Free Federal Wireless Broadband For All Americans? Fuggedaboutit!
The United States government is not going to be providing free WiFi Internet access to consumers anytime soon. That news may surprise anyone who read a startling Washington Post story on Sunday that seemed to confuse a fairly esoteric telecom policy proposal about the use of so-called “white space” wireless spectrum with some sort of free national wireless Internet access plan. The “free WiFi for all” story, which was passed around uncritically by Internet blogs and news sites, set off a furor because the notion cuts to the heart of ongoing battles over access to the Internet, the “digital divide,” and federal policy decisions that could have major implications for the telecom, cable, and technology industries. But the story was wrong, as Ars Technica pointed out. On Tuesday, outlets that repeated the bunk story began walking their reports back, in some cases apologizing for giving bad information to the public. The episode, which provoked a strong pushback from tech ...
americans
apple
ars
auction
billion
commission
communications
decision
devices
facebook
fcc
federal
frequency
fuggedaboutit
google
government
implications
information
internet
journalists
notion
policy
solution
states
technica
technology
television
transition
twitter
united
utility
verizon
washington
wifi
SEC Gives Companies OK to Use Social Media
WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission will allow public companies to make significant announcements on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites provided they alert investors which sites they intend to use. The decision announced Tuesday allows companies to use social media in place of more formal websites. The question arose after Netflix Inc. CEO Reed Hastings said on his Facebook page in July that subscribers together watched more than 1 billion hours of video for the first time during June, the agency said. (MORE: How the Great Recession Changed Our Spending Habits) An SEC rule requires that all investors receive significant company information at the same time. By allowing businesses to use more informal channels to share news with investors, the SEC is acknowledging the shift in technology that has made social media indispensable for the largest and most powerful corporations. One key requirement is that companies alert investors in press releases or regulatory ...
action
agency
announcement
billion
business
ceo
commission
corporation
decision
division
enforcement
europe
exchange
facebook
guidance
hastings
information
internet
netflix
questions
recession
reed
requirements
sec
securities
technology
twitter
viewership
washington
Did Google Get Off Easy With $7 Million ‘Wi-Spy’ Settlement?
Seven million dollars. That’s how much Internet giant Google will pay to settle a multi-year investigation into its controversial “Wi-Spy” data collection practices. The furor erupted in 2010 when Google disclosed that it had collected Wi-Fi data from unsecured wireless networks as its “Street View” vehicles crawled major cities worldwide, photographing buildings for a ground-level view on Google Maps. On Tuesday, Google agreed to pay $7 million to 38 states and the District of Columbia to settle the matter. To put that in perspective, Google generated revenue of about $50 billion last year, or nearly $6 million per hour. Big Internet companies like Google and Facebook frequently push the boundaries of user privacy. But the “Wi-Spy” case was particularly alarming to consumer advocates, because it raised the specter of Google’s “Street View” cars — which had already raised privacy concerns — roaming around major cities vacuuming up personal data, including snippets ...
activity
agreement
billion
collection
columbia
connecticut
district
education
expectations
facebook
federal
general
george
google
importance
information
internet
investigation
jeered
jepsen
maps
million
permission
practices
privacy
service
settlement
statement
street
wi-fi
wi-spy
wifi
youtube
Facebook ‘Friends’ Apple and Takes a Shot at Google
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it crystal clear Wednesday that the social networking juggernaut has a better working relationship with hardware giant Apple than it does with Web search leader Google. The 28-year-old billionaire said his company is working closely with Apple on applications for new mobile products. Google? Not so much. “Our relationship with Google isn’t one where the companies really talk,” Zuckerberg told Wall Street analysts in a startling disclosure on the conference call following the company’s earnings report. By contrast, Zuckerberg spoke highly of his counterparts at Apple. “I’m really happy with the partnership we have with them,” he said. With those comments, Zuckerberg laid down a marker in the escalating battle for Internet advantage between Facebook, Apple, and Google. The chips are now on the table; the war is on. Facebook recently launched a heavily-publicized new search product, which could pit the company against search leader Google. Facebook ...
apple
application
arguments
billion
brian
ceo
comments
conference
facebook
google
internet
jeffries
mark zuckerberg
partnership
pitz
relationship
street
utility
wall
web
How four companies took over the Internet
There are four tech companies controlling the industry's direction: Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook. Will they still be ruling the tech field in a decade?
amazon
apple
direction
facebook
google
internet
Found more than 1 month ago on channel
CNN Money