Congress Realizes Broadband Data Sucks - Finally does something about it years later...
Links: home · search · speed test · login · more ·
Congress Realizes Broadband Data Sucks
Finally does something about it years later...
(old news - 06:55PM Thursday Jul 19 2007)
tags: legal · competition · fcc · coverage · Op/Ed · legislation · stats
Tipped by erin1
User erin1 writes in: "The Senate Commerce Committee today voted unanimously in favor of S. 1492 (pdf), which would require the FCC to come up with a revised definition for broadband within 120 days of the bill's enactment, report broadband access by nine-digit ZIP codes rather than five, and create a $40 million, five-year matching grant program for organizations that work to spur broadband adoption."The FCC has long qualified anything over 200kbps as broadband, and considers a zip-code to be "wired" for service if just one user in that zip-code has service. This has led to countless rosy FCC reports, despite very obvious coverage gaps when the states themselves look more closely. Rosy reports make the FCC look good and telco/cable lobbyists very happy. Only recently did the FCC admit their methodology is flawed, though they've been largely uncooperative when consumer advocates have tried to obtain more comprehensive broadband data. This push to improve the data collection comes nearly a half-decade after people (us included) started really griping. It should only take another five years to decide how to properly measure broadband, and perhaps another five after that to determine how exactly to proceed -- at which point hopefully we'll all already have 10Gbps firing directly into our cerebellums.
Related:- A Broadband Reality Check
- Telcos Fighting Release of Broadband Penetration Data
- FCC Chief Won't Enforce AT&T Merger Conditions He Doesn't Like
- Surprise: More Criticism of FCC Broadband Data
- Yeah, Who Wants Accurate Broadband Stats Anyway
- If Comcast Shares Broadband Deployment Data, The Terrorists Win
- Comcast Sues FCC Over 30% Cap
- Monday Morning Links
|
Links: New Topic
Forums »
Pashune @ 19th Jul 06:31PM:
Heh...
About time something "gets done", but I'm not holding my breath. Only time will tell.
reply
fiberguy @ 19th Jul 06:41PM:
It's time to re-classify it all.
It's time to classify Internet Broadband Access as a utility once and for all and get it over with.
Already, they're all trying to shove everything, including a Ham Sandwich, down the internet.. Phone, 'Television Signals', and other services are all being sent via IP now.. it's time to bring definitions into modern ways of thinking.
No more should AT&T be able to say they aren't offering Television because it's "packets" and Cable operators should not be able to say they are an "information service" and not the internet and then turn around and sell High Speed "Internet"... Vonage, SunRocket, ViaTalk, Packet8, and Cable VoIP services should be handled as phone and not "information service" since you pick up a hand set, dial 7, 10, or 11 digits, make another phone somewhere ring, and carry a conversation. And CERTAINLY, providers like Verizon should not be able to say "It's Fiber, not phone" while they cut out the ILEC copper lines and replace them with non-regulated fiber lines. If they are the ILEC, and are allowed to cut homes out of the LEC picture, the way I see it, they are either no longer interested in being the ILEC *OR* they are simply upgrading their ILEC plant with fiber over copper and should do the whole service area.
Until they get over the "transport" method for definition and look at the service "intent" itself, we will never advance technology wise. Our 3rd and 4th branches of government (Congress and Corporations) are playing the people of this country for fools.
One of the easiest ways to handle this is be honest in definitions of these services and what the internet really is.
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..."
reply
MeKuN @ 19th Jul 06:45PM:
More money?
What happened to all the money Clinton gave them? O I forgot taxpayers have deep pockets. My bad.
reply
clecssuck @ 19th Jul 07:00PM:
If you think it's bad now..
..just wait till the Feds get involved
Seriously, outside of military what has the Federal government been involved in that they did not screw up completely?
They'll force DSL to be provided in the ghetto, no one there will want it or no one there will pay for it and then all our rates will go up.
reply
Pashune @ 19th Jul 07:01PM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
*Applause* Amen to that. :D
reply
r81984 @ 19th Jul 07:05PM:
What about satellite?
Technically there is 100% coverage since anyone can get satellite internet.
Latency should be a factor in what broadband is along with speed.
Using latency (at least to the end of their network) would force companies to use better equipment and not oversell their networks. If they oversell their networks and average latency becomes terrible they should loose their broadband status.
Also then satellite service could not be marketed as broadband, but just a high speed connection because of its terrible latency.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
BF69 @ 19th Jul 07:08PM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
said by fiberguy :
It's time to classify Internet Broadband Access as a utility once and for all and get it over with.
Already, they're all trying to shove everything, including a Ham Sandwich, down the internet..
Well the internet is not a truck you know. It's a series of tubes. Your ham sandwich clogging the tubes is probably why I didn't get the internet that someone sent me yesterday.
reply
Jodokast96 @ 19th Jul 07:19PM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
said by BF69 :said by fiberguy :
It's time to classify Internet Broadband Access as a utility once and for all and get it over with.
Already, they're all trying to shove everything, including a Ham Sandwich, down the internet..
Well the internet is not a truck you know. It's a series of tubes. Your ham sandwich clogging the tubes is probably why I didn't get the internet that someone sent me yesterday.
All right, which one of you two had my launch at work?!
reply
hayabusa3303 @ 19th Jul 07:22PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
Technically there is 100% coverage since anyone can get satellite internet.
Not if there is a HOUSE or trees blocking a view of the satellite you cant. You MUST have a clear southwest view to get it. :uhh:
reply
r81984 @ 19th Jul 07:36PM:
Re: What about satellite?
The FCC is counting a whole zip code if just one person can get broadband in an area.
I do not know where you live but at least someone in a whole zip code should be able to get satellite.
Satellite is available everywhere.
Thats right trees can be cut, dishes can be placed on top of buildings, dishes can be placed on 50 foot poles or even ham radio towers. If you think you cannot get satellite somewhere then you are not trying hard enough.
I guess in the extreme case you would happen to live across of the north side of the sears tower you would not be able to use satellite as you might have a problem running your own coax to a dish outside of the buildings shadow.
Anyways if you live in a city you probably have the option of both DSL and cable internet so satellite internet would be a waste of money.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
Pashune @ 19th Jul 07:50PM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
said by Jodokast96 :said by BF69 :said by fiberguy :
It's time to classify Internet Broadband Access as a utility once and for all and get it over with.
Already, they're all trying to shove everything, including a Ham Sandwich, down the internet..
Well the internet is not a truck you know. It's a series of tubes. Your ham sandwich clogging the tubes is probably why I didn't get the internet that someone sent me yesterday.
All right, which one of you two had my launch at work?!
I lol'd. :p
reply
Pashune @ 19th Jul 07:51PM:
Re: If you think it's bad now..
said by clecssuck :
..just wait till the Feds get involved
Seriously, outside of military what has the Federal government been involved in that they did not screw up completely?
They'll force DSL to be provided in the ghetto, no one there will want it or no one there will pay for it and then all our rates will go up.
=] I'm in the ghetto and have DSL. Poor DSL, but it's DSL @ 1.5 mbit. Can't get anything higher.
reply
Pashune @ 19th Jul 07:57PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by hayabusa3303 :said by r81984 :
Technically there is 100% coverage since anyone can get satellite internet.
Not if there is a HOUSE or trees blocking a view of the satellite you cant. You MUST have a clear southwest view to get it. :uhh:
Don't worry. All you'd have to do is get a bunch of repeaters and a tower anywhere from 50 ft to 2-3 miles high. :D
reply
Siryak @ 19th Jul 08:07PM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
"It's time to classify Internet Broadband Access as a utility once and for all and get it over with."
I second that!
--
Wildblue Pro Pack / Beam 40 / Laredo NOC / Windows Vista Home Premium
reply
nasadude @ 19th Jul 08:25PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
...
Satellite is available everywhere.
...
so what. satellite is not broadband. it's a very expensive, slightly better than dialup connection.
reply
ifarrell @ 19th Jul 08:37PM:
Re: Heh...
Shouldn't that have been "Congress realizes they suck"??? :D
reply
hitman_001 @ 19th Jul 08:42PM:
Re: What about satellite?
You can consider Satellite a "broadband" connection when the providers make it to where downloading windows updates or other files over 250 meg in size dont make your connection stop working for 24 hours. (hughesnet)
--
Hn7000s Small Office plan/.74m dish & 1Watt Trans on Satmex 5 Signal: 86/Win XP Pro SP2/P4 3gig, 2Gigs Ram, Radeon X1300 500meg video
reply
Mactron @ 19th Jul 08:53PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by nasadude :said by r81984 :
...
Satellite is available everywhere.
...
so what. satellite is not broadband. it's a very expensive, slightly better than dialup connection.
It meets the FCC's definition. ;)
So now your whole Zip Code has BroadBand. :D
j/k ;)
--
If only the Verizon CSRs worked this well. ;)
reply
jhawk44 @ 19th Jul 09:03PM:
Re: Heh...
they already know that.
in polls they make president bush look like a star.
reply
jhawk44 @ 19th Jul 09:06PM:
Re: What about satellite?
satellite does not count as broadband.
it is the dialup of the new age.
reply
rosco @ 19th Jul 09:46PM:
Sign me up
quote:
at which point hopefully we'll all already have 10Gbps firing directly into our cerebellums.
i WANT this
reply
pnh102 @ 19th Jul 10:23PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by hayabusa3303 :
Not if there is a HOUSE or trees blocking a view of the satellite you cant. You MUST have a clear southwest view to get it. :uhh:
One of these will solve that problem :)
--
Only SHATNER is Kirk.
reply
viperpa33s @ 19th Jul 10:39PM:
They just realized the sky was blue
Congress just realized the sky was blue. Most of Congress is ignorant to just about everything around them. About the only thing they know how to do is throw parties, spend other people's money and spew a lot of hot air.
reply
hayabusa3303 @ 19th Jul 10:55PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by pnh102 :said by hayabusa3303 :
Not if there is a HOUSE or trees blocking a view of the satellite you cant. You MUST have a clear southwest view to get it. :uhh:
One of these will solve that problem :)
That would be good next door might be pissed tho...lmfao
reply
major marco @ 20th Jul 12:48AM:
Re: They just realized the sky was blue
said by viperpa33s :
Congress just realized the sky was blue. Most of Congress is ignorant to just about everything around them. About the only thing they know how to do is throw parties, spend other people's money and spew a lot of hot air.
And collect payola for doing the bidding of their corporate masters at the expense of Americans.
--
The Toll
reply
Old_Grouch @ 20th Jul 12:56AM:
Re: It's time to re-classify it all.
said by fiberguy :
Our 3rd and 4th branches of government (Congress and Corporations) are playing the people of this country for fools.
Playing?
--
At Team Discovery we know how to get more outta that danged 'puter of yours!
reply
Pashune @ 20th Jul 01:38AM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by jhawk44 :
satellite does not count as broadband.
it is the dialup of the new age.
New features include a slightly increased download speed and extended ping times!
reply
RR Conductor @ 20th Jul 02:43AM:
Re: What about satellite?
That would make a nice nick in the Redwoods up here, that's about it lol I don't think I'd want to cut one down just to get a signal though, too beautiful.
reply
Googled @ 20th Jul 06:56AM:
dslreports.org
justin, this site might be eligible for some of that $40 million.
reply
moonpuppy @ 20th Jul 08:08AM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
Satellite is available everywhere.
Thats right trees can be cut, dishes can be placed on top of buildings, dishes can be placed on 50 foot poles or even ham radio towers. If you think you cannot get satellite somewhere then you are not trying hard enough.
Ummmm, nope.
You can't cut down someone else's trees just so you can put up a dish. Ham radio towers are not cheap by any means and even not allowed in many neighborhoods with HOAs. Even a 50 foot pole would be useless unless done right (as in not moving with the wind.)
The map shown above discounts satellite for a reason.
reply
r81984 @ 20th Jul 01:47PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Ummmmmmmmmmm, Yeah.
"A 50 foot pool is useless, unless done right"
Then do it right, duh.
"Ham radio towers are not cheap"
If you want satellite internet bad enough then you will buy one.
I guess if you live in an area with a crapload of tall trees that shadow the southern sky from your roof, a Home Owners Association banning towers or poles on top of your house, no DSL, and no cable internet, and no local wifi then your just stuck with Dial-Up, ISDN, or a T1.
Isn't a T1 also available everywhere, so technically everyone can get either a T1 or Satellite connection, so we have 100% coverage?
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
moonpuppy @ 20th Jul 06:00PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
Ummmmmmmmmmm, Yeah.
"A 50 foot pool is useless, unless done right"
Then do it right, duh.
"Ham radio towers are not cheap"
If you want satellite internet bad enough then you will buy one.
First off, a 50 pool would never work unless you have a lot of guide wires holding it in place. Not a small footprint. A ham radio tower would start at about $2000 and that's if you can, again, mount those guide wires someplace.
Let's add to that a dish needs to be on a SOLID mount. That means NOT MOVING. It's like a vertical or beam antenna. Even a little sway will cause the connection to be bad.
said by r81984 :
Isn't a T1 also available everywhere, so technically everyone can get either a T1 or Satellite connection, so we have 100% coverage?
Nope, wrong again. A T1 is not available in all locations.
reply
r81984 @ 20th Jul 07:52PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Your contradictory statments are crazy.
If you have money and determination you can put a dish anywhere.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
moonpuppy @ 20th Jul 09:34PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
Your contradictory statments are crazy.
If you have money and determination you can put a dish anywhere.
Please, oh supposed wise one, how are they contradictory?
You can't put a dish anywhere. If you put up a tower or large pole, you have to make sure it that, if it falls, that it falls on your own property. Most ham towers are designed to twist and fold on themselves if they do come down. Add to that, the big foot print of those guy wires that you might have the room for.
Also, unlike DBS TV service, satellite internet is not protected under the FCC's OTA (Over The Air) rules so any HOA can ban them.
Try again.
reply
hayabusa3303 @ 20th Jul 11:23PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
Your contradictory statments are crazy.
If you have money and determination you can put a dish anywhere.
Your telling me if i had enough money i could put my 10 ft dish inside my house and it will work? Please
reply
r81984 @ 21st Jul 12:40AM:
Re: What about satellite?
Do you really think a dish would work inside a house??
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
hayabusa3303 @ 21st Jul 02:11AM:
Re: What about satellite?
If you have money and determination you can put a dish anywhere.
You said anywhere.
Need to READ what you say. :uhh:
reply
anon @ 21st Jul 10:49AM:
Re: Heh...
come on people. we're talking about politicians here, not real people...
reply
anon @ 21st Jul 10:54AM:
msg deleted
deleted by a moderator
reply
moonpuppy @ 23rd Jul 08:16AM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
If you think anywhere, in terms of a dish that must have line of sight to the southern sky, meant inside a basement, bedroom, on the moom, underwater, on mars, on an asteroid, in your shower, and etc. then you need to need to wait a few years until you mature and come back to this site and reread all the comments before that post. If you are any smarter by then you will not come to the same stupid conclusion.
Not every site can put up a tower, nor can every site use the parts of the house. Apartment buildings are another concern (as I said earlier, the internet dishes do NOT fall under the protection of the FCC's OTA rules.)
The fact still remains that a tower or 50 foot pole solution is not as simple as you make it seem.
Keep trying, you might get it right one day.
reply
r81984 @ 23rd Jul 09:31PM:
Re: What about satellite?
The argument here is that I said if you have money and determination you can get satellite. I never said it would be simple or easy. My point was if you really want satellite you can get it, you just need to be determined. Maybe you lack skills to be innovative, but there are many innovative people out there that have done what it took to get broadband internet no matter what the cost.
You said I was full of crap, and now you say WELL, that would work but it would not be simple.
How can you call me stupid and then say my idea would work in the same post???
Make up your mind about how you want to take an argument before you post. You just got pwned.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
moonpuppy @ 24th Jul 05:45PM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
The argument here is that I said if you have money and determination you can get satellite. I never said it would be simple or easy. My point was if you really want satellite you can get it, you just need to be determined. Maybe you lack skills to be innovative, but there are many innovative people out there that have done what it took to get broadband internet no matter what the cost.
You said it was as simple as putting up a 50 foot pole. It is not.
said by r81984 :
You said I was full of crap, and now you say WELL, that would work but it would not be simple.
How can you call me stupid and then say my idea would work in the same post???
Nope, it is not simple. Have you ever put up a tower? Didn't think so. Even an antenna pole is not a simple thing. Putting up a tower to get satellite internet access could be as expensive as getting the cable company to wire you up if you are just 1/2 mile outside of their service area.
said by r81984 :
Make up your mind about how you want to take an argument before you post. You just got pwned.
Error 404: ownage not found.
You give simplistic answers without knowing what they entail. You also fail to take into account home owner associations and apartments that face the wrong way. Do a little more research before spouting off what you know NOTHING about.
reply
r81984 @ 24th Jul 07:21PM:
Re: What about satellite?
You are just trying to argue for no reason, what are you trying to accomplish I am right and you are wrong.
Where did I say it would be easy?
Where did I say it would be simple?
Your making false statements about what I said and then arguing against those false statements, you make no sense.
You admit I am right, but then you say basically the process to put up a pole or tower is so complex that its not worth it TO YOU.
Just because you feel something is too complicated for YOU to accomplish or to much money for YOU to afford does not make it impossible to do.
It is very feasible to put a dish on a pole, there are people who buy wood telephone pools (like the ones you see with street lights on them) and put them in their yard just to install a dish on the top.
It is feasible to install a tower, people install ham radio towers on their small residential lots all the time. There are a few people in my town with towers in their small residential yards with no guide wires.
You keep lying, misquoting, and then arguing against statements that you even admit are right.
Please, when you reply, as I know you will because you love to argue, please please make sense.
I mean come on, grow up.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
r81984 @ 24th Jul 07:29PM:
Re: What about satellite?
FYI, here is another pole that has no guide wires.
I hope it does not fall down, like you claim.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
moonpuppy @ 24th Jul 07:38PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Notice the pic you posted. Notice the antenna. That has a conical shape.
Now, take a satellite disk. That has a shape like a dish or cup which catches the wind. The windload is WAY higher on a dish over that microwave link you showed.
I will bet you that pole does quite a bit of swaying in the wind and is not something I would trust. Want to see how it sways, look at an overhead street light. Let's add the brace is WAY too low to make any difference.
Just because you think it is safe, doesn't make it so.
Thank you, drive through.
reply
r81984 @ 24th Jul 07:47PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Your too funny.
That dish in that picture is a dish with a plastic wind cover over it. Who says you can't put a wind cover on a sat tv dish?
Also that pole is for a 30 mile site to site internet connection, if that pole sways enough to prevent sat internet transmission then there would be no way it would hit another dish 30 miles away, but yet they are using it.
Again you confuse YOUR opinion with reality.
You say "I will bet you that pole does quite a bit of swaying in the wind and is not something I would trust"
So thats fine YOU do not trust a pole that large, big deal. Because in YOUR unprofessional opinion YOU think it is not safe does not mean anything.
If it works then people will use it regardless what YOUR opinion is of how it looks or whatever you are basing YOUR misguided opinion on.
Here is an equivalent of your wierd argument to show you how dumb you sound:
There is no way a bullet proof vest can stop a bullet because my cotton winter coat is twice as thick as a vest and it cannot stop a bullet. Thust that bullet proof vest does not look safe to me.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
moonpuppy @ 24th Jul 08:07PM:
Re: What about satellite?
A 30 mile connection point to point is different than hitting a satellite.
I'll bet they have issues when the wind blows. Just like many people have issues with rain fade and winds with DirectTV and Dish TV service.
As for what you are showing, that might work in a flat state but not everywhere else.
Now show me a picture of a satellite internet antenna with the same covering.
Next.
reply
r81984 @ 24th Jul 08:22PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Again you have no facts, just YOUR opinion.
It is a fact that people put their satellite dishes on poles or towers in their yards to get over trees and they work just fine.
It is a fact that all of YOUR arguments are YOUR opinions and YOUR preferences are just YOURS and do not apply to me or anyone else, so please stop trying to argue YOUR opinions.
It is a fact that I am right and you can put a satellite dish anywhere with money and determination.
It is a fact that factual statement is a broad and extreme statement, thus if it cost 1 billions dollars to accomplish the task then I am right.
If you show me a residence in the United States where no matter how rich you are or no matter how determined you are there is no way to install a dish, I will apoligize for my stupidity. Unfortunately someone can always design a way to make it work.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us
reply
RR Conductor @ 25th Jul 04:25AM:
Re: What about satellite?
said by r81984 :
FYI, here is another pole that has no guide wires.
I hope it does not fall down, like you claim.
It's in Texas, it's held up by a lot of hot air ;)
reply
r81984 @ 25th Jul 02:04PM:
Re: What about satellite?
Touche, Salesman.
reply
Thank you for using lo-fi dslreports.com - report bugs
© 99-2008 silver matrix LLC
