Unemployed fiber technicians aren’t the only ones getting back to work as a result of this summer’s broadband network construction boom. According to a Reuters report, a Belgian horse named Fred has a paying gig helping to lay fiber in rural Vermont. Led by his owner, Fred pulls fiber in areas with rough terrain that traditional vehicles would have difficulty reaching. (more…)
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FreeConferenceCall.com study aims to justify company’s business model
FreeConferenceCall.com apparently believes the best defense is a good offense. Now that its business model has come under scrutiny, the company has released the results of research conducted by TeleSpan Publishing Corp. touting the benefits of free conferencing services. About 15-20 million use free conference calling services for a total of about $656 million in savings annually, the study found. (more…)
KeyOn Communications gets cash infusion from intriguing investor
Rural broadband wireless provider KeyOn Communications said this week it has received a cash infusion in the form of $2.6 million in a secured convertible note that is held by an entity controlled by KeyOn’s chief investor, an intriguing physician, scientist and philanthropist named Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. (more…)
FCC wireless competition report is inconclusive–are we surprised?
Anyone who was looking to the FCC’s annual wireless competition report for a hint about how the commission might rule on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile will be disappointed. This year’s 300-page report—like last year’s–(CP: With wireless report, did FCC just fire warning shot at mobile industry?) fails to reach a conclusion about whether or not the U.S. wireless industry is competitive. (more…)
Tsunami aftermath? Corning ramping up fiber production
Japan’s March tsunami was about as ill a wind as a business can face. But however ill the wind, someone somewhere usually seems to benefit—and in this case, some of the beneficiaries appear to be competitors of Japan-based fiber manufacturer Sumitomo. (more…)
AT&T study: One major metro saw IT budgets increase in 2011. Can you guess which one?
Corporate bean counters have been keeping a tight rein on information technology budgets during the economic downturn—and 2011 is no exception. AT&T’s recently released 2011 U.S. Business Continuity Study surveyed IT executives in four metro areas. In three of them—Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles–the majority of respondents said their budget was the same or lower than for the previous two years. For Atlanta, 56% of respondents said their budget had decreased or remained the same for 2011, and for Dallas, that number was 62%. In Los Angeles, 49% of respondents gave one of those answers, while 46% said their budget had increased. (Apparently 5% did not answer the question.) (more…)
Could cellular signal boosters play a role in Universal Service reforms?
Wilson Electronics, manufacturer of cellular signal boosters, is touting a success story involving the use of its product in rural upstate New York to support 3G data service. (more…)
World IPv6 Day by the numbers
A key goal of this week’s World IPv6 Day was to gather data about the new Internet protocol. Participants assuredly succeeded in achieving that goal—although some participants’ findings seem out of whack with others’.
Here are a few highlights: (more…)
Cold Midwestern climate is TDS data center’s secret sauce
If the Midwest’s largely chilly climate is the proverbial lemon, then TDS Telecom with its data center expansion in Madison, Wisconsin, has found a way to make lemonade. (more…)
Internet Innovation Alliance: 10 reasons broadband (from AT&T/ T-Mobile) is good for rural America
One thing I like about the Internet Innovation Alliance is that the organization often provides evidence to back up whatever policy initiatives it advocates. So I was eager to read the group’s position piece, issued today, titled “Top 10 Ways Broadband Helps Rural Communities.” (more…)