Inclusion - Cuban Style May 3, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
CNET News is reporting that Cuba is allowing individuals to buy home computers. While we might find this a little odd, think of your home, and how different it might be if you were not allowed to own a computer, or (also recently allowed in Cuba) couldn’t purchase a cell phone. I think it is important for everyone to be included in the on-going conversation that is the Internet, and am glad to see that a close neighbor will finally get a better chance to be included. If any voice is to have value in the conversation, then ultimately all voices must have the opportunity to be heard.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9935007-7.html
Net Neutrality Update for April 2008 April 16, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Net Neutrality.add a comment
We start the April update with MediaShift’s Guide to Net Neutrality by Mark Glaser. This guide will fill in any gaps you may have about the issues and what is at stake. In the interest of presenting an unbiased report, an argument for and one against Net Neutrality are both included. The article also includes a global take on the issue, since the Internet isn’t the exclusive property of any one country. There are also many helpful linked resources.
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2008/04/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_ne.html
Smart Mobs is reporting how to listen to the FCC hearing at Stanford after it is recorded Thursday. The subject of the discussion is supposed to be on the future of the Internet, and it will be live blogged by the Free Press Action Network.
http://www.smartmobs.com/2008/04/16/tune-in-online-to-fcc-hearing-on-future-of-the-internet/
In a turn of events, Wired reports that Comcast is asking for a ‘bill of rights’ for file-sharers and ISPs. Comcast was the ISP that previously intentionally slowed down BitTorrent connections.
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/C/COMCAST_FILE_SHARING
Net Neutrality Update for March 2008 March 22, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
I haven’t mentioned Net Neutrality for a while, but in case you were wondering, it is still an important issue. If you are a little unsure about what Net Neutrality is, imagine that everyone in the US is receiving a service, and then that service provider decides to change the rules and charge people based on different ways that service might be used. If your electrical service provider decided today that they would charge extra for connecting solar energy devices in your home, that would be a deterrent to moving to alternative energy sources, right? What if they also decided to charge extra if you wanted to watch TV shows that argued against your right to use solar powered devices? That wouldn’t sit so comfortably, would it? Take it one step further and this service provider makes could make it financially almost impossible to purchase any devices that were not manufactured by them. Suddenly you are locked into a system that determines what you can do with the service instead of working for you.
Now I’m not saying that the electrical company is doing that, but your Internet service provider might be. Did you know that “nearly 99 percent of all residential connections are provided by incumbent cable or phone companies” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html?) Your cable company already decides which channels you have access to on your TV. Do you also want them to decide which Internet sites you have access to on your computer or cell phone? That is an essential question to Net Neutrality.
Earlier this year, Verizon and AT&T plunked down a combined $16.3 billion for the largest blocks of licenses to use the public spectrum up for sale on the “700 band.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/americas-internet-future_b_92763.html)
This means that a limited resource to provide Internet access was just sold to those same few limited companies that already make decisions about who does get access, and potentially what those subscribers are allowed to do with their access.Another part of Net Neutrality has to do with access. Many urban areas have considered (or have already started providing) free or reduced cost wireless access. In some places, this effort is falling short because there just isn’t enough profit for the providers.
EarthLink announced on Feb. 7 that “the operations of the municipal Wi-Fi assets were no longer consistent with the company’s strategic direction.” Philadelphia officials say they are not sure when or if the promised network will now be completed.For Cesar DeLaRosa, 15, however, the concern is more specific. He said he was worried about his science project on global warming.“If we don’t have Internet, that means I’ve got to take the bus to the public library after dark, and around here, that’s not always real safe,” Cesar said, seated in front of his family’s new computer in a gritty section of Hunting Park in North Philadelphia. His family is among the 1,000 or so low-income households that now have free or discounted Wi-Fi access through the city’s project, and many of them worry about losing access that they cannot otherwise afford (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
This means that our friendly ISP is already limiting who can participate in this great social collaboration experiment. It isn’t all hopeless though. Even the ISPs have to account for market forces.
Prices for Internet service on the broader market also began dropping to a level that, while above what many poor people could afford, was below what municipal Wi-Fi providers were offering, so the companies had to lower their rates even further, making investment in infrastructure even more risky, he said (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/us/22wireless.html.)
So what’s next? The issue of Net Neutrality is still being debated. Legislation is working its way through congress (http://www.whereabill.org/#110_s215.) The FCC is holding meetings (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/20/18487350.php There are even things you can do to participate in this on-going debate (http://www.savetheinternet.com/=faq#help.) Your voice is important, but only as long as others have the ability to hear you.
This article was inspired by a single twitter from Will Richardson.
BitTorrent Strikes Back February 16, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Fair Use, Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
BitTorrent, the protocol, essentially allows for the distributed exchange of files. It isn’t really much different from http or ftp. Following copyrights and other applicable laws, it is efficient and simple. Distributing material in violation of copyright or other laws is wrong and creates problems for everyone else. Comcast, in their infinite wisdom, has been putting BitTorrent on a slow track, ostensibly because it uses too much of the service for which its customers have already paid. Turns out that won’t slow down the protocol for long. TorrentFreak is reporting that work is already underway to circumvent Comcasts questionable restrictions. The article explains the issue better than I can.
the new tracker peer obfuscation technique is especially designed to be a workaround for throttling devices
http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-devs-introduce-comcast-busting-encryption-080215/
Internet Freedom Preservation Act February 13, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
Multiple sources are reporting that U.S. Representative Edward Markey is offering up another Net Neutrality bill, this one called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act. Here is the Scientific American article on the subject. While some are cheering the new bill, like the folks at SaveTheInternet.com, others are claiming it is a waste of money, like the folks at the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. I’m sure others will chime in about whether the legislation is needed or not, or whether this particular bill adequately addresses the issue. My hope is that the legislation actual accomplishes more than just paying for a study and conducting public hearings.
In case you don’t think the Internet needs some sort of guarantee of openness, read this Scientific American article about the current practices of Comcast to decide which types of traffic should be restricted. Some of Comcast’s reasoning sounds more like ‘customers are great as long as they pay for a service that they don’t use very much’. You might also take a look at a recent turn of events where Google has decided to hijack specific web pages and replace them with their own content. These are not trivial issues in a world that depends so much on access to information.
Oh, and just in case you wanted to make use of this in the classroom, besides being a controversial topic, here is a mashup that tracks the progress of legislation on a Google map.
What Will 2008 Bring? January 1, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality, OLPC, Opinion.2 comments
I read an interesting article from the Sydney Morning Herald about 10 technology things that will change your future. Some were expected, like the OLPC project. Twitter received a mention as well as social lending. One I didn’t expect was Chumby. What is Chumby? It looks like a pillow with a computer screen. The article says:
The Chumby is a wireless internet device about the size of a rugby ball. It has no keyboard or mouse but instead uses software called widgets to display pretty much anything you want it to - all the time… And the really interesting thing is that it is designed to be hacked - everything from the software code to the specifications for the case are freely available. No one, including the manufacturers, knows what owners will make Chumbys do once they are released. http://www.chumby.com
What do I think the new year will bring? The trend to smaller, more portable, networked devices will continue, mostly from the cell phone industry, although one hears rumors of new portable devices. I also think that open source will continue to invade the business world. I also think that Net Neutrality will be both more important, and more imperiled. Oh, and of course, something will come along that I didn’t expect, I probably won’t understand, and I’ll dismiss it as an unimportant passing fad, just like I did with Twitter in 2007.
Twitter Mobile December 14, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Net Neutrality.add a comment
Okay, I’m not a T-Mobile customer, nor do I Twitter (or would that be tweet?) but I do recognize another attempt by a service provider to restrict access on the part of its customers. If you needed another example of why Net Neutrality is important, read this TechCrunch article:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/14/t-mobile-turns-off-twitter/
Necessary Ingredients Part 2 - Neutral Internet November 5, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Net Neutrality, Opinion.add a comment
The second necessary ingredient in a successful and meaningful integration of technology is also access. In this case, network access. Computers by themselves have great potential. Computers that allow people to connect with each other have even greater potential. The fact that you’re reading this post right now is a small example of how networked technology can connect people.
Follow some of the work by George Siemens for more information about the power of connections. See this recent post on elearnspace entitled “The Value of Connections”: http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/archives/003132.html
He also has a wiki to help explore the concept of connectivism:
http://www.connectivism.ca/
This brings up a second area that I write about from time to time: Net Neutrality. For those who don’t know what it is, it is basically the idea that the companies who supply the infrastructure should be required to maintain an open and unrestricted use of the network. In other words, they built the highway (largely with our tax dollars) and should be able to now charge tolls for different kinds of cars or speeds or directions. Here’s a link to a Bill Moyer’s PBS special “Moyers on Americs, The Net At Risk” on what Net Neutrality is:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/index.html
I’ve also put up additional links and resources about what you can do about Net Neutrality on another page for a presentation I did last Spring:
http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/presentations/tie-2007-p2/
If you need additional reasons for why Net Neutrality is important, consider the following recent examples of companies who are demonstrating they will make decisions for us unless their behavior is legislated.
- Gotham Gazette “Censored by Verizon” http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/tech/20071029/19/2331
- Consumer Affairs “Verizon Overrides Internet Searches With Its Own Results” http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/tech/20071029/19/2331
- Geek.com “Comcast blocks Bit Torrent traffic” http://www.geek.com/comcast-blocks-bit-torrent-traffic/
- Consumer Affairs “Comcast Cuts Off Heavy Internet Users” http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/08/comcast_ban.html?imw=Y
Net Neutrality Update - July 2007 July 17, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality.add a comment
CNet has reported that Net Neutrality will again be a topic of legislative discussion this year. It provides a short review of the issues, and who is likely to sponsor action in the upcoming session.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9746172-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Net Neutrality Setback? June 28, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality.add a comment
The FTC issued a report today on the issue of Net Neutrality. In a nutshell, the report says to go slow when thinking about enacting Net Neutrality policy.
Ars Technica’s coverage of the report is linked here:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070627-ftc-shoots-down-net-neutrality-says-it-is-not-needed.html
While the headline seems sensationalistic, the coverage provides 5 specific areas where the FTC will be paying close attention, including demand, effectiveness, degredation, capacity, and response.
The Federal Trade Commision press release is linked here:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/06/broadband.shtm
The FTC press release does a nice job of describing some of the actual issues that comprise Net Neutrality, “…including data prioritization, exclusive deals, and vertical integration into online content and applications…” It is also interesting to note that a separate statement was issued by Commissioner Jon Leibowitz who said, “The Report also soberly reminds us that regulation often has unintended side-effects. That surely is true. But is seems to me equally clearly that this Report shows that doing nothing may have costs as well.”
It seems to me that waiting to enact policy or legislation until such time as “significant market failure or demonstrated consumer harm” is proceeding with too much caution in an area that is too important to the future of the Internet in the US.
The report itself is linked here:
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/broadband/v070000report.pdf
TIE 2007 Session 3213 - Free the Internet! June 21, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Conference Sessions, Net Neutrality, Opinion, Tools.add a comment
3213 – The Internet is (Should be) Free – Me – 6/21/07
This was my first time presenting on my own. I have assisted other people by co-presenting before, so I was a little nervous. Turn out was great, there was only one open seat and at one point a couple of people were sitting on the floor. I even had a TIE board member in the front row. I was a little jittery, so I need to remember that next time I shouldn’t drink pop before the session, only water.
I presented information about free online tools, and how to use a couple of them. All of the materials are posted on my blog at http://villagegreen.edublogs.org. The second half of the session consisted of presenting two video clips, one on net neutrality and another on copyright/fair use. Almost no one had heard of the term net neutrality before the session, but I think they at least knew enough afterwards to dig a little deeper on their own. All in all I’d have to say it was a successful session. Since it was built on an idea that I started with at last year’s TIE, I’m anxious to see where it goes a year from now.
Upcoming TIE Conference June 15, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Conference Sessions, Link Collections, Net Neutrality, Tools.add a comment
I’m putting up my materials for my presentation at the upcoming TIE Conference. Take a look and see if there are better examples of online free tools or categories I’m missing. What are your favorite online tools? There will be a second page covering Net Neutrality still to come. The page is listed above or can be accessed here:
http://villagegreen.edublogs.org/tie-2007/
More Bandwidth May 29, 2007
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Net Neutrality.1 comment so far
Business Week has posted an article about the possibility of more bandwidth for home use. In the 12 years or so of connecting to the Internet, my home bandwidth has increased dramatically. Recently, for the last two or three years, it hasn’t changed at all. Time for an upgrade? Possibly. Subscribing to TV shows, having 3 or 4 computers online, listening to streaming radio, and it all adds up. What would you do with more bandwidth? The article answers that question in part, however part of the answer can only be understood once the bandwidth is available. The other question that didn’t get asked is who will pay for the upgraded infrastructure? Is this a Net Neutrality issue? Are we all going to pay for something whether we want it or not? Also, in an even more connected world, what are we doing to prepare our children?
