For the last few months now, Netflix regularly released an index of the fastest ISPs for streaming video. Today, the company launched a dedicated site for this data, the Netflix ISP Speed Index. The Speed Index includes data from many of the countries the service is currently available in, including the U.S., Mexico, Ireland, U.K.,Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Unsurprisingly, Google Fiber… → Read More
Editor’s note: Michael Weinberg is a staff attorney at Public Knowledge, an organization that preserves the openness of the Internet and the public’s access to knowledge; promotes creativity through balanced copyright; and upholds and protects the rights of consumers to use innovative technology lawfully. Michael focuses primarily on copyright, issues before the FCC and emerging technologies… → Read More
In July, we covered a study released by Pando Networks that outlined some striking disparities in the current quality of internet access and speed across the U.S. Among the study’s more revealing findings was the size of the gap between those at the front of the pack in terms of connectivity speeds and those at the back — a difference of tenfold. Interestingly, Rhode Island came in as the state… → Read More
In Japan, a multiple-megabit Internet connection costs pennies. I pay $99 for 50-mbps (and that’s really about 1 mbps (when it’s not raining) in Brooklyn. But why, you ask? Well, to hear cable companies (and carriers) tell it, it costs a pretty penny to get all that data to your door. Providers have to lease connectivity from the backbone and, as such, they’re forced to add caps to prevent us… → Read More
As much as those in Silicon Valley get wrapped up in all the innovative technologies and businesses being built on top of and around the Internet, the fact of the matter is that there are still some striking disparities in the quality of internet access and speeds in the U.S. today.
Pando Networks, a service that optimizes online delivery of media assets such as games, video and software, drew… → Read More
This past week saw the resurrection of Net Neutrality as a divisive issue. Some folks (people like Google, and, well, us) are in favor of Net Neutrality, while other folks (primarily the ISPs) are against it. Not long after the FCC announced its intentions, six Republican senators, three of which who received quite a lot of money from AT&T, proposed an amendment to a bill to stop the FCC in… → Read More
If you happen to live in one of Verizon’s FiOS coverage areas, you might be interested to know that at least one ISP is reselling the exact same internet service for almost $50 per month cheaper depending on the speed tier. DSL Extreme, a California-based ISP, has introduced what it’s calling “Fiber Extreme” — not to be confused with organic cereal — at between… → Read More
Time Warner has been testing out a “consumption based billing” structure for its broadband internet service in Beaumont, Texas and plans to expand the trials to San Antonio and Austin; Rochester, New York; and Greensboro, North Carolina sometime this summer.
Up to this point, bandwidth has been capped at 5-, 10-, 20-, and 40-gigabyte levels ranging from $30 to $55 per month, but a recent post… → Read More
So Comcast is implementing a 250GB monthly bandwidth cap starting next month. While some consumers are up in arms about the true meaning of “unlimited” internet access, others have focused on how these caps will affect the innovation of web-based services, particularly video streaming and downloading. Roku, maker of the Netflix-streaming box (reviewed here), isn’t too concerned, according to… → Read More
Look. If I was an old Canadian playwright who couldn’t get on the Internet, I’d be mad too. People over 50 generally don’t understand the relationship between an Internet connection, a router, and an Ethernet port (or wireless connection). That is to say, when an old person’s connection goes down, they automatically just assume that it’s the ISP’s fault without realizing that it could… → Read More
Here’s an update to the story about the FCC versus Comcast that we posted on Wednesday. The FCC has officially ruled today and it turns out that Comcast will not be fined for throttling peer-to-peer network traffic, but it will have to stop discriminating against certain internet traffic until the company comes up with a compliance plan “to fully disclose its practices” to customers. → Read More
If you happen to live in one of the lucky areas of the 16 states where Verizon has made FiOS available, you’ll be able to top your Internet connection out at 50 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up. Verizon says the speed enhancements will begin next week. Some markets already have the 50/20 speed tier, but Verizon will be rolling out faster connections to FiOS customers where 30 Mbps had previously been the… → Read More
Comcast will be running a month-long trial in certain areas of Pennsylvania and Virginia, which “will result in delayed response times for Internet traffic only for those customers who are using more than their fair share of available Internet resources at the time.” The basic idea is that when the network gets clogged up, those who are downloading a bunch of stuff will have their… → Read More
Looking to put a nail in its own coffin, Qwest is now offering 20Mbps DSL service in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area for $119.99 per month ($109.99 per month for the first year) in order to compete with Comcast‘s high speed internet service, which offers speeds of up to 12, 16, or 50Mbps for $42.95, $52.95, or $152.95, respectively. → Read More
Many have wanted a “bill of rights” for Internet subscribers for awhile, and now the idea has the backing of an unusual group: Comcast. Comcast has been in the news for “traffic shaping“, or favoring certain types of traffic over others, notably putting BitTorrent and other P2P traffic on a second-tier behind what it considered “legitimate” traffic. It has since… → Read More
In order for Sprint and Clearwire to really get this WiMax thing underway nationwide, they’re going to need some pretty substantial moolah — like $3 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Comcast, the nation’s largest cable operator, would put up as much as $1 billion, while No. 2 Time Warner Cable would add $500 million” along with smaller cable operator… → Read More
Next time you’re in a McDonald’s in Jerkwater, Ohio and you assume — like I did — that wireless access will be free, you’ll be right. That is, if you’re an AT&T DSL subscriber. I am not, so I therefore closed my laptop with my wrist because my hands were too french fry-ey. Formerly only available to premium DSL subscribers, AT&T is now giving any… → Read More
I’ll be damned, they’re actually doing it. Time Warner will be testing out a pay-for-what-you-use program for its high speed Internet service in Beaumont, Texas. This, based on findings that about 5 percent of the network’s users account for more than half the bandwidth. Here’s the problem, though. What happens when all the high-bandwidth users leave for the nearest… → Read More
Two bills passed in the House yesterday concerning ISPs’ responsibilities for reporting child pornography. The first bill dictates that "ISPs would have to inform the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of the Internet identity and geographic location of suspected sex offenders and the time child pornography was downloaded." → Read More
I remember my first week of college way back in 1997 and the weird adrenaline rush I got the moment my brand new Pentium 166 (with MMX extensions) first connected to the school’s high speed network. The change from a 33.6 modem to a high speed internet connection was exhilarating. I felt like burning a cigarette into my forearm. I was alive. → Read More
Wow. This guy really doesn’t like Comcast. I’m certainly not going to be asking Comcast to the Prom anytime soon but this guy is planning on moving out of his apartment thanks to a notice sent to the tenants in his building saying that Comcast will be the only ISP available starting January 1st. → Read More
When I was a kid I always wanted to use a Minitel terminal. These were essentially dumb terminals hooked up basic servers that allowed you to send email and get information, much like today’s postal service and newspapers. Apparently French ISP Neuf Cegetel is going to create Minitel 2.0 using a mini Linux computer and keyboard. The full kit costs 99 euro – about $130 – and the… → Read More
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
Boston, MA
Berlin, Germany
San Francisco
