process by which incumbent >carriers are allowed to raise the prices they charge smaller telcos for > >http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2009/06/fcc-cracks-down-on-gamesmanship-of-line-sharing-rules.ars From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed Jul 1 13:53:20 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:53:20 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband Stimulus NoFA Message-ID: <20090701135320.jtdjh8dxwckkkowc@www2.dcn.org> Following are links to the new website for applications and the just posted Notice of Funds Availability. Also attached is a press release about the unveiling of the broadband programs today. One of the RUS/NTIA/FCC regional outreach meetings will be held in Albuquerque later in July. RL Portal to Apply for Broadband Funding http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Notice of Funds Availability http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/files/BB%20NOFA%20FINAL%20with%20disclaimer_1.pdf (note: the final version will be published later in the Federal Register) Federal Register Notice ? waiver of Buy American provision for BTOP http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/files/BroadbandBuyAmericaNotice7-1-09.pdf -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 070109 broadband press release.doc Type: application/msword Size: 51200 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed Jul 1 14:06:57 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:06:57 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband Stimulus Grants Meeting in Albuquerque: July 23 Message-ID: <20090701140657.g7nqfq4u4g8wgsgk@www2.dcn.org> The July 23rd broadband workshop in Albuquerque will be at the Marriott Albuquerque Pyramid North. According to the Broadband USA website, pre-registration will close for each city approximately 24 hours prior to the event. Online registration is available through the Broadband USA portal website, http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/workshop.htm . -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Thu Jul 2 17:30:03 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:30:03 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Broadband Stimulus details Message-ID: <20090703003015.E41B0DC3DAD@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list >White House Sets Rules for Broadband Stimulus Funds > The Obama administration published the criteria it will use to > hand out billions of dollars in stimulus funds aimed at developing > the infrastructure to deliver broadband Internet access to areas > that are underserved or without access. The Commerce and > Agriculture departments will consider projects that provide wired > or wireless access starting at low-end DSL speeds, but will give > priority to ones promising higher speeds. An area will be > considered "underserved" by broadband, and thus eligible for > grants, if half or fewer of the households can get wired broadband > today, among other criteria. > Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124647954157482147.html From granoff at zianet.com Mon Jul 6 12:13:44 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:13:44 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] DOJ Opens Review of Telecom Industry Message-ID: <20090706191400.883CADD5D45@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124689740762401297.html > > >DOJ Opens Review of Telecom Industry > > >By AMOL SHARMA > >JULY 6, 2009, 12:42 P.M. ET > > >The Department of Justice has begun an initial review to determine >whether large U.S. telecom companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon >Communications Inc. have abused the market power they've amassed in >recent years, according to people familiar with the matter. > >The review of potential anti-competitive practices is in its very >early stages, and it isn't a formal investigation of any specific >company at this point, the people said. It isn't clear whether the >agency intends to launch an official inquiry. > >Among the areas the Justice Department could explore is whether >wireless carriers are hurting smaller competitors by locking up >popular phones through exclusive agreements with handset makers, >according to the people. In recent weeks lawmakers and regulators have >raised questions about deals such as AT&T's exclusive right to provide >service for Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone in the U.S. > >The Justice Department may also review whether telecom carriers are >unduly restricting the types of services other companies can offer on >their networks, one person familiar with the situation said. > >The scrutiny of the telecom industry is an indication of the Obama >administration's aggressive stance on antitrust enforcement. The >Justice Department's antitrust chief, Christine Varney, has said she >wants to reassert the government's role in policing monopolistic and >anti-competitive practices by powerful companies. > >The statute that governs such behavior ? the Sherman Antitrust Act ? >was used by the government in cases against giants ranging from >Standard Oil to Microsoft Corp. But it lay essentially dormant during >the Bush years, with the agency bringing no major case. > >Now Ms. Varney plans to revive that area of U.S. law, and the telecom >industry is among several sectors ? including health care and >agriculture ? that are coming under scrutiny, the people familiar with >the matter said. She is already tackling one high-tech area by >investigating Google Inc.'s settlement with authors and publishers >over its Book Search product. > >Through a spasm of consolidation and organic growth, AT&T and Verizon >have become the two dominant players in telecommunications, with the >largest networks and major clout over equipment makers. Combined, they >control 90 million landline customers and 60% of the 270 million U.S. >wireless subscribers. They also operate large portions of the Internet >backbone, ferrying data across the country and overseas. > >A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. > >Some antitrust experts said the government would have a tough time >opening a Sherman Act case against telecom providers if it chooses to >do so. To bring a case, the government must show that a company is >abusing its market power. > >"It would be a very hard case to make," said Donald Russell, a >Washington attorney who reviewed a number of major telecom mergers as >a DOJ antitrust lawyer in the Clinton Administration. "You don't have >any firm that's in a dominant position. Usually, you need to show a >firm has real market power." From rl at 1st-mile.com Tue Jul 7 07:14:11 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:14:11 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest @ PRC Message-ID: <20090707071411.47lsv0dagq4gw8w0@www2.dcn.org> www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Qwest-rates--rules-up-for-review Qwest rates, rules up for review PRC to begin hearings on new service-plan agreement Julie Ann Grimm | The New Mexican 7/6/2009 - 7/7/09 Whether telecommunications giant Qwest can raise prices and how much it will have to invest in service upgrades in New Mexico are among issues the state Public Regulation Commission plans to decide this year. Today marks the beginning of a hearing process to address the next cycle of regulations for Qwest, whose service plan agreement with the state expires at the end of the year. A PRC-appointed hearing officer will accept testimony and begin to hear from businesses and the state Attorney General's Office about what will be the third agreement on "alternative form of regulation" ? referenced by those involved as AFOR III. The jargon describes the state's process of moving from a regulated monopoly provider system to one based on a competitive market. It means that commissioners will sort out differences between the large telecommunications provider and consumer advocates such as state Attorney General Gary King, as well as smaller telecommunications businesses such as Cyber Mesa. Qwest, which has territory that includes the most-populated parts of New Mexico, including most of Santa Fe and Taos counties, wants the state to adjust price caps and consider new infrastructure investment rules when regulations expire this year. In 2001, Qwest agreed to spend about $788 million under a regulatory agreement with the state, then entered its second "alternative form of regulation" in 2007. Each agreement has required the company to upgrade the core telecommunications system under its control and to offer services to new residents. King advocates that the PRC to "hold the line" on rate increases and force Qwest to make concessions that encourage competition for Internet services and further expand what's available to residents of underserved areas, said Brian Harris, an attorney working on the issue for King. More than a dozen expert witnesses from six interested parties, including Cyber Mesa Computer Systems and Time Warner Telecom and other businesses, are expected to offer testimony this week before James C. Martin, appointed by the PRC to issue a recommendation by Sept. 30. Bruce Throne, an attorney for Cyber Mesa, said his client's main interest in the new regulations is that Qwest isn't allowed to set prices that eliminate the competition, including free months of service or other promotions that undercut actual cost of service. New Mexico-based Cyber Mesa provides phone, Internet access and high-speed data services through what is called a "wireline" service, which leases some centrally controlled infrastructure and has its own facilities for transporting traffic. "Cyber Mesa believes that customer choice is the best way to ensure quality of service so that if a customer is not happy with their provider, they can go to another provider," Throne said. "They want to make sure that Qwest cannot drive them out of business." The small company also asked for clearer definitions of terms and calculation procedures in the next set of regulations. Qwest attorneys argue that the company already has "significantly eroded market power" and wants its price ceilings relaxed. Its proposal for 2010 to 2012 would add $1.50 for basic "local exchange" service, raising the price to $15 from $13.50. The company provides service in 14 states, and its New Mexico customers pay the fourth-lowest cost, according to a Qwest document. The company also wants to reserve the ability to offer promotions for both packaged and basic products. Harris hopes residents in the Qwest service territory will tell the commission about their experiences with services. Examples include places where fast Internet is not available or where phone customers hear static after heavy rain. "There is a balance between the public interest and the private interest, and that is a balance that is constantly changing," Harris said. "In this particular situation, what we are asking the PRC to do is find a little bit more on the side of the public interest. The profit motive alone is not going to bring the Internet to the most isolated pockets of New Mexico." Public testimony begins at 10 a.m. today on the second floor of Marian Hall, 224 E. Palace Ave. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Tue Jul 7 20:34:50 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:34:50 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Citizen Participation Message-ID: <20090708033453.B6A302BCB@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >FCC Insider Levin Calls for Citizen Participation, Internet News >Obama's broadband policy chief asked knowledgeable people to >participate at the FCC works out its national broadband plan. > >http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InternetnewsRealtimeNewsForItManagers/~3/eLlPU_HU0jQ/3828071 > >U.S. Government Launches New Broadband Website - 226 Days until we >actually have a broadband plan..., dslreports >Broadband.gov has launched as the centerpiece of the government's >effort to figure what to do to resolve our thoroughly mediocre >showing when it comes to broadband speed, price and penetration. The >(beta) website notes there's 226 days until the plan's finalized, >and offers a timetable for the various workshoups, discussions and > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/US-Government-Launches-New-Broadband-Website-103277 > >One Last Warning Before America Screws Up Broadband Mapping - >Connected Nation poised to nab $350 million in taxpayer dollars, dslreports >Last year, consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge penned a piece >that was by and large ignored by the Steve Jobs-obsessed technology >media. In it, Art Brodksy exposed broadband mapping group Connected >Nation as little more than a policy front group for AT&T and >Verizon. The group was created, Brodsky notes, to gloss over the > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/One-Last-Warning-Before-America-Screws-Up-Broadband-Mapping-103305 > From granoff at zianet.com Thu Jul 9 05:45:57 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:45:57 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Call for BTOP Reviewers Message-ID: <20090709124612.EC3562BB0@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. From another list. >July 6, 2009 > >Call for Reviewers > >Broadband Technology Opportunities Program >Help America Advance its National Objective of Broadband Access for All >The National Telecommunications and Information >Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of >Commerce is soliciting volunteers to serve as >panelists to evaluate grant proposals for the >$4.7 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities >Program (BTOP), an important part of the >American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. >NTIA is accepting applications for its first >round of BTOP grants from July 14, 2009 until >August 14, 2009, and will conduct panel reviews >through at least the end of September, 2009. As >a reviewer, your evaluations will be an >important factor considered by NTIA in >determining whether to award grant funding. To >be considered as a reviewer you must have >significant expertise and experience in at least one of the following areas: > >1) the design, funding, construction, and >operation of broadband networks or public computer centers; >2) broadband-related outreach, training, or education; and >3) innovative programs to increase the demand for broadband services. > >In addition you must agree to comply with >Department of Commerce policies on conflict of interest and confidentiality. > >We are committed to ensuring that reviewers come >from diverse backgrounds and areas of the United >States. Please feel free to circulate this >???Call for Reviewers??? to other individuals or >organizations that may be sources of qualified >reviewers. To apply to be a panel reviewer for >BTOP, please email a resume containing the >information below to BTOPReviewers at ntia.doc.gov: >? Name >? Residence (city and state) >? Email/phone number >? Employer >? Position/Title >? Years and types of experience and positions in >fields related to BTOP activities >NTIA will examine and approve reviewer >applications on a first-come, first-served basis. > >Approved reviewers will be contacted to schedule >participation in a webinar orientation session >and teleconference panel reviews. >Although there will be no direct reimbursement >for your time and expertise, you may be assured >that you will be making a significant >contribution to enhancing broadband services >throughout the United States. We appreciate the >valuable contribution you will be making to the >success of BTOP and look forward to working with you as a reviewer. >If you have questions, please send them by email >to: BTOPReviewers at ntia.doc.gov. >For additional information, please see http://www.broadbandusa.gov/ From carroll at cagleandassociates.com Mon Jul 13 07:15:54 2009 From: carroll at cagleandassociates.com (Carroll Cagle) Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:15:54 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] BusinessWeek looks at Genachowski role at FCC Message-ID: July 2, 2009 BusinessWeek A New Signal from the FCC Incoming Chairman Genachowski is likely to act on President Obama's objectives for broadband penetration, net neutrality, and diversity By Tom Lowry After years of dealing with a regulator many considered an autocrat and ideologue, executives in media, telecom, and technology say they are encouraged by President Barack Obama's newly confirmed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Julius Genachowski, like most FCC chiefs, is a lawyer. But there the similarities with his predessors end. Genachowski helped media mogul Barry Diller build his e-commerce empire and worked as a venture capitalist. Those experiences arguably give him a broad view of the industries he will regulate. Genachowski is also considered fair and pragmatic. Executives believe his ascension will be a welcome change from predecessor Kevin Martin, who they say targeted certain industries and turned an obsession with what he deemed smut on TV into a moral crusade. Genachowski, 46, declined to be interviewed and has so far offered few specifics about his regulatory philosophy. But he seems to share with Obama, a former Harvard Law School classmate, a conviction that U.S. communications policy needs to be dragged into the 21st century. "Julius and the President are passionate about technology. You might even say they are techno-geeks," says Ken Ferree, a former top FCC official. "They know how important it is to make technology as accessible to as many people as possible. That passion will make a huge difference." Here, say FCC insiders, are three of Genachowski's top priorities: Broadband Deployment. Obama is determined to bring speedy Web access to more Americans and, in doing so, improve the nation's global competitiveness. (The U.S. currently ranks 15th in broadband penetration.) The President expects the FCC to help stimulate the economy and create jobs by bringing broadband to unserved regions. Genachowski may well use a fund originally set up to expand phone service to do the same for the Web. The FCC chief also may push for faster broadband so it can better handle such modern needs as video and corporate data. Genachowski is supposed to have a broadband plan on the boss's desk by early next year. Net Neutrality. In recent years, a battle has raged over the issue. Web service providers want the option to charge users according to how much bandwidth they use and to give priority to certain services over others. A legion of digerati argue that such restrictions would limit freedom of expression on the Internet. Obama has put himself squarely in the latter camp, and the big question is whether Genachowski will push for legislation mandating so-called net neutrality. Media Diversity. Obama wants to make it easier for minorities to own TV and radio stations and to push distributors to offer programs with more diverse viewpoints. To make that happen, Genachowski could use a carrot and stick, says veteran communications lawyer Andrew Lipman: on the one hand reducing the length of broadcast licenses if programming isn't deemed sufficiently diverse and offering tax credits to broadcasters who sell to minorities. It will be several months before the business community gets a clear reading on Genachowski's FCC. But executives already know one thing for certain: The new guy will have far more clout than Martin. Not only did Genachowski advise the Obama campaign on telecom policy, he is among the enviable few who participate in the President's Sunday pickup basketball games. Even if he can't match Obama's on-court moves, Genachowski has the big man's ear. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From granoff at zianet.com Wed Jul 15 15:30:16 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:30:16 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Cybercriminals Attack Users of Microsoft Office; more... Message-ID: <20090715223040.158272BAC@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >Cybercriminals Attack Users of Microsoft Office > Microsoft warned that cybercriminals have attacked users of > its Office software for Windows PCs, exploiting a programing flaw > that the software giant has yet to repair. The world's largest > software maker issued the warning as it released patches to address > nine other security holes in its software. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE56D6FU20090714 From granoff at zianet.com Thu Jul 16 08:29:03 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:29:03 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Javascript Vulnerability Found in Firefox 3.5 Message-ID: <20090716152907.644FF2BCB@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >Javascript Vulnerability Found in Firefox 3.5 > There is a critical JavaScript vulnerability in the Firefox > 3.5 Web browser, Mozilla has warned. The zero-day flaw lies in > Firefox 3.5's Just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compiler. > Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10287172-83.html From BHarris at nmag.gov Wed Jul 22 10:13:05 2009 From: BHarris at nmag.gov (Harris, Brian, WEU NMAGO) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:13:05 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] BTOP Application Guide announced In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1A39F5669CCA3244B3535D002AE1AF15562232@mizuno.AGO.LOCAL> For Immediate Release July 22, 2009 An Overview of the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative released an application guide for the National Telecommunication and Information Association's (NTIA) State Broadband Data and Development grant program. The Open Technology Initiative's application guide simplifies the NTIA's July 1st Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and makes the grant program more accessible to states and organizations interested in applying for stimulus funding. As an introduction to the NOFA, this report breaks down the application process, lists the required documents and key information, and explains the technical data that awardees of the grant will be responsible for collecting. "We have received an incredibly positive response to our four application guides for other NTIA and RUS grant opportunities and we wanted to ensure that easy-to-digest information is available for this grant program as well," explained James Losey, program associate for the Open Technology Initiative. "There is a growing consensus about the need for substantial broadband data to be made publicly accessible and a national broadband map is an important first step towards this goal." The Introduction to the State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is available for download from the Open Technology Initiative website at http://www.newamerica.net/programs/oti or at the following page: http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/introduction_state_broadba nd_and_development_grant_program Application guides for other NTIA and RUS grant opportunities, as well strategic guidance regarding BTOP infrastructure funding, are available at the following links: Summary, Concerns, and Strategic Guidance Regarding Notice of Funds Availability for BTOP http://newamerica.net/publications/policy/summary_concerns_and_strategic _guidance_regarding_notice_funds_availability_btop Broadband Infrastructure: BIP Application Guide http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/broadband_infrastructure_a pplication_guide_bip Broadband Infrastructure: BTOP Application Guide http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/broadband_infrastructure_b top_application_guide Public Computer Center Application Guide http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/public_computer_centers_pr ogram_application_guide Sustainable Broadband Adoption Application Guide http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/sustainable_broadband_adop tion_application_guide About the New America Foundation The New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19748 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From BHarris at nmag.gov Wed Jul 22 11:43:41 2009 From: BHarris at nmag.gov (Harris, Brian, WEU NMAGO) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:43:41 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] NTIA Webinar BTOP In-Reply-To: <1A39F5669CCA3244B3535D002AE1AF15562232@mizuno.AGO.LOCAL> References: <1A39F5669CCA3244B3535D002AE1AF15562232@mizuno.AGO.LOCAL> Message-ID: <1A39F5669CCA3244B3535D002AE1AF15562235@mizuno.AGO.LOCAL> Join us for a Webinar on July 24 On July 24, 2009, the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will host an online workshop on its recently announced grant program to fund collection of state-level broadband data, as well as state-wide broadband mapping and planning. This initiative will provide consumers with better information on the broadband services available to them and inform efforts to increase broadband availability nationwide. The workshop is intended to present information and answer questions about the grant application process for potential applicants. The State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is a competitive, merit-based matching grant program that implements the joint purposes of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Broadband Data Improvement Act (BDIA). The Program will provide up to approximately $240 million in grants to assist states or their designees to develop state-specific data on the deployment levels and adoption rates of broadband services. These data, including publicly available state-wide broadband maps, will also be used to develop the comprehensive, interactive national broadband map that NTIA is required by the Recovery Act to create and make publicly available by February 17, 2011. The workshop will be recorded and made available online at www.broadbandusa.gov. Grant applications for this program will be accepted through the online grants.gov system until August 14, 2009. Pre-registration for the workshop is required and NTIA recommends registering no later than two hours in advance. Potential applicants are invited to email questions about the grant program to broadbandmapping at ntia.doc.gov in advance of the workshop. Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/538335482 Title: State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program Online Workshop Date: Friday, July 24, 2009 ime: 1:00 PM EST T After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows(r) 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh(r)-based attendees Required: Mac OS(r) X 10.4 (Tiger(r)) or newer -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 862 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From granoff at zianet.com Fri Aug 7 11:22:48 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:22:48 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 8.7 Message-ID: <20090807182251.5588610EBC9A@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >FCC Kicks Off Broadband Roadshow, Internet News >As it sets out to craft a national broadband strategy, agency aims >to showcase virtues of universal access to high-speed Internet. > >http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InternetnewsRealtimeNewsForItManagers/~3/OsUL8QHOnOI/3833551 > > >Broadband's Impact on Citizen Engagement, Pew Internet >The goal of this FCC workshop is to assess, and facilitate a >conversation about, the current state of data on broadband adoption >and utilization, as well as the associated measurement and other >challenges. Susannah Fox will discuss the Pew Internet Project's >latest data on broadband adoption and the difference broadband makes to > >http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2009/25--Broadbands-Impact-on-Citizen-Engagement.aspx > > > >Belt & Suspenders, PFF >Representatives Markey and Eshoo recently introduced a bill >providing the Federal Communications Commission with extensive >regulatory authority over the Internet entitled the "Internet >Freedom Preservation Act of 2009." The bill would amend Title I of >the Communications Act, among other things, to: (i) include a new >"Internet Freedom" section > http://blog.pff.org/archives/2009/08/belt_suspenders.html > > >IP-Enabled Services, Fed Reg >This document amends the Commission's rules so that providers of >interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service will be >required to comply with the same discontinuance rules as domestic >non dominant telecommunications carriers. These rules protect >consumers of interconnected VoIP service from the abrupt >discontinuance, reduction or impairment of their service by requiring > http://thefederalregister.com/d.p/2009-08-07-E9-18716 From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed Aug 12 17:00:06 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:00:06 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Qwest Passes on Broadband Stimulus funding Message-ID: <20090812170006.l2jieluysks44ssk@www2.dcn.org> Qwest passes on stimulus funds for broadband expansion, citing rules New Mexico Business Weekly Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Qwest Communications International Inc. won?t apply for the first round of a $7.2 billion federal stimulus program expanding the reach of high-speed Internet because participating under its current rules doesn?t make financial sense, the company said. The federal government?s National Telecommunications Information Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce?s Rural Utilities Service are dispersing $4 billion in loans and grants in a first round of funding for which the application deadline is Aug. 14. Denver-based Qwest, the nation?s third-largest local phone company, sat out the first round and appears to have joined the ranks of telecoms that would like to see the rules changed for future rounds of the broadband stimulus program. ?We continue to support the use of program proceeds to facilitate the deployment of broadband services to unserved consumers,? said Steve Davis, Qwest?s senior VP for public policy, in a written statement. ?However, upon evaluation of the funding opportunity and the various requirements for participation, we were unable to make the business case for filing an application for more rural opportunities.? Qwest serves a 14-state swath stretching from Iowa to the Pacific Northwest to Arizona and New Mexico. With so much of rural America in its territory, the company has been enthusiastic about the goal in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of expanding broadband access to unserved areas. The company wanted stimulus money to fund the neighborhood-level broadband networks that cost too much to realistically build in less populated areas. The rules setting out how the money would be awarded were published in early July. The agencies said they?d re-evaluate the rules after the first round and consider changing them for the remaining $3.2 billion in funding. The rules have been criticized for skewing much of the stimulus money to projects connecting people living at least 50 miles outside cities and towns instead of larger populations of rural dwellers living closer to communities, and for putting applications covering slower-speed wireless broadband services on the same footing as wireline services with faster download speeds. U.S. Telecom, a broadband industry association that Qwest joined last month, wrote to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke urging that the agencies not wait and change the rules immediately. ?Our member companies have identified more than 1 million rural households they are prepared to serve if the rules are modified in a manner that minimizes uncertainty and recognizes the tremendous economic hurdles to delivering broadband to rural consumers,? said the letter from Walter McCormick, Jr., CEO and president of U.S. Telecom. Qwest is a major telecommunications provider in New Mexico. (Greg Avery of the Denver Business Journal, an affiliated publication, compiled this report.) -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From dlc at lampinc.com Tue Aug 25 09:17:55 2009 From: dlc at lampinc.com (Dale Carstensen) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:17:55 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] 413,000 speed tests don't lie (fwd) Message-ID: <20090825161746.9C3BB38D600@lampinc.com> ------- Forwarded Message Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:08:33 GMT From: "Beth Allen, Speed Matters" Subject: 413,000 speed tests don't lie Campaign-Id: Getactive-08 at speedmatters-27478994 Sender: speedmatters at cwa-union.org Dear Speed Matters supporter, The results are in. Today Speed Matters is releasing our third-annual report on Internet speeds across the U.S. As a member of the speedmatters.org online community I wanted you to be one of the first to see this brand new report: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/_74Xy-s1jj1i/ Based on more than 413,000 speed tests taken at speedmatters.org, our report shows the U.S. still has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the world's Internet speeds. Our data shows the average download speed in the U.S. is 5.1 mbps. While this is a slight increase from previous years, we're still nowhere near world leaders like South Korea, which is tops with an average download speed of 20.1 mbps. Our report also lists the average Internet speeds in all 50 states, showing wide variation across the country. Check out our full report and find out how your state stacks up with the rest of the country: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/_74Xy-s1jj1i/ Without universal access to high-speed broadband, Americans are at a serious disadvantage when trying to compete in the global economy. Small businesses are missing out on opportunities to sell their goods and services around the world. Rural communities are missing out on essential links to growth and development. And our nation's economy is missing out on hundreds of thousands of good jobs created by broadband investment. Although the U.S. is the only industrialized country without a national broadband policy, the good news is that this is about to change. The Federal Communications Commission is hard at work on a National Broadband Plan, due to Congress in February 2010. And the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture are busy evaluating the first round of applications for the $7.2 billion in stimulus funds available for broadband projects. With broadband's vast potential to spur innovations in education, health care, energy conservation and more, we must make a serious nationwide effort to bring high-speed connections to all Americans. Our new report is an important step in this direction, for it paints a detailed picture of which Americans have access to high-speed broadband and which Americans are being left behind. Read our new report and learn more about the importance of universal high-speed broadband access: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/_74Xy-s1jj1i/ Our new report finds that 18 percent of Americans connect to the Internet at speeds that do not even qualify as basic broadband, according to the FCC definition of 768 kbps download. And only 20 percent have speeds that compare to those in South Korea, Japan, or Sweden. Slow Internet speeds and the digital divide are still holding our country back. The Speed Matters report will serve as an important tool to help the American people stand up and demand fair and equal access to high-speed broadband. Only then will we finally break out of the digital divide and get our country up to speed. Thanks for your support, Beth Allen Speedmatters.org Online Mobilization Coordinator - -------------------------------------------------- ------- End of Forwarded Message From granoff at zianet.com Thu Aug 27 18:44:15 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:44:15 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 8.27 Message-ID: <20090828014424.E5110108D0AA@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >New attack cracks common Wi-Fi encryption in a minute, CW >Computer scientists in Japan say they've developed a way to break >the WPA encryption system used in wireless routers in about one minute. > >http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137177/New_attack_cracks_common_Wi_Fi_encryption_in_a_minute?source=rss_news > > >U.S. lags other nations in Internet speed, CNET >The average Internet download speed in the U.S. is slower than that >in 27 other countries, according to a new report by the >Communications Workers of America. > >http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10317118-38.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-PoliticsandLaw > > >U.S.A.: Dead Last in Internet Speeds, and Not Trying Very Hard to >Catch Up, Peer Flow >A programmer on a project I'm working on just moved back to Finland. >He's got 30 megabits per second, and he could get 100 Mbps if he >wanted to pay a little more. Meanwhile, back in the U.S.A., we're >lucky to get 3Mbps through DSL or 8Mbps through cable. Anywhere in >Japan you can buy 100Mbps for about the same price per month >http://riskman.typepad.com/peerflow/2009/08/usa-dead-last-in-internet-speeds-and-not-trying-very-hard-to-catch-up.html > > >ACLU sues for information on laptop searches at U.S. borders, CW >The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the U.S. Department of >Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection unit for >information on its policies related to searches of laptops and other >electronic devices at U.S. borders. > >http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137173/ACLU_sues_for_information_on_laptop_searches_at_U.S._borders?source=rss_news From granoff at zianet.com Tue Sep 1 13:48:55 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:48:55 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 9.1 Message-ID: <20090901204901.A0530EDC939@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list - FYI. >FCC Hires Industry Shill to Develop US National Broadband Plan, Open Left >The FCC's broadband task force is tasked with >developing our national broadband policy. This >is a project that FCC Commissioner Michael Copps >ranks of the highest importance: > >http://www.openleft.com/diary/14837/fcc-hires-industry-shill-to-develop-us-national-broadband-plan > >How FCC Red Tape Slows New Wireless Technologies >and What To Do About It,, CommLawBlog >Our colleague Mitchell Lazarus is featured in >the current issue of IEEE Spectrum magazine. His >article, "Radio's Regulatory Roadblocks ? How >FCC Red Tape Slows New Wireless Technologies and >What To Do About It" is now available at this > http://feeds.lexblog.com/~r/CommLawBlog/~3/ZZduLEy_neA/ > >Social Network and SMS Scam to Watch Out For >(And Tell Your Teens About), Ask Mariam >Our recent cell phone bill revealed a new >cybercrime to me. First, my husband noticed a >mysterious $9.99 "premium services" charge on >the bill for my oldest child's line. He asked >her if she'd signed up for any text services or >paid for a ringtone. When she proclaimed her > >http://community.norton.com/t5/Ask-Marian/Social-Network-and-SMS-Scam-to-Watch-Out-For-And-Tell-Your-Teens/ba-p/139178 > >Does the FCC Have Jurisdiction to Regulate Wireless Handsets?, telefrieden >No description > >http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/09/does-fcc-have-jurisdiction-to-regulate.html > >Americans Watched 21.4 Billion Videos in July, >Largest Number Ever Recorded, CircleID >According to the latest report released by >comScore for the month of July, 58 million U.S. >Internet users watched online video during the >month, the largest audience ever recorded. >Online video reached another all-time high in >July with a total of 21.4 billion videos viewed during > http://www.circleid.com/posts/americans_watched_214_billion_videos_in_july/ > >No Summer Break for IPv6, CircleID >In India we saw the Department of >Telecommunications take action. Late July the >Telecom Engineering Centre organized a seminar >where the recommendations for IPv4 to IPv6 >transition put forward by the regulator (TRAI) were adopted. > http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090831_no_summer_break_for_ipv6/ > >Dreadful Ruling: Web Hosts Hit With $32 Million >Judgment For Content On Customers' Websites, Techdirt >Well, this is bad. We've worried in the past >about the lack of a specific safe harbor to >protect trademark infringement claims being >brought against third party service providers. >The DMCA has a safe harbor that protects against >copyright claims, and the CDA has a safe harbor that > http://techdirt.com/articles/20090831/1600056056.shtml > >Revolving Door Between Lobbyists, FCC Continues >- One FCC'er heads to cable, while think tanker heads to FCC..., dslreports >Part of the continuing problem with the telecom >sector (well, most sectors, and not just in the >States) is that there's a revolving door between >industry lobbyists and regulators, which creates >a legion of regulators who simply nod dumbly at >corporations as they search for their next paying > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Revolving-Door-Between-Lobbyists-FCC-Continues-104171 > >Happy birthday Internet, welcome to your mid-life crisis, Globe and Mail >At the ripe old age of 40, the Internet is more >widely available and faster than ever but >artificial barriers threaten to constrict its growth > http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGlobeAndMail-Technology/~3/epYNXgeWzFQ/ > >Everyone should know the history of the Internet, Michael Kaiser >Do you know what happened on September 2, 1969 >just 53 days after Apollo 11 landed on the moon >and why it's an important date in Internet >history? Well you should. We all should. > http://www.staysafeonline.info/blog/everyone-should-know-history-internet > >Privacy Office approves laptop searches without suspicion at U.S. borders, CW >Travelers arriving at U.S. borders may soon be >confronted with their laptops, PDAs, and other >digital devices being searched, copied and even >held by customs agents -- all without need to show suspicion for cause. > >http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9137315/Privacy_Office_approves_laptop_searches_without_suspicion_at_U.S._borders_?source=rss_news From granoff at zianet.com Thu Sep 3 09:39:14 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:39:14 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 9-3-2009 Message-ID: <20090903163920.1392811D698C@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI. >Trojan Horse Can Record Internet Calls, Symantec Says > Along with keyloggers that track what you type, now we have to > worry about malicious software that listens in on our voice over > Internet Protocol conversations. A Symantec security blog disclosed > a new Trojan horse "that records VoIP communications, specifically > targeting Skype." > Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-19518_3-10338659-238.html > > >ISPs Want FCC to Set Low Limits for "Broadband" Definition > The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators > to adopt a conservative definition of "broadband," arguing for > minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations. > The submissions were filed with the Federal Communications > Commission which had sought comments by August 31 on how the agency > should define broadband for a report to be submitted to Congress > early next year. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE5806LY20090902 > From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Sep 10 13:26:32 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:26:32 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] NM Broadband Stimulus Update Message-ID: <20090910132632.p00v8zi8g8w08o48@www2.dcn.org> The RUS and NTIA have now posted the database of all (2,200?) first round broadband stimulus applications. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/search.cfm In searching the database by state (New Mexico), if my math is correct, there are 32 received applications from NM entities (plus one NM project by a CO firm), showing funding requests totaling almost $292 million in grants, and almost $143 million in loans, for projects in NM. A keyword (New Mexico) search of the database, provides information on 6 additional applicants (including Navajo Nation), based in AZ, CO, TX and OK, which include some infrastructure or services projects in NM. In addition (not on the database), the NM DoIT applied for a State Broadband Data and Development Program Grant (mapping and planning), for $4 million. Latest word from the feds is that each State Governor's Office will very soon be asked to review and make recommendations of applicants' proposals, prior to both RUS and NTIA evaluation. Award announcements are still scheduled for Nov. The RUS and NTIA are now also considering the option of having only one more application/funding round, rather than two. This might mean putting off the next NoFA until early in 2010, allowing more time to try to improve the guidelines, process and outcomes. Not yet determined. More news as it comes in. Richard -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Thu Sep 10 19:01:46 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:01:46 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Who applied for broadband funding in NM? Message-ID: <20090911020206.F3358465660@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> The Recovery Act appropriated $7.2 billion and directed the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to expand broadband access to unserved and underserved communities across the U.S., increase jobs, spur investments in technology and infrastructure, and provide long-term economic benefits. The result is the RUS Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). BIP will make loans and grants for broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas. BTOP will provide grants to fund broadband infrastructure, public computer centers and sustainable broadband adoption projects. RUS and NTIA have posted a searchable database of all applications received during the first funding round. See http://broadbandusa.gov/index.htm The companies that applied for funding in NM: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/applications/results.cfm?org=&keywords=New+Mexico&projtype=&program=&state=NM Applicant Computer Network Service Professionals, Inc. Santa Fe, NM ContactALBERT CATANACH 505-913-1566 Project titleCNSP Broadband Wireless Network ProgramBIP/BTOP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request*$ 6,670,075 StatusReceived DescriptionComputer Networks Service Professionals, Inc. (CNSP), proposes to deploy a shovel-ready, sustainable, licensed microwave Middle Mile to WiMAX wireless broadband Last Mile network to provide broadband services in a service area comprised of 6 counties, 5 Indian Reservations, and 7 pueblos (tribal lands) in north central New Mexico covering Congressional Districts 1,2,3. *For BIP/BTOP joint applications, grant amount reflects grant request for BIP. Applicant ENMR Telephone Cooperative, Inc. dba ENMR-Plateau Clovis, NM ContactBuddy Vaughan 575-389-4376 Project titleENMR-Plateau Middle Mile ProgramBTOP Project typeMiddle Mile Grant request$ 11,252,065 StatusReceived DescriptionConstruct middle mile infrastructure to support critical community facilities and community anchor institutions including education, health care, and public safety in several New Mexico communities. The infrastructure will provide high speed broadband with capabilities up to 1 Gbps and beyond for special access and Internet connectivity. Applicant Agavue LLC Albuquerque, NM ContactJames Lightfoot 405-843-9966 Project titleAgavue New Mexico North ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request$ 8,475,763 Loan request$ 8,821,712 StatusReceived DescriptionBroadband wireless deployment across northern rural New Mexico Applicant Agavue, LLC Albuquerque, NM ContactJames Lightfoot 405-843-9966 Project titleAgavue New Mexico South ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request$ 3,049,428 Loan request$ 3,173,894 StatusReceived DescriptionThis application proposes to cover 48 communities in 16 unservered and underserved Service Areas consisting of rural and economically challenged areas of Southern New Mexico. Applicant New Mexico State Library Santa Fe, NM ContactMary Crist 505-476-9753 Project titleFast-Forward New Mexico ProgramBTOP Project typeSustainable Broadband Adoption Grant request$ 1,457,488 StatusReceived DescriptionNM State Library, University of NM, Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship, and 1st Mile Institute partner to sponsor 'Fast-Forward New Mexico," a broadband stimulus initiative that integrates a statewide broadband awareness campaign, a NM Broadband Conference, computer literacy and e-commerce trainings in public and tribal libraries across the state, and a centralized website. Applicant Pueblo de San Ildefonso Santa Fe, NM ContactLaurence Pena 505-455-9145 Project titleTewaCom Broadband Initiative (TBI), Phase 1-Upper Rio Grande Valley ProgramBIP/BTOP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request*$ 632,225 Loan request$ 632,225 StatusReceived DescriptionSan Ildefonso Pueblo is a partner in REDI (Northern New Mexico Regional Economic Development Initiative), which is proposing to deploy a regional open network to support the multiple purposes of economic development, education, health care and sustainable energy development Funds acquired under this proposal will enable the Pueblo to quickly expand its service network to 2405 households. *For BIP/BTOP joint applications, grant amount reflects grant request for BIP. Applicant Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc. Des Moines, NM, NM ContactPaul Briesh 575-278-2101 Project titleBaca Valley Telephone Last Mile DSL project ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request$ 1,586,000 Loan request$ 1,651,000 StatusReceived DescriptionThe project proposed by Baca Valley Telephone Company, Inc. is to provide fiber optic connectivity to a number of new cabinets and existing buildings and deploy a last mile access system intended to provide ADSL2+ broadband services to households and businesses in two separate PFSAs located in the northeast area of New Mexico. Applicant Leaco Rural Telephone Coop. Inc Hobbs, NM ContactLaura Angell 575-370-5010 Project titleLeaco BRS Broadband Project 2 Eastern New Mexico/West Texas ProgramBIP/BTOP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request*$ 5,002,982 StatusReceived DescriptionLeaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. proposes to provide wireless broadband services in South Eastern New Mexico and West Texas. The $5,172,325 wireless project provides data and voice services to unserved and underserved rural areas. The shovel ready project will add 7 new construction jobs and 5 sustained jobs. *For BIP/BTOP joint applications, grant amount reflects grant request for BIP. Applicant PVT Networks, Inc. Artesia, NM ContactRoy Laman 575-748-1241 Project titlePVT Anchor Institutions ProgramBTOP Project typeMiddle Mile Grant request$ 13,637,443 StatusReceived DescriptionPVT NetWorks, Inc. addresses anchor institutions in Southeastern New Mexico to bring broadband to these critical community institutions as well as improve adoption of broadband for this area. Universities, government, police departments, and public schools requirements have been incorporated to bring broadband to classrooms, link schools and universities, and improve security. Applicant Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Taos, NM ContactMichael Wylie 636-634-0109 Project titleKit Carson Electric Cooperative Fiber-to-the-Home Project ProgramBIP/BTOP Project typeLast Mile Remote Area Grant request*$ 9,220,521 Loan request$ 9,220,521 StatusReceived DescriptionKit Carson Electric Cooperative in Northern New Mexico intends to build a last mile, open access, fiber network to bring broadband to unserved and underserved residents, including Native American Pueblos, community anchor institutions and critical community facilities; to enable Smart Grid technology for sustainable energy development; and to create new jobs and foster economic development. *For BIP/BTOP joint applications, grant amount reflects grant request for BIP. Applicant Leaco Rural Telephone Coop. Inc Hobbs, NM ContactLaura Angell 575-370-5010 Project titleLeaco FTTH Broadband Project 3 Lovington ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request$ 10,115,886 Loan request$ 10,320,249 StatusReceived DescriptionLeaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. proposes to provide FTTH service in the town of Lovington in southeastern New Mexico. The 20 million project will provide voice and data services to unserved and underserved areas. The shovel ready project will add 106 new construction jobs and 10 sustained jobs. Applicant Leaco Rural Telephone Coop. Inc Hobbs, NM ContactLaura Angell 575-370-5010 Project titleLeaco FTTH Broadband Project 4 Maljamar/Tatum ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Non-Remote Area Grant request$ 14,959,498 Loan request$ 15,261,711 StatusReceived Description Leaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. proposes to provide FTTH service in the town of Lovington in southeastern New Mexico. The $30,221,209 project will provide voice and data services to unserved and underserved areas. The shovel ready project will add 129 new construction jobs and 3 sustained jobs. Applicant Sacred Wind Communications, Inc. Albuquerque, NM ContactJohn Badal 505-821-5080 Project titleSacred Wind Communications Navajo BIP Project ProgramBIP Project typeLast Mile Remote Area Grant request$ 24,137,099 StatusReceived DescriptionLast mile component of Navajo Nation's Middle Mile BTOP for service on Navajo lands in New Mexico Applicant All Indian Pueblo Council - Ohkay Owingeh Albuquerque, NM ContactAlan Simon 303-295-0600 Project titleAll Indian Pueblo Council - Mobile Public Computer Center ProgramBTOP Project typePublic Computer Center Grant request$ 800,000 StatusReceived DescriptionDeployment of a mobile public computer center with broadband connectivity servicing all New Mexico Pueblo Indian Tribes. The mobile computer center will travel to all nineteen New Mexico Pueblo Indian Tribes and the offices of the All Indian Pueblo Council. Work stations with broadband connectivity will be provided for community use. Computer classes and other classes will be provided. Applicant All Indian Pueblo Council - Ohkay Owingeh Albuquerque, NM ContactAlan Simon 303-295-0600 Project titleAll Indian Pueblo Council - Rural/Tribal Health Center Broadband Adoption Program ProgramBTOP Project typeSustainable Broadband Adoption Grant request$ 5,949,460 StatusReceived DescriptionDeployment of Cisco HealthPresence broadband technology to support health imaging, digital records and broadband communications at New Mexico Pueblo tribal health facilities. Deployment of a mobile Cisco HealthPresence clinic to provide broadband health imaging, support of modern medical services, digital records and broadband communications at all nineteen New Mexico Pueblo Tribes. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dlc at lampinc.com Fri Sep 11 07:31:25 2009 From: dlc at lampinc.com (Dale Carstensen) Date: Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:31:25 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Who applied for broadband funding in NM? In-Reply-To: <20090911020206.F3358465660@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20090911020206.F3358465660@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <20090911143107.44CFC38D600@lampinc.com> >Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:01:46 -0600 >To: nmisp at nmisp.net,1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org,aww-discuss at egroups.com >From: Marianne Granoff >Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Who applied for broadband funding in NM? Marianne, Richard Lowenberg mentioned that the NM state search would find 32, yet the list you sent only has 15. I'm guessing that somehow the way you fetched and sent it somehow missed the other 17. The results Richard mentioned when searching for "new mexico" that should have a few more may be more interesting for total coverage of proposed projects that impact New Mexico, too. I only looked because there was a big to-do locally about Los Alamos County applying, yet it didn't show up in your message. It is there on the site, however. Again, the URL Richard provided is: Dale From rl at 1st-mile.com Wed Sep 16 09:03:23 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:03:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] The changing role of telecoms Message-ID: <20090916090323.hse27xu60wgksgs0@www2.dcn.org> There's an interesting ten year old video commercial from Qwest, at the end of a recent article by telecom analyst, Benoit Felten. The article is also of interest. www.fiberevolution.com/2009/09/the-role-of-telcos.html Richard -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Sep 17 16:40:23 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:40:23 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM Message-ID: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> Date: 9/17/2009 Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: Quicklink for Posting: unmjobs.unm.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=54433 Working Title: IFDM Technology and Network Coordinator Department IF & DM Salary Grade 12 Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly Work Location: UNM Main Campus (Abq) Position Summary: Under general supervision, this position will provide system-level oversight and support of multi-user operating systems for new Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Program. This includes support of hardware and software tools, including installation, configuration, maintenance, and support of these systems. This position requires advanced knowledge of systems analysis. This individual will research and recommend large-scale systems purchases for new IFDM facilities, including coordination with University purchasing processes. Duties and Responsibilities include: Collects information to analyze and evaluate existing or proposed systems Investigates, plans, implements, tests, and debugs operating system software Researches and recommends hardware and software development, purchase, and use Troubleshoots and resolves hardware, software, and connectivity problems, including user access and component configuration Provides advanced technical assistance and maintenance support to departmental end users (faculty, staff and students) Documents projects and writes user instructions Uses judgment in selecting among authorized procedures and seeks assistance when guidelines are inadequate, significant deviations are proposed, or when unanticipated problems arise May supervise and/or lead lower graded staff and/or student employees Records and maintains hardware and software inventories, site and/or server licensing, and user access and security Maintains currency of knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art technology, equipment, and/or systems Performs problem resolution and provides on-call support for computer/network systems Maintains computer and electronics equipment, materials, and supplies used in classrooms and laboratories; develops and implements appropriate inventory control system Maintains, repairs, and oversees outsource repairs of film and video cameras, computer/editing equipment and projectors. Ensures that all materials, supplies, and equipment received for laboratories, classrooms, and studios are processed and distributed in a timely manner Serves on various technical committees and task forces, as appropriate to the position. Conducts periodic or special inventory audits and reconciles physical counts; may accept, balance and deposit receipts for sale or purchase of materials Oversees the maintenance of parts and equipment on hand; initiates paperwork to purchase additional quantities when necessary; Inspects shipments and records damages or defects Analyzes costs of equipment replacements, additions, modifications, and/or upgrades; initiates paperwork for purchases of equipment, supplies, and other materials necessary to maintain shop operations; Reports information to faculty and department Oversees check-out and distribution of production equipment to students and faculty Ensures that web sites are accessible from a variety of different environments and formulates strategies and plans for future enhancement of web sites Maintains secure IFDM local-area and wide-area networks Establishes and maintains policies, procedures and technologies for information assurance in the IFDM program This is a full-time, benefits eligible position. The University of New Mexico (UNM) provides a diversified package of benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education programs. For a more complete explanation of the benefits, Click here. Preferred Qualifications: As demonstrated by cover letter and resume: Knowledge of current and future film and digital media industry technologies; Experience researching and making recommendations for equipping large-scale new digital media teaching and production labs Experience with UNM procurement policies; experience with UNM equipment inventory procedures Experience with UNM Capital Improvement processes, including IT, Remodel Group and others Familiarity with IFDM participating academic schools/colleges including Fine Arts, Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Management and ARTS Lab. Posting Date: 09-17-2009 For Best Consideration: 10-08-2009 Closing Date: Open Until Filled Application type required for this position: Staff/UNMTemps Employment Application Required Applicant Documents: Resume Cover Letter Position Type: Staff Appointment Type: Staff - Regular Institutional Commitment: University of New Mexico is committed to promoting and supporting the diversity of our campuses. UNM is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. -- Andrea Polli Director, Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media (IFDM) and Mesa Del Sol Chair of Digital Media IFDM c/o College of Fine Arts UNM Center for the Arts, Bldg 62 MSC04-2570 University of New Mexico ABQ, NM 87131 apolli at unm.edu -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From bob at bobknight.net Thu Sep 17 16:54:29 2009 From: bob at bobknight.net (Bob Knight) Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:54:29 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> Message-ID: <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as approaching exploitation. Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. Bob Richard Lowenberg wrote: > Date: 9/17/2009 > Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico > Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: > > Quicklink for Posting: unmjobs.unm.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=54433 > > Working Title: IFDM Technology and Network Coordinator > Department IF & DM > Salary Grade 12 > Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly > Work Location: UNM Main Campus (Abq) > Position Summary: Under general supervision, this position will provide > system-level oversight and support of multi-user operating systems for new > Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Program. This includes support of > hardware and software tools, including installation, configuration, > maintenance, and support of these systems. This position requires advanced > knowledge of systems analysis. This individual will research and recommend > large-scale systems purchases for new IFDM facilities, including coordination > with University purchasing processes. > > Duties and Responsibilities include: > Collects information to analyze and evaluate existing or proposed systems > Investigates, plans, implements, tests, and debugs operating system software > Researches and recommends hardware and software development, purchase, and use > Troubleshoots and resolves hardware, software, and connectivity problems, > including user access and component configuration > Provides advanced technical assistance and maintenance support to departmental > end users (faculty, staff and students) > Documents projects and writes user instructions > Uses judgment in selecting among authorized procedures and seeks assistance when > guidelines are inadequate, significant deviations are proposed, or when > unanticipated problems arise > May supervise and/or lead lower graded staff and/or student employees > Records and maintains hardware and software inventories, site and/or server > licensing, and user access and security > Maintains currency of knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art > technology, equipment, and/or systems > Performs problem resolution and provides on-call support for computer/network > systems > Maintains computer and electronics equipment, materials, and supplies used in > classrooms and laboratories; develops and implements appropriate inventory > control system > Maintains, repairs, and oversees outsource repairs of film and video cameras, > computer/editing equipment and projectors. Ensures that all materials, > supplies, and equipment received for laboratories, classrooms, and studios are > processed and distributed in a timely manner > Serves on various technical committees and task forces, as appropriate to the > position. > Conducts periodic or special inventory audits and reconciles physical counts; > may accept, balance and deposit receipts for sale or purchase of materials > Oversees the maintenance of parts and equipment on hand; initiates paperwork to > purchase additional quantities when necessary; Inspects shipments and records > damages or defects > Analyzes costs of equipment replacements, additions, modifications, and/or > upgrades; initiates paperwork for purchases of equipment, supplies, and other > materials necessary to maintain shop operations; Reports information to faculty > and department > Oversees check-out and distribution of production equipment to students and > faculty > Ensures that web sites are accessible from a variety of different environments > and formulates strategies and plans for future enhancement of web sites > Maintains secure IFDM local-area and wide-area networks > Establishes and maintains policies, procedures and technologies for information > assurance in the IFDM program > > This is a full-time, benefits eligible position. > > The University of New Mexico (UNM) provides a diversified package of benefits > including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers > educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education > programs. For a more complete explanation of the benefits, Click here. > > Preferred Qualifications: As demonstrated by cover letter and resume: > Knowledge of current and future film and digital media industry technologies; > Experience researching and making recommendations for equipping large-scale new > digital media teaching and production labs > Experience with UNM procurement policies; experience with UNM equipment > inventory procedures > Experience with UNM Capital Improvement processes, including IT, Remodel Group > and others > Familiarity with IFDM participating academic schools/colleges including Fine > Arts, Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Management and ARTS > Lab. > Posting Date: 09-17-2009 > For Best Consideration: 10-08-2009 > Closing Date: Open Until Filled > Application type required for this position: Staff/UNMTemps Employment > Application > Required Applicant Documents: Resume > Cover Letter > Position Type: Staff > Appointment Type: Staff - Regular > Institutional Commitment: University of New Mexico is committed to promoting and > supporting the diversity of our campuses. UNM is an Affirmative Action/Equal > Opportunity Employer. > > -- > Andrea Polli > Director, Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media (IFDM) > and Mesa Del Sol Chair of Digital Media > IFDM c/o College of Fine Arts > UNM Center for the Arts, Bldg 62 MSC04-2570 > University of New Mexico ABQ, NM 87131 > apolli at unm.edu > > From editorsteve at gmail.com Thu Sep 17 22:10:14 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:10:14 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> Message-ID: <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. Steven S. Ross Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties steve at broadbandproperties.com www.bbpmag.com SKYPE: editorsteve Facebook: editorsteve Twitter: editorsteve1 +1 781-284-8810 +1 646-216-8030 fax +1 201-456-5933 mobile +1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice Bob Knight wrote: > $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as > approaching exploitation. > > Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. > > Bob > > Richard Lowenberg wrote: >> Date: 9/17/2009 >> Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico >> Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: >> >> Quicklink for Posting: unmjobs.unm.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=54433 >> >> Working Title: IFDM Technology and Network Coordinator >> Department IF & DM >> Salary Grade 12 >> Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly >> Work Location: UNM Main Campus (Abq) >> Position Summary: Under general supervision, this position will provide >> system-level oversight and support of multi-user operating systems for new >> Interdisciplinary Film & Digital Media Program. This includes support of >> hardware and software tools, including installation, configuration, >> maintenance, and support of these systems. This position requires advanced >> knowledge of systems analysis. This individual will research and recommend >> large-scale systems purchases for new IFDM facilities, including coordination >> with University purchasing processes. >> >> Duties and Responsibilities include: >> Collects information to analyze and evaluate existing or proposed systems >> Investigates, plans, implements, tests, and debugs operating system software >> Researches and recommends hardware and software development, purchase, and use >> Troubleshoots and resolves hardware, software, and connectivity problems, >> including user access and component configuration >> Provides advanced technical assistance and maintenance support to departmental >> end users (faculty, staff and students) >> Documents projects and writes user instructions >> Uses judgment in selecting among authorized procedures and seeks assistance when >> guidelines are inadequate, significant deviations are proposed, or when >> unanticipated problems arise >> May supervise and/or lead lower graded staff and/or student employees >> Records and maintains hardware and software inventories, site and/or server >> licensing, and user access and security >> Maintains currency of knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art >> technology, equipment, and/or systems >> Performs problem resolution and provides on-call support for computer/network >> systems >> Maintains computer and electronics equipment, materials, and supplies used in >> classrooms and laboratories; develops and implements appropriate inventory >> control system >> Maintains, repairs, and oversees outsource repairs of film and video cameras, >> computer/editing equipment and projectors. Ensures that all materials, >> supplies, and equipment received for laboratories, classrooms, and studios are >> processed and distributed in a timely manner >> Serves on various technical committees and task forces, as appropriate to the >> position. >> Conducts periodic or special inventory audits and reconciles physical counts; >> may accept, balance and deposit receipts for sale or purchase of materials >> Oversees the maintenance of parts and equipment on hand; initiates paperwork to >> purchase additional quantities when necessary; Inspects shipments and records >> damages or defects >> Analyzes costs of equipment replacements, additions, modifications, and/or >> upgrades; initiates paperwork for purchases of equipment, supplies, and other >> materials necessary to maintain shop operations; Reports information to faculty >> and department >> Oversees check-out and distribution of production equipment to students and >> faculty >> Ensures that web sites are accessible from a variety of different environments >> and formulates strategies and plans for future enhancement of web sites >> Maintains secure IFDM local-area and wide-area networks >> Establishes and maintains policies, procedures and technologies for information >> assurance in the IFDM program >> >> This is a full-time, benefits eligible position. >> >> The University of New Mexico (UNM) provides a diversified package of benefits >> including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. In addition, UNM offers >> educational benefits through the tuition remission and dependent education >> programs. For a more complete explanation of the benefits, Click here. >> >> Preferred Qualifications: As demonstrated by cover letter and resume: >> Knowledge of current and future film and digital media industry technologies; >> Experience researching and making recommendations for equipping large-scale new >> digital media teaching and production labs >> Experience with UNM procurement policies; experience with UNM equipment >> inventory procedures >> Experience with UNM Capital Improvement processes, including IT, Remodel Group >> and others >> Familiarity with IFDM participating academic schools/colleges including Fine >> Arts, Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Management and ARTS >> Lab. >> Posting Date: 09-17-2009 >> For Best Consideration: 10-08-2009 >> Closing Date: Open Until Filled >> Application type required for this position: Staff/UNMTemps Employment >> Application >> Required Applicant Documents: Resume >> Cover Letter >> Position Type: Staff >> Appointment Type: Staff - Regular >> Institutional Commitment: University of New Mexico is committed to promoting and >> supporting the diversity of our campuses. UNM is an Affirmative Action/Equal >> Opportunity Employer. >> >> -- >> Andrea Polli >> Director, Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media (IFDM) >> and Mesa Del Sol Chair of Digital Media >> IFDM c/o College of Fine Arts >> UNM Center for the Arts, Bldg 62 MSC04-2570 >> University of New Mexico ABQ, NM 87131 >> apolli at unm.edu >> >> > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > From pete at ideapete.com Fri Sep 18 06:24:36 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (pete baston) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:24:36 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> Message-ID: <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dlc at lampinc.com Fri Sep 18 08:55:44 2009 From: dlc at lampinc.com (Dale Carstensen) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:55:44 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> Message-ID: <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> Come on, folks, the almighty dollar isn't everything. You sound like so many here in Los Alamos. The aggregate "we" of Los Alamos seem to need everything in the gold, platinum, diamond, first-class option (I'm not very comfortable lately being part of that "we".) Oh, and perfectly green, too, even if we have to waste precious desert water to make the literally green grass. We claim we'll do everything LEED-style, while demolishing useful houses and hauling the materials to our landfill -- oh, wait, we had to close that and will now be hauling trash to, oh, I don't know, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas (why is a Spanish word ending in "a" masculine??), somewhere we can get to by polluting and burning lots of carbonaceous fuel. Sure, Bill Gates has a gazil-whatever square foot house on a lake with oodles of acres around it, but Warren Buffet lives on a fraction of an acre in a house that cost under $500,000 when it was built, and suffers the embarassment of living over 20 miles from an ocean. They swap which is number 1 and number 2 in the world's richest category. President Obama's mother produced a president while she was a single mom deserted by his father and part of the time on welfare, and never saw any offer anywhere near $2,915 per month. Who should the world admire? How about Muhammed Yunus from Bengladesh who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his micro-loan idea? The more UNM spends on salaries, the more students have to pay in tuition. The President of UNM certainly has an obscenely bloated salary, when seen in that perspective. Another hint, watch out for buildings that cost $500+ per square foot to build, too! But I suppose that's so the lowly carpenter, mason, plumber, electrician, etc. avoids suffering with too little in pay, too. Not to mention the architect. Dale >How sad that the central font of our states knowledge does not " GET " >what the possibilities of technological knowledge and the people in the >system are all about and what does that say about the "mindset " of its >administration. > >Come on UNM you can do BETTER > >You get what you pay for indeed > >) : ) : pete > >Steve Ross wrote: >And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. > > >Steven S. Ross >Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties >steve at broadbandproperties.com >www.bbpmag.com >SKYPE: editorsteve >Facebook: editorsteve >Twitter: editorsteve1 >+1 781-284-8810 >+1 646-216-8030 fax >+1 201-456-5933 mobile >+1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice > > >Bob Knight wrote: >$36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as >approaching exploitation. > >Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. > >Bob > >Richard Lowenberg wrote: >Date: 9/17/2009 >Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico >Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: > ... >Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly From editorsteve at gmail.com Fri Sep 18 09:43:08 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:43:08 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> Message-ID: <4AB3B89C.70808@gmail.com> An odd digression. The salary is 'way below market rate for the job description. So either UNM gets a good hire who's temporarily out of work and will jump ASAP (expensive for the university in the long run), or a non-US resident desperate for any US job (of course, lowballing the salary to discourage US citizens or residents is illegal but hard to prove... good ethics lesson for the kids and a good case study for the america-firsters), or a below-average or hard-to-manage employee with all kinds of hidden costs. Steve Dale Carstensen wrote: > Come on, folks, the almighty dollar isn't everything. You sound like > so many here in Los Alamos. The aggregate "we" of Los Alamos seem to > need everything in the gold, platinum, diamond, first-class option (I'm > not very comfortable lately being part of that "we".) Oh, and > perfectly green, too, even if we have to waste precious desert water > to make the literally green grass. We claim we'll do everything > LEED-style, while demolishing useful houses and hauling the materials > to our landfill -- oh, wait, we had to close that and will now be > hauling trash to, oh, I don't know, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas (why is > a Spanish word ending in "a" masculine??), somewhere we can get to > by polluting and burning lots of carbonaceous fuel. > > Sure, Bill Gates has a gazil-whatever square foot house on a lake > with oodles of acres around it, but Warren Buffet lives on a fraction > of an acre in a house that cost under $500,000 when it was built, and > suffers the embarassment of living over 20 miles from an ocean. They > swap which is number 1 and number 2 in the world's richest category. > President Obama's mother produced a president while she was a single mom > deserted by his father and part of the time on welfare, and never > saw any offer anywhere near $2,915 per month. Who should the world > admire? How about Muhammed Yunus from Bengladesh who won a Nobel Peace > Prize for his micro-loan idea? > > The more UNM spends on salaries, the more students have to pay in > tuition. The President of UNM certainly has an obscenely bloated > salary, when seen in that perspective. > > Another hint, watch out for buildings that cost $500+ per square foot > to build, too! But I suppose that's so the lowly carpenter, mason, > plumber, electrician, etc. avoids suffering with too little in pay, too. > Not to mention the architect. > > Dale > > >> How sad that the central font of our states knowledge does not " GET " >> what the possibilities of technological knowledge and the people in the >> system are all about and what does that say about the "mindset " of its >> administration. >> >> Come on UNM you can do BETTER >> >> You get what you pay for indeed >> >> ) : ) : pete >> >> Steve Ross wrote: >> And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. >> >> >> Steven S. Ross >> Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties >> steve at broadbandproperties.com >> www.bbpmag.com >> SKYPE: editorsteve >> Facebook: editorsteve >> Twitter: editorsteve1 >> +1 781-284-8810 >> +1 646-216-8030 fax >> +1 201-456-5933 mobile >> +1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice >> >> >> Bob Knight wrote: >> $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as >> approaching exploitation. >> >> Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. >> >> Bob >> >> Richard Lowenberg wrote: >> Date: 9/17/2009 >> Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico >> Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: >> ... >> Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly > > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > From granoff at zianet.com Fri Sep 18 12:08:31 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:08:31 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <4AB3B89C.70808@gmail.com> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> <4AB3B89C.70808@gmail.com> Message-ID: <20090918190839.40FAF10E085D@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> I have refrained from joining this discussion, but now I think I must. UNM offers a few perks that many/most commercial companies don't: lots of paid vacation upon starting. free tuition for UNM classes, dependents get free tuition after employee has completed first year of work. good health insurance. reasonable parking. full-time work with full benefits and stability. opportunities for advancement. interesting and challenging work current equipment pleasant and interesting with which to work excellent retirement plan How many commercial companies compare with that these days? When was the last time you folks looked for a job in Albuquerque? My two cents. Marianne At 12:43 PM 9/18/2009 -0400, Steve Ross wrote: >An odd digression. The salary is 'way below market rate for >the job description. So either UNM gets a good hire who's >temporarily out of work and will jump ASAP (expensive for >the university in the long run), or a non-US resident >desperate for any US job (of course, lowballing the salary >to discourage US citizens or residents is illegal but hard >to prove... good ethics lesson for the kids and a good case >study for the america-firsters), or a below-average or >hard-to-manage employee with all kinds of hidden costs. > >Steve > > >Dale Carstensen wrote: > > Come on, folks, the almighty dollar isn't everything. You sound like > > so many here in Los Alamos. The aggregate "we" of Los Alamos seem to > > need everything in the gold, platinum, diamond, first-class option (I'm > > not very comfortable lately being part of that "we".) Oh, and > > perfectly green, too, even if we have to waste precious desert water > > to make the literally green grass. We claim we'll do everything > > LEED-style, while demolishing useful houses and hauling the materials > > to our landfill -- oh, wait, we had to close that and will now be > > hauling trash to, oh, I don't know, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas (why is > > a Spanish word ending in "a" masculine??), somewhere we can get to > > by polluting and burning lots of carbonaceous fuel. > > > > Sure, Bill Gates has a gazil-whatever square foot house on a lake > > with oodles of acres around it, but Warren Buffet lives on a fraction > > of an acre in a house that cost under $500,000 when it was built, and > > suffers the embarassment of living over 20 miles from an ocean. They > > swap which is number 1 and number 2 in the world's richest category. > > President Obama's mother produced a president while she was a single mom > > deserted by his father and part of the time on welfare, and never > > saw any offer anywhere near $2,915 per month. Who should the world > > admire? How about Muhammed Yunus from Bengladesh who won a Nobel Peace > > Prize for his micro-loan idea? > > > > The more UNM spends on salaries, the more students have to pay in > > tuition. The President of UNM certainly has an obscenely bloated > > salary, when seen in that perspective. > > > > Another hint, watch out for buildings that cost $500+ per square foot > > to build, too! But I suppose that's so the lowly carpenter, mason, > > plumber, electrician, etc. avoids suffering with too little in pay, too. > > Not to mention the architect. > > > > Dale > > > > > >> How sad that the central font of our states knowledge does not " GET " > >> what the possibilities of technological knowledge and the people in the > >> system are all about and what does that say about the "mindset " of its > >> administration. > >> > >> Come on UNM you can do BETTER > >> > >> You get what you pay for indeed > >> > >> ) : ) : pete > >> > >> Steve Ross wrote: > >> And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. > >> > >> > >> Steven S. Ross > >> Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties > >> steve at broadbandproperties.com > >> www.bbpmag.com > >> SKYPE: editorsteve > >> Facebook: editorsteve > >> Twitter: editorsteve1 > >> +1 781-284-8810 > >> +1 646-216-8030 fax > >> +1 201-456-5933 mobile > >> +1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice > >> > >> > >> Bob Knight wrote: > >> $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as > >> approaching exploitation. > >> > >> Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. > >> > >> Bob > >> > >> Richard Lowenberg wrote: > >> Date: 9/17/2009 > >> Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico > >> Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: > >> ... > >> Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > >_______________________________________________ >1st-mile-nm mailing list >1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm > > >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.105/2380 - Release Date: >09/18/09 07:49:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From editorsteve at gmail.com Fri Sep 18 12:43:00 2009 From: editorsteve at gmail.com (Steve Ross) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:43:00 -0400 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <4ab3dab6.8313f30a.1fd6.7980SMTPIN_ADDED@mx.google.com> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> <4AB3B89C.70808@gmail.com> <4ab3dab6.8313f30a.1fd6.7980SMTPIN_ADDED@mx.google.com> Message-ID: <4AB3E2C4.2060202@gmail.com> The pay is at most $2500-2800 a month after taxes. Need a LOT of perks to make up for that. The job description is fairly senior, so primary breadwinner with a family would have a problem. So yes, someone with the chops might take it because the job market is so tight now, then leave ASAP. Bet they have a non-resident in mind, bright recent grad coming off the one-year post-student visa, perhaps. I'm not unsympathetic to that, BTW. But plenty of people might be. Steve Marianne Granoff wrote: > I have refrained from joining this discussion, but now I think I must. > UNM offers a few perks that many/most commercial companies don't: > > lots of paid vacation upon starting. > free tuition for UNM classes, dependents get free tuition after employee > has completed first year of work. > good health insurance. > reasonable parking. > full-time work with full benefits and _stability. > _opportunities for advancement. > interesting and challenging work > current equipment > pleasant and interesting with which to work > excellent retirement plan > > How many commercial companies compare with that these days? > When was the last time you folks looked for a job in Albuquerque? > > My two cents. > > Marianne > > At 12:43 PM 9/18/2009 -0400, Steve Ross wrote: >> An odd digression. The salary is 'way below market rate for >> the job description. So either UNM gets a good hire who's >> temporarily out of work and will jump ASAP (expensive for >> the university in the long run), or a non-US resident >> desperate for any US job (of course, lowballing the salary >> to discourage US citizens or residents is illegal but hard >> to prove... good ethics lesson for the kids and a good case >> study for the america-firsters), or a below-average or >> hard-to-manage employee with all kinds of hidden costs. >> >> Steve >> >> >> Dale Carstensen wrote: >> > Come on, folks, the almighty dollar isn't everything. You sound like >> > so many here in Los Alamos. The aggregate "we" of Los Alamos seem to >> > need everything in the gold, platinum, diamond, first-class option (I'm >> > not very comfortable lately being part of that "we".) Oh, and >> > perfectly green, too, even if we have to waste precious desert water >> > to make the literally green grass. We claim we'll do everything >> > LEED-style, while demolishing useful houses and hauling the materials >> > to our landfill -- oh, wait, we had to close that and will now be >> > hauling trash to, oh, I don't know, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas (why is >> > a Spanish word ending in "a" masculine??), somewhere we can get to >> > by polluting and burning lots of carbonaceous fuel. >> > >> > Sure, Bill Gates has a gazil-whatever square foot house on a lake >> > with oodles of acres around it, but Warren Buffet lives on a fraction >> > of an acre in a house that cost under $500,000 when it was built, and >> > suffers the embarassment of living over 20 miles from an ocean. They >> > swap which is number 1 and number 2 in the world's richest category. >> > President Obama's mother produced a president while she was a single mom >> > deserted by his father and part of the time on welfare, and never >> > saw any offer anywhere near $2,915 per month. Who should the world >> > admire? How about Muhammed Yunus from Bengladesh who won a Nobel Peace >> > Prize for his micro-loan idea? >> > >> > The more UNM spends on salaries, the more students have to pay in >> > tuition. The President of UNM certainly has an obscenely bloated >> > salary, when seen in that perspective. >> > >> > Another hint, watch out for buildings that cost $500+ per square foot >> > to build, too! But I suppose that's so the lowly carpenter, mason, >> > plumber, electrician, etc. avoids suffering with too little in pay, too. >> > Not to mention the architect. >> > >> > Dale >> > >> > >> >> How sad that the central font of our states knowledge does not " GET " >> >> what the possibilities of technological knowledge and the people in the >> >> system are all about and what does that say about the "mindset " of its >> >> administration. >> >> >> >> Come on UNM you can do BETTER >> >> >> >> You get what you pay for indeed >> >> >> >> ) : ) : pete >> >> >> >> Steve Ross wrote: >> >> And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. >> >> >> >> >> >> Steven S. Ross >> >> Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties >> >> steve at broadbandproperties.com >> >> www.bbpmag.com >> >> SKYPE: editorsteve >> >> Facebook: editorsteve >> >> Twitter: editorsteve1 >> >> +1 781-284-8810 >> >> +1 646-216-8030 fax >> >> +1 201-456-5933 mobile >> >> +1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice >> >> >> >> >> >> Bob Knight wrote: >> >> $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as >> >> approaching exploitation. >> >> >> >> Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. >> >> >> >> Bob >> >> >> >> Richard Lowenberg wrote: >> >> Date: 9/17/2009 >> >> Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico >> >> Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: >> >> ... >> >> Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > 1st-mile-nm mailing list >> > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> 1st-mile-nm mailing list >> 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm >> >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.105/2380 - Release Date: >> 09/18/09 07:49:00 From bob at bobknight.net Fri Sep 18 14:50:56 2009 From: bob at bobknight.net (Bob Knight) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:50:56 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Hiring: Technology and Network Coordinator at UNM In-Reply-To: <20090918190839.40FAF10E085D@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20090917164023.z8cvyi88ow0o8wsc@www2.dcn.org> <4AB2CC35.4010307@bobknight.net> <4AB31636.7020705@gmail.com> <4AB38A14.30103@ideapete.com> <20090918155521.2A50238D600@lampinc.com> <4AB3B89C.70808@gmail.com> <20090918190839.40FAF10E085D@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <4AB400C0.4010701@bobknight.net> 24 years ago I hired a systems programmer at NM Tech for (IIRC) $29K per year. Granted, he had a MS in Computer Science, but it still was essentially an entry-level hire. All of what you say is true regarding UNM's perks, but Tech's a state institution with similar, if not better, benefits. I still maintain that the salary range is very low given the job description. Bob Marianne Granoff wrote: > I have refrained from joining this discussion, but now I think I must. > UNM offers a few perks that many/most commercial companies don't: > > lots of paid vacation upon starting. > free tuition for UNM classes, dependents get free tuition after employee > has completed first year of work. > good health insurance. > reasonable parking. > full-time work with full benefits and _stability. > _opportunities for advancement. > interesting and challenging work > current equipment > pleasant and interesting with which to work > excellent retirement plan > > How many commercial companies compare with that these days? > When was the last time you folks looked for a job in Albuquerque? > > My two cents. > > Marianne > > At 12:43 PM 9/18/2009 -0400, Steve Ross wrote: >> An odd digression. The salary is 'way below market rate for >> the job description. So either UNM gets a good hire who's >> temporarily out of work and will jump ASAP (expensive for >> the university in the long run), or a non-US resident >> desperate for any US job (of course, lowballing the salary >> to discourage US citizens or residents is illegal but hard >> to prove... good ethics lesson for the kids and a good case >> study for the america-firsters), or a below-average or >> hard-to-manage employee with all kinds of hidden costs. >> >> Steve >> >> >> Dale Carstensen wrote: >> > Come on, folks, the almighty dollar isn't everything. You sound like >> > so many here in Los Alamos. The aggregate "we" of Los Alamos seem to >> > need everything in the gold, platinum, diamond, first-class option (I'm >> > not very comfortable lately being part of that "we".) Oh, and >> > perfectly green, too, even if we have to waste precious desert water >> > to make the literally green grass. We claim we'll do everything >> > LEED-style, while demolishing useful houses and hauling the materials >> > to our landfill -- oh, wait, we had to close that and will now be >> > hauling trash to, oh, I don't know, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas (why is >> > a Spanish word ending in "a" masculine??), somewhere we can get to >> > by polluting and burning lots of carbonaceous fuel. >> > >> > Sure, Bill Gates has a gazil-whatever square foot house on a lake >> > with oodles of acres around it, but Warren Buffet lives on a fraction >> > of an acre in a house that cost under $500,000 when it was built, and >> > suffers the embarassment of living over 20 miles from an ocean. They >> > swap which is number 1 and number 2 in the world's richest category. >> > President Obama's mother produced a president while she was a single mom >> > deserted by his father and part of the time on welfare, and never >> > saw any offer anywhere near $2,915 per month. Who should the world >> > admire? How about Muhammed Yunus from Bengladesh who won a Nobel Peace >> > Prize for his micro-loan idea? >> > >> > The more UNM spends on salaries, the more students have to pay in >> > tuition. The President of UNM certainly has an obscenely bloated >> > salary, when seen in that perspective. >> > >> > Another hint, watch out for buildings that cost $500+ per square foot >> > to build, too! But I suppose that's so the lowly carpenter, mason, >> > plumber, electrician, etc. avoids suffering with too little in pay, too. >> > Not to mention the architect. >> > >> > Dale >> > >> > >> >> How sad that the central font of our states knowledge does not " GET " >> >> what the possibilities of technological knowledge and the people in the >> >> system are all about and what does that say about the "mindset " of its >> >> administration. >> >> >> >> Come on UNM you can do BETTER >> >> >> >> You get what you pay for indeed >> >> >> >> ) : ) : pete >> >> >> >> Steve Ross wrote: >> >> And they will get what they pay for -- a low-level technician. >> >> >> >> >> >> Steven S. Ross >> >> Corporate Editor, Broadband Properties >> >> steve at broadbandproperties.com >> >> www.bbpmag.com >> >> SKYPE: editorsteve >> >> Facebook: editorsteve >> >> Twitter: editorsteve1 >> >> +1 781-284-8810 >> >> +1 646-216-8030 fax >> >> +1 201-456-5933 mobile >> >> +1 707-WOW-SSR3 (1-707-969-7773) Google Voice >> >> >> >> >> >> Bob Knight wrote: >> >> $36K-$45K per year for what they expect of this person strikes me as >> >> approaching exploitation. >> >> >> >> Sorry for going off-topic a bit, but I had to comment. >> >> >> >> Bob >> >> >> >> Richard Lowenberg wrote: >> >> Date: 9/17/2009 >> >> Subject: Hiring a Technology and Network Coordinator at U New Mexico >> >> Please pass this job posting on to your networks and lists: >> >> ... >> >> Salary: $2,915.41 - $3,666.67 monthly >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > 1st-mile-nm mailing list >> > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> 1st-mile-nm mailing list >> 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm >> >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.105/2380 - Release Date: >> 09/18/09 07:49:00 > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 1st-mile-nm mailing list > 1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/1st-mile-nm From tom at jtjohnson.com Fri Oct 2 15:19:15 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 16:19:15 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Knight News Flash: Blue Ribbon Commission Calls for Urgent Attention to U.S. Information Needs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/02/arts/AP-US-Informing-Citizens.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=broadband&st=cse Also, see this discouraging story in yesterday's NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/technology/internet/01broad.html?scp=1&sq=sweden+broadband&st=nyt -tj ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Marc Fest Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 5:08 AM Subject: Knight News Flash: Blue Ribbon Commission Calls for Urgent Attention to U.S. Information Needs To: tom at jtjohnson.com October 2, 2009 ? Washington, D.C. ? Warning of an erosion of democracy with the creation of "second-class citizens" in the digital age, a Knight-funded blue-ribbon national commission today calls for universal broadband access to help meet the information needs of America's communities. The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy releases its report today in Washington DC, setting a vision for healthy, informed, democratic communities. More: http://www.kflinks.com/knightcomm ______________________ If you would rather not receive future communications from John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, please go to http://jjknight.pr-optout.com/OptOut.aspx?519485x24829x23664x1x3900385x24000x6&Email=tom%40jtjohnson.com . John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 200 South Biscayne Blvd Suite 3300, Miami, FL 33131-2349 United States -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com tom at jtjohnson.com "Be Your Own Publisher" http://indiepubwest.com ========================================== -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Oct 8 09:00:31 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:31 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] CityLink Telecom Announcement Message-ID: <20091008090031.3me9vjtawcokgosw@www2.dcn.org> CityLink? Extends Service Area, Upgrades Back-Bone to 10Gig ALBUQUERQUE, NM ? October 7, 2009 CityLink Telecommunications? (www.citylinkfiber.com) announced today the successful launch of its Los Angeles, California POP (Point of Presence) site. The LAX POP site is located within the prestigious ?1 Wilshire? carrier hotel and co-location facility. CityLink is the first locally owned provider to establish a 10Giga-bit Ethernet pipe between Los Angeles and its Albuquerque data center. 10 Giga-bits per second is approximately 10,000 (TEN THOUSAND) times faster than traditional T1, Wireless, Cable, or DSL based Internet services. ?As the only local provider to have a redundant 10GigE link, CityLink is positioned to provide the absolute best customer service, bandwidth and pricing for our customers.? said company founder and President John Brown. ?Our presence at 1 Wilshire connects us to over 180 other regional, national and international providers. No other local provider can say that.? CityLink is dedicated to the mission of bringing ultra high-speed connectivity to New Mexico. The company achieves this, in part, by leveraging its open access, neutral fiber optic network and by establishing peering and transit connections with major networks. David West had this to say about the new connectivity, ?I?ve always had really good speed and service from CityLink. With the new link I was able to immediately see a 300 percent increase in my average transfer rates. I don?t know of any other provider that has as fast and as reliable of a connection?. David West manages the IT network for the Verge Fund?s incubator building located in downtown Albuquerque. The Verge Building is a fiber optic client of CityLink. CityLink is continuing to expand its 10GigE network with connections to Phoenix, El Paso, Sunnyvale, Portland, Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake, Denver, Chicago and New York, planned over the next few months. With the completion of the New York link, CityLink will become the only local provider to truly join the National Network Provider ranks. ?In a time of economic uncertainty, our customers enjoy lower costs, enhanced services, and better reliability. Saving money is important as is getting more for each dollar spent.? said Rock Schouman of CityLink Telecommunications. CityLink is able to deliver High Speed dedicated Internet access services in, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Sat Oct 17 15:21:23 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:21:23 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] [WISPA] Broadband Internet Access Deemed a Legal Right Message-ID: <20091017222130.6B3E410450A6@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Thought this was interesting. > From SANS Newsbites Vol. 11 Num. 82 : Broadband Internet Access Deemed >a Legal Right > >--Finland Declares 1Mb Broadband Access a Legal Right >(October 14 & 15, 2009) >The Finnish government has enacted a law making 1Mb broadband Internet >access a legal right. The law will take effect in July 2010. The >country may eventually guarantee its citizens the right to 100Mb >broadband connections. Finland's Transport and Communications Ministry >spokesperson Laura Vikkonen was quoted as saying that "We think [the >Internet is] something you cannot live without in modern society. Like >banking services or water or electricity, you need an Internet >connection." Earlier this year, France declared Internet access to be >a human right. >http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10374831-2.html >http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/10/15/finland-makes-broadband-internet-a-legal-right.aspx From pete at ideapete.com Sat Oct 17 15:29:47 2009 From: pete at ideapete.com (peter) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:29:47 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] [WISPA] Broadband Internet Access Deemed a Legal Right In-Reply-To: <20091017222130.6B3E410450A6@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20091017222130.6B3E410450A6@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <4ADA455B.8080303@ideapete.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lowenberg at designnine.com Mon Oct 19 10:58:43 2009 From: lowenberg at designnine.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:58:43 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Sacred Wind wins Shine a Light award Message-ID: <896946E2-A9B5-45CA-8E9F-E557381C4DE7@designnine.com> A big, well-deserved congratulations to Sacred Wind Communications, Inc., which has been voted the national winner of the Shine a Light contest. http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=8923? -------- The following is from John Badal, Sacred Wind CEO: You?ve no doubt seen that Sacred Wind won the Shine a Light contest. Thank you so much for your help in getting out the vote. It is gratifying to see that a little company as ours, with our special mission, won 1st place above other deserving companies. We also consider it an affirmation of what we and other rural telecomm carriers and our vendors do on a day to day basis, with little to no fanfare, in support of our rural customers and our local communities. As the winner in the American Express/NBC Universal Shine a Light contest, we will receive a cash award of $50,000 and an additional $50,000 in marketing support from American Express. As promised, we intend to channel half of the cash award to our nonprofit?s scholarship fund and will use the remainder of the cash award to complement the marketing assistance that American Express will offer to help achieve our service objectives. Again, thanks for all your help. John http://www.sacredwindcommunications.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Richard Lowenberg P. O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110 off.; 505-603-5200 cell ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Thu Oct 22 11:24:53 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:24:53 -0600 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Microsoft hopes for a fresh start with Windows 7 Message-ID: <20091022182455.906DD1151FD1@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. >By JESSICA MINTZ, AP Technology Writer - Thu Oct 22, 2009 > >SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. put a new edition of >Windows on sale Thursday, hoping for a fresh >start after a bad reception for the previous >version of the software that runs most of the world's personal computers. > >Windows 7 is now available on new computers, and >as a software upgrade for some older PCs. > >A Fry's Electronics store in Renton, Wash., >several miles south of Microsoft's headquarters >in Redmond, opened at midnight to give customers >an early shot at buying a new PC or a disc that >they could use to put Windows 7 on their >existing computers. Such upgrade discs start at $120. > >"We're geeks, that's what geeks do. This is our >excitement," said Mike Naramor, 55, who runs a >consulting business called My Computer Guy and >was one of about 50 people who were waiting outside the store when it opened. > >Naramor said that he also had bought copies of >the last two operating systems, XP and Vista, >the nights they were released and that he >planned to go home and install Windows 7 right away. > >"Vista took me about 72 hours," he said. "I >expect this to take me 20 minutes." > >Indeed, Microsoft hopes people like Windows 7 >more than its most recent predecessor, Vista, >which was slow and didn't work well with >existing programs and devices. Microsoft fixed >many of Vista's flaws, but it was too late to repair the system's reputation. > >Windows 7 promises to boot up faster and reduce >the clicks needed to get common tasks done. >Microsoft has cut out some redundant ways to >start up programs and added flourishes that can >help users keep track of all their open windows. >It promises to put computers into sleep mode and wake them faster, too. > >Windows 7 is also meant to be "quieter" ? with >fewer pop-up boxes, notifications, warnings and >"are you sure ..." messages. Instead, many of >those messages get stashed in a single place for >the user to address when it's convenient. > >To coincide with the Windows 7 launch, computer >makers and retailers such as Best Buy Inc. are >cutting prices for PCs to try to goose >holiday-season sales. Microsoft also is >beginning to try running its own retail stores, >which has been enormously successful for Apple >Inc. The first Microsoft store was set to open Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz. > >Analysts at Gartner Inc. aren't expecting the >arrival of Windows 7 to cause a spike in >consumer PC sales, which means prices for new >machines figure to stay low. Last year was the >worst in about six years for the PC industry, >and global computer shipments declined through the first half of this year. > >The recession has also led businesses to delay >spending on PCs and other technologies. Because >of those tight budgets and the lack of >enthusiasm for Vista, more than 80 percent of >new computers installed in offices still run >Windows XP, which is now 8 years old, according >to Forrester Research. A year from now, >Forrester expects most new business PCs to be >using Windows 7, but that won't necessarily >translate into a huge boost for the PC industry. > >In a recent interview, Microsoft CEO Steve >Ballmer acknowledged that information-technology >budgets "aren't going to rise just because we >shipped a new (operating system)." > >__._,_.___ From rl at 1st-mile.com Mon Nov 16 10:09:56 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:09:56 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] $41 Million NSF grant for NM Supercomputer Projects Message-ID: <20091116100956.fgg1pjkfps80skks@www2.dcn.org> Governor Richardson Announces $41 Million in Federal Funding from the National Science Foundation for New Mexico Computer Projects November 13, 2009 Alarie Ray-Garcia (505) 476-2248 State?s Supercomputer enables Projects Eligibility for Funding SANTA FE-Governor Richardson today announced that the National Science Foundation has awarded the University of New Mexico $41M for collaborative projects involving the state?s supercomputer, Encanto. The New Mexico Computing Applications Center, which oversees Encanto, is under contract for $5.3 million in support of those grants. The awards will provide funding over a five-year period to the supercomputing center. "These grants recognize the value and importance of our supercomputing efforts,? Governor Richardson said. ?I am pleased that the center is on track to meet the goals I set for it: bringing new resources into the State that create jobs and grow high-tech capabilities, supporting STEM education, and generating revenues to make the center self sustaining." The New Mexico Computing Applications Center grants cover a range of research that is important to New Mexico. The projects are as follows: ? Data collection, analysis, and computer modeling of how climate change will impact mountain water systems in New Mexico. ? Development of a long-term database that will provide scientists, decision makers, and citizens with the information needed to address environmental, social, and technological challenges. ? Development of educational programs that employ the supercomputer. ? Improve broadband access to colleges in New Mexico that are gateways to the supercomputer. Additional information on the New Mexico Computing Applications Center can be found at www.newmexicosupercomputer.com -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. From granoff at zianet.com Tue Nov 24 09:43:10 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:43:10 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 11.24 Message-ID: <20091124174318.08D34131376B@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI. >FCC Hints At Return To Open Access - Companies are of course, >annoyed..., dslreports >According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC is seriously >considering re-establishing some kind of open access rules, which >would give new entrants access to incumbent infrastructure at >reduced price. Open access was the central idea behind the 1996 >telecom act, which required incumbent operators to share network >access with smaller competitors in order to bolster competition as >those upstarts grew into legitimate carriers. A combination of >inconsistent regulation and incumbent > http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Hints-At-Return-To-Open-Access-105589 > > >Spain mandates affordable broadband for all, CNET >The country's government is following the lead of Finland and making >affordable broadband a legal right. > >http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10402643-266.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-PoliticsandLaw From granoff at zianet.com Tue Dec 1 07:56:45 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:56:45 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: A Ridiculous Failure of Critical Infrastructure Message-ID: <20091201155651.549FD132D406@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> The following email was posted to several lists earlier this morning. FYI >Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:54:22 -0700 >From: Matt Larsen >Subject: A Ridiculous Failure of Critical Infrastructure > > >Some kind of combination of failure between Charter and Qwest has >left tens of thousands of people in Nebraska without Internet and >has disrupted the Internet and phone services for thousands >more. Right now, the outage is going on 12 hours and there is no >ETA for repair in sight. > >The word coming down is that the outage is on a Qwest fiber, but it >looks to me like both parties should be on the hot seat for not >having the ability to route around the problem. There was a four >hour outage on Charter a week ago that was caused by a fiber cut in >Gothenburg, Nebraska. That one killed everything west of the cut, >but it was small potatoes compared to this one. Is this truly the >level of performance that we can expect from our major Internet >backbone providers? It took me about 10 seconds to re-route my >traffic to a backup provider - you would think that a couple of >multimillion dollar companies would be able to sort out a problem of >this nature in a reasonable amount of time. The small CLEC that I >use for my backup connection had enough capacity to route around the >problem and was even able to lend me a little bit after 5pm when the >traffic on their network (mostly businesses) dropped off. >It isn't rocket science to figure out how to route around an outage. > >Almost as frustrating is that there was NO news about the outages >anywhere except on the social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter). >One TV station in Hastings, NE put up a short story on their >website, but I got more news from the tweets and FB posts that >people where posting from their cell phones than I did from anywhere >else. None of the network outage sites have any news about this. > >Could this be a harbinger of things to come? I am feeling pretty >thankful right now that I have a choice in backbone providers and >that I kept a second one. Diversity is a good thing, and this is a >great example of why we need competition and multiple options for Internet. > >Matt Larsen >vistabeam.com From granoff at zianet.com Wed Dec 2 11:25:10 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:25:10 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fake E-mail from CDC on Swine Flu Spreads PC Virus Message-ID: <20091202192517.6FB94EEC215@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> from another list - FYI >Fake E-mail from CDC on Swine Flu Spreads PC Virus > Hackers are spreading a vicious computer virus through spam > e-mail messages that urge recipients to visit a bogus website > offering vaccinations to protect them against another virus -- the > one that causes swine flu. The e-mail purports to be from the U.S. > Centers for Disease Control, directing them to what looks like an > official government website to fill out a vaccination form, said > researchers from security firms Symantec and AppRiver. > Read more: > http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE5B04ZP20091201 > From granoff at zianet.com Wed Dec 2 21:22:39 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:22:39 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] =?iso-8859-1?q?Fwd=3A_Re=3A_FCC=92s_Office_Of_Engin?= =?iso-8859-1?q?eer_ing_=26__Techn__ology_Es_tablishes_Technical__Advisory?= =?iso-8859-1?q?_Process_For_Open_Inter_net_Proceed_ing_And_Announces_Work?= =?iso-8859-1?q?shop?= Message-ID: <20091203052246.A887638688A@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> FYI These sessions typically accept questions from the public via Webex, e-mail, and Twitter. >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: >December 2, 2009 Walter Johnston: (202) 418-0807 > Email: walter.johnston at fcc.gov > Jon Peha: (202)-418-2406 > Email: jon.peha at fcc.gov > >Federal Communications Commission?s Office Of Engineering & Technology >Establishes Technical Advisory Process For Open Internet Proceeding And >Announces Workshop > >Washington, D.C. ? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today >announced that the Chief of the FCC?s Office of Engineering & Technology >(OET) has established a Technical Advisory Process to ensure that decisions >in the Commission?s proceeding on the open Internet reflect a thorough >understanding of current technology and future technology trends. The >process will provide an inclusive, open, and transparent forum for obtaining >the best technical data and insights from a broad range of stakeholders, >including through a public workshop on December 8, 2009 in the Commission >meeting room. > >The Technical Advisory Process was called for in the FCC?s October 22, 2009 >Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, ?In the Matter of Preserving the Open >Internet, Broadband Industry Practices? (FCC 09-93), GN Docket No. 09-191, >WN Docket 07-52, which proposed draft rules to preserve the open Internet. > OET has now established a technical working group comprised of engineers >and technologists from across the FCC?s bureaus and offices to receive >information from stakeholders on the technical issues in the open Internet >proceeding. The working group will hold ex parte meetings with engineers >and other interested parties to understand the range of views in the >technical community on the issues presented by the open Internet rulemaking, >identify any areas of common ground between stakeholders, and clarify the >scope of key differences. In addition, FCC engineers from the working group >will be integrated into other teams within the Commission considering the > various issues raised in the open Internet proceeding. > >The Technical Advisory Process will include a workshop on December 8, 2009 >starting at 10 a.m. in the Commission meeting room, which will be open to >the public and live streamed via the Internet. The workshop will consist of >tutorial presentations by experts on network management practices for >various Internet access service delivery platforms, followed by questions >from the Commission?s technical working group and members of the public. > >An agenda for the workshop will be made available soon. The workshop will >be open to the public; however, admittance will be limited to the seating >available. Audio/video coverage of the workshop will be broadcast live with >open captioning over the Internet from the website for this proceeding at >http://www.openinternet.gov. > >Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon >request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. > Individuals making such requests must include their contact information >should FCC staff need to contact them for more information. Requests should >be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to fcc504 at fcc.gov or >call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: 202-418-0530 (voice), >202-418-0432 (TTY). > >For additional information about the workshop, please contact Walter >Johnson at (202) 418-0807 or by email at walter.johnston at fcc.gov, or Jon >Peha at (202) 418-2406 or by email at jon.peha at fcc.gov. > >Parties wishing to meet with the technical working group should contact >Sandra Mata at (202) 418-2470 or by e-mail at sandra.mata at fcc.gov . From granoff at zianet.com Fri Dec 4 12:30:24 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:30:24 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: 12.4 Message-ID: <20091204203027.B924B11DC7F8@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >FCC Ponders Moving From PSTN To IP Voice - Wants input on how to >make it happen..., dslreports >The FCC has issued a public notice (pdf) requesting input on >precisely what it would take to migrate the nation from its legacy >circuit-switched phone systems to an all-IP voice network. "In >identifying the appropriate areas of inquiry, we seek to understand >which policies and regulatory structures may facilitate, and which >may hinder, the efficient > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Ponders-Moving-From-PSTN-To-IP-Voice-105791 > > > >Latest Consumer Reports Survey Not Kind To AT&T - Company ranked >dead last for wireless satisfaction in 19 of 24 cities, dslreports >Straight off of AT&T and Verizon's multi-week network quality snark >fest, Consumer Reports has issued their latest survey of wireless >carriers and phones, and it probably won't make AT&T particularly >happy. The survey itself is available to subscribers only, but we >can tell you that the findings generally mirror other recent surveys of the > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Latest-Consumer-Reports-Survey-Not-Kind-To-ATT-105739 > > >New study calls for cybersecurity overhaul in U.S., CW >The U.S. government and private businesses need to overhaul the way >they look at cybersecurity, with the government offering businesses >new incentives to fix security problems, the Internet Security Alliance said. > >http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141762/New_study_calls_for_cybersecurity_overhaul_in_U.S.?source=rss_news > >Yahoo, Verizon: Our Spying Records Would 'Shock,' 'Confuse' Consumers, Wired >Verizon and Yahoo oppose a FOIA request for the companies' menus of >surveillance prices and services it offers the government, like >wiretaps and pen registers. > http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/politics/~3/ahgADkfrdl0/wiretap-prices > >Graduate Student Unveils Sprint's GPS Sharing With Feds - Eight >million 'pings' to user tracking database in 13 months..., dslreports >Blogger Christopher Soghoian is raising eyebrows this week with a >recording of a Sprint executive at a conference exploring how Sprint >has been using a new portal to give user GPS data to law enforcement >agents an astounding 8 million times over a thirteen month span. The >disclosure of course immediately raised questions over what kind of > >http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Graduate-Student-Unveils-Sprints-GPS-Sharing-With-Feds-105749 > > >FCC Aims To Expand USF - But again, they probably should bother to >fix it first...., dslreports >For years we've discussed how the Universal Service Fund (USF) is >perhaps one of the worst examples of government dysfunction and >corporate abuse, even by the government's own admission. The fund, >which customers have poured billions in fees into over the least >decade -- is designed to help bring phone service (not broadband) to > http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Aims-To-Expand-USF-105752 From granoff at zianet.com Sun Dec 6 16:26:57 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:26:57 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Bye bye, PSTN? Message-ID: <20091207002701.CEEFC12727A1@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. >The FCC desires to transition from the decades-old circuit-based >Public Switched Telephone Network to a new system run entirely with >Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. This is perhaps the >most serious indication to date that the legacy telephone system will, >in the near future, reach the end of its life. This public commenting >phase represents a very early stage in what will undoubtedly be a very >complex transition that makes this year's bumpy switch from analog to >digital television look relatively easy. > >3-page FCC "Public Notice" here: > > > >Released: 1-DEC-2009 >Comment date: 21-DEC-2009 > From granoff at zianet.com Tue Dec 8 12:19:57 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:19:57 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Convenient Computer Recycling at Goodwill Message-ID: <20091208202003.943D7134A1ED@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. >Goodwill has partnered with Dell's Reconnect Program, a free >drop-off program which allows donors to responsibly recycle any >brand of unwanted computer equipment and accessories. Donors may >drop off any brand of used equipment, in any condition, at the ten >Goodwill donation centers statewide! > >While computers are safe to use, they do contain some >environmentally sensitive materials. These materials can be safely >removed or recycled, but only if the computers are kept out of >landfills in the first place! The Reconnect Program gives New >Mexicans a free, green and convenient way to do it. > >LOCATIONS: >http://www.goodwillnm.org/donate/what-where.htm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tom at jtjohnson.com Tue Dec 8 19:45:45 2009 From: tom at jtjohnson.com (Tom Johnson) Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 20:45:45 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Rural Broadband Access To Grow, Slowly But Surely - Kiplinger.com - StumbleUpon Message-ID: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6G4yyS/www.kiplinger.com/columns/washington/archives/rural-broadband-access-to-grow-slowly-but-surely.html -tom johnson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Tue Dec 8 20:12:44 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:12:44 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: Re: Rural Broadband Access To Grow, Slowly But Surely - Kiplinger.com - StumbleUpon Message-ID: <20091209041251.F35FD1350A13@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> This sounds like it was written by an RBOC PR person to me. This also sounds like the RBOCs think they are the only ones who can provide high speed broadband. Why would we tax phone service in order to subsidize broadband provided by cable or fixed wireless service? This may be the last straw in convincing people to give up their land-line phones and go to cable and/or wireless and VOIP. Maybe that's what the FCC wants? At 08:45 PM 12/8/2009 -0700, you wrote: >http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6G4yyS/www.kiplinger.com/columns/washington/archives/rural-broadband-access-to-grow-slowly-but-surely.html > >-tom johnson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From granoff at zianet.com Wed Dec 16 08:28:14 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:28:14 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Malicious Adobe Acrobat File Identified Message-ID: <20091216162816.893001202282@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> From another list. FYI >Malicious Adobe Acrobat File Identified > Symantec confirmed a vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat and Reader > and said it was being exploited by a Trojan hidden in e-mail > attachments. The malicious Adobe Acrobat PDF file is distributed > via an e-mail attachment that "drops and executes when opened on a > fully patched system with either Adobe Acrobat or Reader > installed," Symantec said in a statement. > Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10415794-245.html > From granoff at zianet.com Thu Dec 17 08:26:05 2009 From: granoff at zianet.com (Marianne Granoff) Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:26:05 -0700 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] Fwd: FCC Unveils Proposals to Expand High-Speed Internet; more... Message-ID: <20091217162607.291D9137DEDE@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> >FCC Unveils Proposals to Expand High-Speed Internet > The Federal Communications Commission unveiled a laundry list > of proposals to meet a congressional mandate to give every U.S. > home access to high-speed Internet service. The recommendations, > which come just two months before the agency must present its final > national broadband plan to Congress, include revising a rural phone > subsidy program, revamping the market for television set-top boxes > and redirecting more airwaves to wireless services. > Read more: > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/16/AR2009121603916.html > From rl at 1st-mile.com Thu Dec 17 11:28:54 2009 From: rl at 1st-mile.com (Richard Lowenberg) Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:28:54 -0800 Subject: [1st-mile-nm] First Broadband Stimulus Awards Announced Message-ID: <20091217112854.7u0q4so6sc00og8c@www2.dcn.org> The White House, RUS and NTIA today announced the first 18 ARRA Broadband Stimulus grant awards. The announcement follows. The NM State Library (w/ partner .orgs) is the first New Mexico project to be funded. Additional awards will be announced on a rolling basis into the next year. The State Library's "Sustainable Broadband Adoption" grant includes funding for the 1st-Mile Institute to organize and host a 2010 NM Broadband Conference and National Open Broadband Economic Summit. More announcements to follow. Richard --------- On Behalf Of White House Press Office Subject: Vice President Biden Kicks Off $7.2 Billion Recovery Act Broadband Program Vice President Biden Kicks Off $7.2 Billion Recovery Act Broadband Program Joined by Governor Perdue, Vice President Announces an Initial $183 Million in Awards to Expand Broadband Access in Seventeen States DAWSONVILLE, Ga. ? Vice President Biden today kicked off $7.2 billion in Recovery Act broadband grant and loan programs, of which $2 billion will be made available on a rolling basis over the next 75 days to bring high-speed Internet to communities that currently have little or no access to the technology. At an event at Impulse Manufacturing in Dawsonville, Georgia, with Governor Sonny Perdue (R-GA), he announced an initial $183 million investment in eighteen broadband projects benefiting seventeen states which has already been matched by over $46 million in public and private sector capital. The awards are not only expected to provide initial job opportunities in infrastructure and manufacturing, but help bridge the digital divide and boost economic development for communities held back by limited or no access to the technology. ?New broadband access means more capacity and better reliability in rural areas and underserved urban communities around the country. Businesses will be able to improve their customer service and better compete around the world,? said Vice President Biden. ?This is what the Recovery Act is all about ? sparking new growth, tapping into the ingenuity of the American people and giving folks the tools they need to help build a new economy in the 21st-century.? The projects receiving funds today are the first in the $7.2 billion program ? $4.7 billion through the Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and $2.5 through the Department of Agriculture?s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) ? being implemented under the Recovery Act to expand broadband access and adoption across the country. The awards are designed to help underserved ? and often hard-hit ? communities overcome the distance and technology barrier by expanding connectivity between educational institutions, enabling remote medical consultations and attracting new businesses ? as well as the jobs that come with them. They are part of an over $100 billion investment in science, technology and innovation the Administration is making through the Recovery Act to lay a new foundation for economic growth. ?Broadband is the new dial tone of the 21st-century,? said Governor Perdue. ?Internet access is as important to our communications infrastructure today as reliable telephone service was a century ago. Creating an advanced network will promote economic development, expand educational opportunities and improve the availability and efficiency of government services.? The National Economic Council today released a report, ?Recovery Act Investment in Broadband: Leveraging Federal Dollars to Create Jobs and Connect America,? which found that Recovery Act investments in broadband will create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and expand opportunities and economic development in communities that would otherwise be left behind in the new knowledge-based economy. A copy of the report can be viewed HERE. As part of today?s announcement, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke traveled to Bangor, Maine, where he announced $25.4 million in grants to build broadband infrastructure throughout rural and disadvantaged portions of parts of the state. On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Ohio to discuss how a $2.4 million broadband award will help boost economic development in the region and connect the local community to the smart energy grid. "Expanding high-speed Internet access is critical to improving America?s economic competitiveness,"said Secretary Locke. "Unless we use the 21st-century tools at our disposal, America will never be as connected as it could be. And that connection is crucial for our economic future." ?These broadband investments continue the Obama Administration?s efforts to create jobs, expand economic opportunities and build a stronger rural America,? said Secretary Vilsack. ?We must take steps to keep the institutions that are the heart and soul of our communities strong, and that is why many of these grants and loans support anchor institutions ? such as libraries, public buildings and community centers ? that are necessary for the viability of rural communities.? Four different types of awards were made today: Middle Mile Awards ? $121.6 million to build and improve connections to communities lacking sufficient broadband access. Last Mile Awards ? $51.4 million to connect end users like homes, hospitals and schools to their community?s broadband infrastructure (the middle mile). Public Computing ? $7.3 million to expand computer center capacity for public use in libraries, community colleges and other public venues. ? Sustainable Adoption ? $2.4 million to fund innovative projects that promote broadband demand with population groups where the technology has traditionally been underutilized. The following Middle Mile awards were made through the Department of Commerce: ? GEORGIA: North Georgia Network Cooperative, Inc., $33.5 million grant with an additional $8.8 million in matching funds to deploy a 260-mile regional fiber-optic ring to deliver gigabit broadband speeds, reliability, affordability, and abundant interconnection points for last mile service in the North Georgia foothills. ? MAINE: Biddeford Internet Corp. (d.b.a. GWI), $25.4 million grant with an additional $6.4 million in matching funds to build a 1,100-mile open access fiber-optic network extending to the most rural and disadvantaged areas of the state of Maine, from the Saint John Valley in the north, to the rocky coastline of downeast Maine, to the mountainous regions of western Maine. ? NEW YORK: ION Hold Co., LLC, $39.7 million grant with an additional $9.9 million in matching funds to build 10 new segments of fiber-optic, middle mile broadband infrastructure, serving more than 70 rural communities in upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania and Vermont. ? SOUTH DAKOTA: South Dakota Network, LLC, $20.6 million grant with an additional $5.1 million in matching funds to add 140 miles of backbone network and 219 miles of middle mile spurs to existing network, enabling the delivery of at least 10 Mbps service to more than 220 existing anchor institution customers in rural and underserved areas of the state. The following Public Computer Center awards were made through the Department of Commerce: ? ARIZONA: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, $1.3 million grant with matching funds of $320,000 to enhance existing facilities in more than 80 public libraries throughout the state. The project expects to deploy more than 1,000 computers to meet growing demand. ? MASSACHUSETTS: City of Boston, $1.9 million grant with matching funds of $477,000 to expand computer and Internet capacity at the city?s main library and 25 branches, 16 community centers, and 11 public housing sites. ? MINNESOTA: Regents of the University of Minnesota, $2.9 million grant with matching funds of $741,000 to enhance broadband awareness and use for residents in four federally-designated poverty zones in Minneapolis and St. Paul. ? WASHINGTON: The Inland Northwest Community Access Network (Tincan), $1.3 million grant with matching funds of $753,000 to establish three new public computer centers and expand 14 existing centers throughout Spokane?s poorest neighborhoods to serve more than 5,000 additional users per week. The following Sustainable Broadband Adoption awards were made through the Department of Commerce: ? NEW MEXICO: New Mexico State Library, $1.5 million grant with an additional $591,000 in matching funds to increase broadband adoption and promote computer literacy and Internet use among vulnerable populations, Hispanic and Native American users, small businesses, and entrepreneurs through trainings and outreach statewide. ? WASHINGTON: The Inland Northwest Community Access Network, $981,000 grant with an additional $728,000 in matching funds to increase broadband adoption through basic and advanced computer skill training, as well as community-based outreach campaigns to highlight the benefits of broadband for vulnerable populations in Spokane. The following Last Mile and Middle Mile awards were made today through the U.S. Department of Agriculture: ? ALASKA: Anchorage, Rivada Sea Lion, LLC, $25.3 million grant with $6.4 million of leveraged funds; 4G high-speed broadband internet service availability to more than 9,000 unserved locations in a 90,000 square mile area where these Southwestern Alaska inhabitants are living at subsistence level. ? HAWAII: Big Island Broadband/Aloha Broadband, Inc., $106,503 loan with matching funds of $87,405 to bring broadband services to an unserved area in the northern part of the islands where there are nearly 600 residents and businesses. ? COLORADO/NEBRASKA: Peetz, Colorado, Peetz Cooperative Telephone Co., $1.5 million grant; expansion of existing infrastructure utilizing a combination of technologies. This project will make broadband service available to as many as 550 locations in the service area. ? MICHIGAN: The Chatham Telephone Company, $8.6 million grant to bring high speed DSL broadband service to remote, unserved businesses and households within its rural territory; service that is comparable to the DSL service provided in its more populated areas. ? NEW HAMPSHIRE: Bretton Woods, The Bretton Woods Telephone Company, $985,000 grant for 20 Mbps two-way broadband service to all potential customers and stimulate tourism in the area to substantially improve the local economy. This Fiber to The Premise service will be available to more than 400 locations. ? NEW YORK: Potsdam, Slic Network Solutions (Nicholville Telephone) a grant of $4.3 million and loan of $1.1 million for a 136-mile fiber optic network reaching into five towns in rural Franklin County. This all-fiber network will deliver broadband voice, and IPTV services to remote rural areas. The network will offer service to more than 6,500 locations. ? OHIO: North Central Ohio Rural Fiber Optic Network, Consolidated Electric Cooperative, $1,034,413 grant and $1,399,499 loan; and matching funds of $1,225,000. The funding is integral to a smart grid initiative and broadband service based on an open-connectivity fiber optic backbone network. ? OKLAHOMA: Southeast Oklahoma, The Pine Telephone Company, $9.5 grant with an additional $4.6 million in private funds to provide services to an entirely remote, rural, unserved and severely economically disadvantaged community. More information about efforts regarding the Recovery Act is available at www.usda.gov/recovery,www.commerce.gov/recovery, www.Recovery.gov and www.WhiteHouse.gov/Recovery. ### -- Richard Lowenberg 1st-Mile Institute P.O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504 505-989-9110; 505-603-5200 cell rl at 1st-mile.com www.1st-mile.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.