broadband Internet news stories on Newser

Government to Auction Off Public Airwaves

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:31:05 CST

Congress is expected to approve a bill that would sell off public airwaves currently used for television to wireless Internet companies, speeding up broadband for mobile devices across the country, while at the same time creating a long-sought-after national communications network for emergency services. What is this revolutionary communications bill?...

Top 1% of Mobile Addicts Use Half the Bandwidth

Kevin Spak — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:47:26 CST

The most voracious mobile users are hogging the majority of the world's mobile broadband traffic—and the gap between them and non-power users is growing, according to a new report. Arieso, an English company that advises mobile operators, believes that the top 10% of mobile users generate 90% of the...

General: White House Pressed Me to Alter Testimony

Kevin Spak — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:05:06 CDT

Air Force Gen. William Shelton dropped an uncomfortable bombshell in his Congressional testimony yesterday, accusing the Obama administration of asking him to soften his remarks about a company that happens to be owned by a Democratic donor’s investment fund. The company, LightSquared, is trying to build a nationwide wireless broadband...

AT&T Customers, Say Adios to No-Limits Broadband

Mark Russell — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:33:03 CDT

AT&T is ending its unlimited broadband policy. Beginning May 2, the company will place a monthly cap on its subscribers, reports Engadget . If DSL subscribers go over the 150GB limit, or U-Verse subscribers top 250GB, then they will be charged an extra $10 for each additional 50GB (after two freebie...

FCC Poised to Pass Net Neutrality Rules

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:37:03 CST

New rules aimed at prohibiting broadband providers from becoming gatekeepers of Internet traffic now have just enough votes to pass the Federal Communications Commission today. The new "net neutrality" rules would prohibit phone and cable companies from abusing their control over broadband connections to discriminate against rival content or services,...

FCC Chair Pushes to Regulate ISPs

Kevin Spak — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:27:50 CST

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is making yet another valiant stab at introducing net neutrality or something like it today. In a speech today, Genachowski will propose a new regulatory framework that would forbid Internet broadband providers from blocking lawful content, the New York Times reports. The rules would also allow...

Finland Makes Broadband a Human Right

Polly Davis Doig — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:09:00 CDT

Sure, here in the US we have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But the Finnish government is tossing in the right to speedy Internet access, reports the AFP . Today Finland became the first country in the world to guarantee the availability of a broadband connection for every citizen....

World Cup Swamps the Internet

Kevin Spak — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:13:00 CDT

World Cup fever is gripping the globe, and the internet can barely handle it. Today saw the greatest demand ever for news sites, according to Akamai’s bandwidth monitoring. Akamai, the world’s largest computer network operator, has received 11 million visitor requests every minute today, a 233% jump above normal levels,...

The Internet Actually Makes People Happier

Emily Rauhala — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:53:00 CDT

Turns out the hours you spend online might be helping, not hurting , you. Research from Britain's Chartered Institute of IT finds a link between internet use and well-being. "Put simply, people with IT access are more satisfied with life," one researcher tells Time . "IT has an enabling and empowering role...