New Ideas : Broadband.gov

Senior citizen broadband eduaction

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:14:27 PDT

Senior citizen education should be considered to explain the benefits of using a broadband network. This is also crucial to its support and success. One sector of the population which needs assistance when it comes to using broadband are the Senior Citizens. I have engaged with many older Americans who are actually frightened - scared - of being "left out" and not being in-the-loop when it comes to the Internet and what it can offer them over a high-speed broadband connection. I would hope they would be given extra help and attention so they too can discover the benefits of all the benefits offered to them by their local, state and federal government along with, of course, the private sector offerings. For the last four years I have written a gratis tech column in my hometowns local paper (and online) where I try to impart the benefits of being online in an easily understood manner. So, I suggest more education and information directly targeted and delivered in comfortable classes to the Seniors!

Comments (0)Education, seniors

Broadband over Power Line

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:29:59 PDT

Vote On Idea

BPL is the way to go. It can be started on now. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/bpl.htm

Comments (0)Fixed Broadband

Make sure phones WORK AT ALL when there is no connection.

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:01:46 PDT

-1

Vote On Idea

Another helpful little feature would be allowing phones to AT LEAST do the useful PDA things stored on the phone when there is no signal/service available.

I've had a couple of different phones that, when you are not close enough to a cellular tower, you can't even tell what time it is. You can't see your contacts (including emergency contacts). You can't see your calendar (and any reminders you set won't 'ring'). The whole phone is a BRICK, capable only of running a little 'searching for service' animation.

Practically EVERY phone has a 'contacts' list, which IN AN EMERGENCY might prove to be useful (especially if you put in the 'I.C.E.' contact), except it is often inaccessible if the cellular network is down - so even if you find a working phone to call from, you don't have your phone book, and many people have been dialing from a 'contact' list for long enough that they don't remember any actual phone numbers.

The worst part of this is that you can't tell if your phone will be a brick in this situation until you're out of range or in a tunnel, or underground, or even jammed for the first time.

Comments (0)Wireless Broadband

US lagging behind in Broadband Speeds

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:38:46 PDT

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The United States is behind in the broadband market and has needed to step it up when it comes to speeds and prices. You can get 100Mbps fiber connections in Japan for the same price as what a 15Mbps connection costs here in the US. If the provider's equipment can handle more speeds, then they should be required to boost speeds without increasing their prices.

I think that the FCC should make it mandatory for ISPs who provide fiber optic and cable connections to start their base speeds at 100Mbps and not a megabit lower. My 25Mbps fiber connection costs more than a 100Mbps connection in Japan ($65 for 25Mbps/US $50 for 100Mbps/Japan) In fact, I could be getting a 200Mbps fiber connection for only $55 in Japan or a 1Gbps connection for only $80 to show how big of a price difference there is between Japan and the US.

DSL providers should be required to provide at a minimum of 20Mbps. The providers who can't accomplish this speed due to distance factors should implement fiber to the node to help increase the availability and speeds of existing DSL services. Most DSL modems will support up to 25Mbps or more and right now, ISPs aren't even making it past 7Mbps and that's just ridiculous.

More and more people are relying on the availability of the Internet for business and general communication, but the problem in the United States is availability to remote areas that can be outside of 100 miles from the nearest rural and metropolitan areas. These areas may get only a small taste of broadband that is limited to around 1 to 3Mbps. Thanks to our government funding, we can eliminate this bottleneck and provide faster service for everyone.

Comments (0)Broadband Consumer Context, 100mbps, fiber, japan

Don't forget the backhaul connections

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:21:51 PDT

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I'm a teleworker suffering from high-latency 3G access. I'd pay a lot for real Internet access instead of the low quality ATT and Verizon 3G - I have both since neither one works all the time.

Part of the problem is the backhaul connections are terribly oversubscribed. Verizon, ATT are happy to sell lots of 3G devices, but building the infrastructure cuts into their profits.

Create standards and requirements for backhaul infrastructure.

Comments (0)Wireless Broadband

Freedom to do whatever with our connection

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:17:52 PDT

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We pay for our services, and a lot, yet most companies disallow you to do numerous things with the service you purchased! My big complaint with that is they do not allow the use of servers, at all, no matter how little traffic the server would get.

If we are paying for XMb/s, aren't we entitled to use it however we please?

Comments (1)Broadband Consumer Context

Bandwidth Squatting

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:01:24 PDT

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Wireless broadband has the POTENTIAL of allowing true competition, assuming the radio bandwidth isn't all bought up and 'reserved' by corporations just for the sake of controlling it.

If a wireless or broadcast company buys up radio spectrum bandwidth from the FCC, but then doesn't SUBSTANTIALLY USE IT, that bandwidth should be re-auctioned.

In other words, if someone buys up all the VHF spectrum they can, just to prevent ANYONE ELSE from competing against their terrible borderline broadband service, then they should forfeit that excess bandwidth.

Even worse, buying federal bandwidth just to 'sublet' it should not be allowed. The FCC controls the spectrum, not some collection of corporations. Either YOU directly and responsibly provide a service, or YOU step aside and let someone else do something USEFUL with that dead air.

Comments (0)Wireless Broadband

Disaster Failover and Uninterruptible Power

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:48:20 PDT

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'Satellite Broadband' may have a role as a 'failover' mode for local disasters that otherwise cut off sections of communities from the outside world. More Cellular broadband (i.e. 3G/4G/EVDO/etc.) towers should have uninterruptible power and a backup satellite uplink built in to provide at least emergency/911 services when disaster cuts off their power, and potentially fells their peers. At least they should have some means for local authorities to directly power them, and make 911 calls work. In the event of disaster, wireless services tend to remain operational for having less stuff to break.

This is a weakness of 'cable' and 'fiberoptic' VOIP systems. If you don't have power to the customer (or near the customer), then they don't have communications. The old copper phone systems can still be centrally powered by battery and generators, but cable MODEM and fiberoptic systems need batteries EVERYWHERE. In an extended power failure, those batteries will simply die, and communication will fail.

Comments (2)Public Safety & Homeland Security

Accountability

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:24:05 PDT

Vote On Idea

They were going to run glass to every doorstep 'by 2000' back in the 1990's. The big telecomm companies accepted boatloads of tax money to build that infrastructure.

THEY ELECTED NOT TO.

The 'Telecommunication Act of 1996' built huge monopolies instead of encourage competition. Deregulation simply moved tax money into private hands, to be spent on whatever private hands like. Like stock bonuses and perks and 'instant profits' to launder the money into personal income.

Put some teeth in it this time. Make them pay the money back with 20% INTEREST if they don't do what they're supposed to with the money. Otherwise, the money will 'disappear' again.

Comments (0)Best Practices/Big Ideas

FIX WHAT IS ALREADY THERE

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:17:37 PDT

Vote On Idea

In large unincorporated areas, such as in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California, Verizon has bought up lots of small town phone companies, centralized everything, and then allowed ALL of the thousands of miles of equipment to ROT.

You can beg for service from some guy overseas with an unintelligible accent to tell you it will be a month or more for anyone to do anything about it. Cables are coming up out of the ground and getting shredded by vehicle traffic. Boxes and hanging cables are held together with duct and electrical tape.

It's more profitable to let it rot and charge people the same rates for bad service. Maybe it should not be this way.

Comments (1)Fixed Broadband, maintenance repair