Wednesday, March 3, 2010
In just two weeks, on March 16th, the FCC presents its National Broadband Plan. And, while I would say that anticipation is building, it's a bit like finding your parents' stash of Christmas gifts early. The FCC has started leaking details of the plan, including a promise to find 500MHz of spectrum for wireless broadband and a request for Congress to cough up $16 Billion for a public-safety network to be integrated with priority access to commercial networks--a major homeland security beef-up.

In previous years, the FCC has tried getting such a network in the hands of first responders by ear-marking it onto the sale of spectrum between 10 and 700mhz. But, since nobody wanted that string attached, the air space simply didn't sell. Just exactly how the FCC intends to bring this plan to fruition this time around remains to be seen.

I also am curious to uncover where this 500MHz of spectrum will come from. The American public surely won't endure another fiasco like the DTV switch-over. But, assuming they can pull it out of the air (pardon the pun) this certainly will open new doors for wireless broadband providers to increase their bandwidth and ultimately service more of America's public with fixed wireless broadband solutions.

Ultimately, as I've blogged numerous times already, I am overjoyed to see wireless taking such a prominent role in the FCC's plan. I think this due largely to the feedback submitted, both by the public and from the carriers. From what little I've seen "leaked" thus far, I am hopeful. I'll be counting the days to March 16th.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 2:16 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments


As a long-time Blogger.com user, I was definitely disappointed to learn that Blogger's Publish via FTP option was going to be retired. But, being in the technology industry myself, I can understand when antiquated systems must be retired. What I did not expect--but perhaps should have--was the amazing backlash from users.

The general sentiment is that of entitlement. While I agree it is frustrating, and even a bit mis-handled on Google's part, I don't feel any sense of abandonment. Comments are ablaze on Google's blog, and all over the blogosphere for that matter. FTP users are in an uproar, proving decidedly the power of a loud minority (According to Google, FTP users make up less than 5% of their user base... the reason for depreciating this feature).

The blog you're reading right now is indeed published with Blogger, and using their FTP service. So, in the perpetual delay of Blogger's promised migration tool, how have we moved forward? We used a free tool provided by PostTwo.com which seamlessly migrates Blogger FTP publishing into the blogspot.com hosting without requiring CNAME and A-record editing (which I, and many blog authors, do not have access to).

The lesson here is this: (to the vendors) don't under-estimate the effect that alienating even a small minority in your customer-base might have. But, (to the customers) if it's a free service, you get what you pay for.

Labels: Blogger FTP, Google

posted by Nick Carter at 2:07 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A few weeks ago, I learned about Google's broadband service entre (maybe). They announced that they would be selecting communities in which to test an incredibly high-speed fiber network. Fed up with waiting on government and other big business to act on U.S. broadband's needs, Google--always the innovator--is taking action.

I read the news, but to be honest, didn't give it much more thought. Until, that is, my phone started ringing. Here in my home town of Indy, at least two friends of mine in other tech businesses wanted to know if I would sign their petition to Google to choose our humble city as their testing ground.

Surely this was just a few over-zealous fans, I thought. Then I saw the twitter conversation growing. My Facebook wall got flooded. Apparently, someone, or some group of someones, really wants Google fiber in Indianapolis.

There has even been an official site launched to gather signatures: fiber4indy.com. For all of my neighbors and friends, I am proud to report that I have now signed the petition.

In truth, I'm very encouraged on two fronts. First, that Google's offer did not fall on deaf ears. It is a testament to how ready the US is for broadband change that such a stir has been created. Had their announcement been met with a flat golf clap and then faded into the background of internet chatter, we would know the problem of broadband in the U.S. was not as big as we may have thought.

Second, however, is that the people still speak. Petitions? Really? I haven't signed a petition since our 3rd grade class banded together to get a different candy option in the vending machines. When it could be easy to wait for the broadband plan to be implemented and place the impetus on the government to take action, at least for my local Hoosiers, the people are taking action.

Go Google. Go people.

Labels: Broadband Plan, Google Fiber

posted by Nick Carter at 7:12 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The blizzard conditions that have hammered over one third of the U.S. have most grade-schoolers thinking about days and weeks of no school and tons of sledding. But the execs of many retail outlets, convenience store chains, and even the representatives on Capitol Hill have a little bit more bleak outlook. While sales of bread, milk, and of course sledding gear are likely sky-rocketing, on the whole, snow days are not good for the economy.

First of all, travel is down for obvious reasons. So, of course fuel sales are down, but in fact c-stores don't make most of their money on fuel sales. It's the peripheral items that make their businesses float. And, while fewer people are driving, that means less Little Debby's, 36 oz. slushies, fountain sodas, and the like.

Other retail is feeling the same strain--especially in the midst of one of the year's biggest shopping holidays: Valentine's Day. When a blizzard struck Indianapolis on Valentine's Day two years ago, hospitals prepared for a baby boom in November. Do the math. And, while that may seem like a splendid way to spend Valentine's Day to the consumer, the retailers aren't so pleased. Most of the common Valentine stock is perishable--flowers, chocolates, cakes, etc.--cannot be stocked away for next season.

There are other economic indicators that dip during a blizzard, too. New home construction hits a stand-still. Home sales are postponed due to the inability to show, list, and even perform inspections for closings. Countless businesses lose days and weeks of valuable productivity. And, as Reuters reported, local and state municipalities are asking for federal aid to cover the cost of digging out.

But this is common to any snow storm. The phenomenon with this most recent onslaught of snow is how widespread it is. We're not talking about one mall, one city, or on region seeing a slow-down for a few days. This blizzard has affected over a third of the nation, and 8 of the 10 most populous states in the Union.

The snow may be melted by March, but it will be 3rd quarter before the full economic impact can be measured.

Labels: C-store, Convenience Stores, Economy, Retail, Snow Storm

posted by Nick Carter at 4:53 AM Link to this Article  1 Comments

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
This morning, Google announced (via the Google Blog) the soon-to-come availability of their experimental fiber-optic broadband network.

"We're planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States."

It seems Google has gotten involved with the FCC's urge for feedback on the Broadband Plan. They open their post with future-looking and hopeful statements about a broadband world that could be. But, many are asking today: are their intentions so benign?

It's no surprise that other broadband providers could be wondering: is this the start of a new competitor in the market? And, if it is, what a competitor they would be. With access to the vast majority of internet users (via their overwhelmingly popular search engine) they could capture the internet world with their message rather quickly.

But, I'm not so sure there is much more to their efforts than just what they say. Google, ever the innovator, wants to move broadband forward. Their blog describes their intent as nearly academic--research, investigation, and trying new ideas. A few years ago, the company introduced wireless broadband to their home town at no charge for the same mission. That venture hasn't been parlayed into anything greater. Not to mention, it's not very much like Google to enter a market inconspicuously (note: their entry into the cell phone market).

So, I for one applaud Google. They invest their own cash into infrastructure and toe-dipping into a market for the purposes of greater good, it would appear--advancing broadband access, improving technologies, and getting our nation back on par with the rest of the world.

Labels: Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Google

posted by Nick Carter at 9:49 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Thursday, February 4, 2010
When the average consumer thinks of wireless broadband, they consider it synonymous with mobile broadband. Wireless and Mobile devices are so tightly interwoven in our day-to-day lives, we naturally assume that anything wireless implies that it is mobile and vice-versa. In fact, I had to be corrected on numerous occasions when I first joined the Accel Networks team. I had to change the way I thought about wireless broadband.

Or did I? The truth about fixed wireless broadband is that it still shares much of the same benefits associated with so-called "mobile" broadband. Of course, as the name clearly says, it is fixed. It is provisioned for one location and, although the last-mile connection is serviced wirelessly, it functions within the c-store, retail store, kiosk, or what-have-you in much the same way as wired broadband solutions do.

So why not drop the mobile connotations altogether? Well, consider for a moment what mobile broadband effectively accomplishes. I'm at home, pull out my smart phone, pop open a browser. Instantly, I'm assigned an IP address (if one isn't already assigned) and routed to the internet via the nearest cell tower. I slide it into my pocket and drive to my in-laws for dinner, pull it out, and repeat. What's happening? I'm effectively provisioning a connection all over again, and in real-time.

Ask yourself this: how many times does a small business move locations? Tier-2 office spaces offer 1 or 3 year lease options because of the agility that growing businesses need. Even retail is always vying for the better location, and if a high-traffic corner can be had you'll break the most costly lease to get there. Or consider expanding businesses entering new markets, new locations, new strip-malls, emerging communities, etc.

How long does it take to get these new locations online and running when copper cable has to hit the d-box, then the punch panel, before finally getting the POS system onto the company network.

Perhaps "mobility" is not the right term, but the business concepts that come to mind are very reminiscent of mobile applications: agility, flexibility, speed of transition, and of course (as Verizon and AT&T are warring over in advertising today) the ubiquitous nature of the network.

So, the next time you get corrected over the jargon -- mobile vs. fixed wireless -- consider this: fixed wireless broadband is anything but immobilized.

Labels: C-store, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Retail

posted by Nick Carter at 8:37 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
March 17th is the deadline for the FCC to deliver what is being called a "national broadband plan" to congress. Following the Recovery Act in 2009, funding (and awareness over the need) was made available for ramping up broadband infrastructure in the U.S. as part of an overall plan to bolster our economy and remain competitive nationally. By the urging of this blog and countless other activists in the broadband community, the FCC has received no shortage of input on the broadband plan.

Last Friday, another big player joined the mix. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) filed it's comments with the FCC. What did they have to say? According to their own report to WISPA members and constituents, their focus involved 6 major points:

1. Many rural communities do not yet have access to broadband (24 million households).

2. Without access to broadband, the best and brightest young people usually leave for bigger cities causing a “rural brain drain” that negatively affects rural economies.

3. WISPs who want to extend service to unserved and underserved rural communities need both better access to funding and better access to spectrum.

4. WISPA suggests several methods of improving WISP funding mechanisms, including the creation of a “Universal Broadband Fund”.

5. WISPA also suggests several methods of improving access to clean spectrum for WISPs. The availability of clean spectrum positions WISPs to benefit from more favorable funding options.

6. The FCC’s support and promotion of WISPA’s suggestions in the National Broadband Plan (including this filing) will help revitalize America’s economy.

Not surprisingly, the focus remains on rural broadband access as well as continued talk over the spectrums available to wireless broadband. Whatever the outcome, the most important matter, however, is that the FCC receives enough support and public outcry to make sure that on March 17th, congress indeed sees the great need for change. You can provide your own feedback at www.broadband.gov.

Labels: Broadband Plan, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband, WISPA

posted by Nick Carter at 3:46 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments