Social Media, Connectivity & Communications

A ruling by the Federal Communications Commission last week has altered the playing field for telephone and Internet companies. Experts are still sorting out the ramifications, and it will take months before they are finalized….

"Given the unreasonably high price of the dedicated lines, we will struggle and might be put out of business," says Carl Oppedahl, a Ruby Ranch patent lawyer who helped found the cooperative. "Then our area will again have no broadband at all."

Could California lead the nation into a spam-free future? Or at least one where appreciably fewer unwanted pitches for porn, anatomical enhancements and cheapo printer cartridges flood our electronic inboxes? Henry Norr San Francisco Chronicle…

"It will be as if there is a full-size "glass wall" joining the two rooms, floor to ceiling, so that all sounds can be heard clearly, all sights can be seen sharply, and only the senses of touch, taste and smell will be missing."

On February 20, 2003, Congress appropriated $15.5 million for Fiscal Year 2003 for the Technology Opportunities Program (TOP). Very shortly, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will release a Notice of Availability of Funds (Notice)…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The country’s largest telecommunications company, TDC, said it signed a contract with a U.S.-based company that will provide digital signatures to Danish citizens. Government Technology The announcement comes two weeks after the…

CALDWELL — A computer crash has erased nearly 50,000 local 3rd District Court case files, threatening to disrupt legal proceedings in southwestern Idaho. The Idaho Statesman ***************** $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ "A backup a day keeps the lawsuits…

WASHINGTON — In a contentious decision, U.S. federal regulators agreed to let states decide whether to spur competition between the regional Bell phone companies and their rivals. A WALL STREET JOURNAL NEWS ROUNDUP ********************** Craig…

"Amid many alibis and excuses, some in the U.S. industry claim that broadband penetration of 20% of households — "the fastest for any new electronic product" — is impressive. But real broadband of the sort South Korea deploys for $33 per month runs at a pace of eight megabits per second. This is about ten times as fast as our DSL and cable modems."

"Anything that can be done to wrest influence from the large companies that have such control over the way we talk to each other is a step in the right direction."