Other than the current administration, that is. I'm talking about faster, cheaper internet access in other places around the world. Japan: 16 times faster than DSL, $22/month. France: 10x faster, $38/month (includes 100 channels of digital TV and unlimited telephone service also). This Salon.com article tells the story - I don't usually link to Salon since it's a subscription site that makes you watch an ad to read an article if you're not a subscriber, but check it out if you feel like it. To summarize though, the U.S. falling behind in broadband access, speed and affordability is yet another example of corporations and their lobbyists successfully lobbying to protect and increase profits at the expense of citizens and communities.
Never fear though, Google is here! Maybe. Is free Wi-Fi or broadband access desirable if it means being potentially bombarded with targeted advertising? Well, let's look at broadcast TV and conventional radio - is this use of public bandwidth really serving the public? Have you tuned into FM radio lately? Ugh. Perhaps the Internets are such different beasts, that such a comparison with more traditional uses of bandwidth isn't valid. Free broadband and Wi-Fi could be the impetus for the transformation of the Web into a true on-demand, content-rich, independent media source accessible by everyone. Or it could mean watching more commercials, reading more ads, and deleting more Spam.
On a more personal note, this is Charm City Blogger's 100th post! Cue falling balloons and confetti! I'd like to thank Google, Blogger.com, Mozilla, Tim Berners-Lee, DARPA, and Al Gore for making it all possible.
2 comments:
I don't think we will ever see ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage for free in this country. It wouldn't be good for a certain wireless company.
I think that it's difficult, no matter who one works for, to make a case that the current use and current plans for the public airwaves, truly serves the public, especially since one rationale for auctioning these public assets is to support a bullshit war and tax cuts for millionaires (from the Salon article):
Congress could set aside a portion of the spectrum coming back to the government from the broadcasters as part of the digital television transition. The current plan is to auction off this valuable resource to the cellphone companies to cover the cost of the war and tax cuts. But it's hard to imagine a better use of the public airwaves than opening up the spectrum for everyone to use.
BUT I can certainly understand Greg's position as an employee of the largest wireless provider...
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