Tag Archive
Skype to FCC: Keep the Internet Open & Neutral
Skype, a big proponent of open networks and net neutrality, in a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission argued that net neutrality was “about growing the broadband ecosystem and preserving a borderless, open Internet” and said it would “promote investment, jobs and innovation.” The company said that it “welcomes the Commission’s focus on preserving... »
Skype to FCC: Keep Internet Open & Neutral
Skype, a big proponent of open networks and net neutrality, in a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), argued that net neutrality was “about growing the broadband ecosystem and preserving a borderless, open Internet” and said it would “promote investment, jobs and innovation.” The company said that it “welcomes the Commission’s focus on... »
Study: Broadband does indeed help local economies
U.S. broadband policy in recent months has been driven by a widely held assumption that the availability of broadband in an area will help improve the economy. A study released Wednesday puts some scholarship behind that assumption, with the author saying that broadband indeed has economic benefits. Areas that moved from having no broadband to... »
Wholesaler 360networks Heads Into Northern California
IP services wholesaler 360networks said Thursday it’s expanded into Northern California.The Seattle-based company now covers area from Eureka through San Francisco, down to Santa Cruz. The growth added coverage for 7.2 million people from 126 rate centers, 360networks said. The company, which sells VoIP, private line and T-1 services, now …(84 words) ... »
Wholesaler 360networks Heads Into Northern California
IP services wholesaler 360networks said Thursday it’s expanded into Northern California.The Seattle-based company now covers area from Eureka through San Francisco, down to Santa Cruz. The growth added coverage for 7.2 million people from 126 rate centers, 360networks said. The company, which sells VoIP, private line and T-1 services, now …(84 words) Related Topics: California,... »
Update on GoGO
Joe Sharkey has an update on the state of in flight WiFi in today’s New York Times. As a road warrior I choose my flights and hotels based on the broadband options available. Over the past month my trips to Northern California were 90 percent on Virgin America and only ten percent on Southwest. As... »
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Upgrades Technology to Increase Health Care Efficiency, Thanks to $500,000 Verizon Grant
MISSION HILLS, Calif. – Providence Holy Cross Medical Center has embarked on a technology upgrade, funded by a $500,000 grant from Verizon, that will improve the hospital’s efficiency, increase accuracy of patient records, and initiate health care outreach for uninsured Californians. Related Topics: California, OSP, Verizon »
Bisnoff Back as TelePacific Channel Chief
TelePacific Communications, a CLEC operating in California and Nevada, announced Thursday changes to its TelePartner program, including the return of Ken Bisnoff as its channel chief, changes to its support staff and new onboarding and training programs.Bisnoff, senior vice president of strategic opportunities, launched TelePacific’s Telepartner Channel Program in 2002 …(567 words) ... »
Google’s Mobile Chief Andy Rubin on the Google Phone & the Androidification of Everything
Andy Rubin’s business card identifies him as the Vice President of Engineering at Google. In reality, he’s the Mountain View, Calif.-based search engine’s mobile chief. From the time Google snapped up his tiny startup, Android, to today, when it officially launched the first Google Phone, Rubin (and his partner Rich Miner) have been behind... »
AT&T Kicks Tiger to the Curb
Wherever Tiger Woods is hiding these days – Arizona? California? Florida? – he still can’t escape the fallout from his infidelity scandal. And it seems telecom giant ATT Inc. (T) wants nothing to do with the now-tarnished image of the world’s greatest golfer. Over the long New Year’s weekend, ATT made …(224 words) Related Topics: AT&T,... »
Nokia says most Apple products violate its patents
Nokia has ramped up its legal fight against Apple, arguing that almost all of its products infringe Nokia patents. Nokia, the world’s largest phone maker, filed its new complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The Finnish phone maker alleges that Apple is using patented technologies to “create key features in its products”, including iPods... »
Google phone could arrive next week
Google could be preparing to launch its new mobile phone as early as next week, after the company called a press conference at its Californian headquarters. Speculation has been rife that the company is planning its own branded phone, known as the Nexus One, as it tries to tempt customers and handset manufacturers into using... »
Amazon Should Collect Taxes? Over my Dead Gadget-Loving Body!
The NY Times must be smoking the weed again. They have an article posted the day after Christmas arguing that Amazon should charge customers state taxes to help fill the state’s tax coffers. The NY Times writes, “Competitors aren’t the only ones hurt by Amazon’s stance on sales taxes: it also means the loss... »
Help Us Help UCSF Heart & Vascular Center
It was two years ago that I had a heart attack, an event that changed my life. Had it not been for the timely intervention of some friends and some amazing medical professionals including my cardiologist, J. Eduardo Rame (who has since moved to U. Penn) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)... »
Congressman Sets Realistic Broadband Speed Goals
Congressman Rick Boucher of Virginia is my kind of elected official. He wants us all to have 50 megs down and 20 megs up of broadband. And as the post on DSL Reports mentions, with Docsis 3.0 coming to a cable box near you rather soon, those speeds are more than attainable. In my Sacramento... »
Workers to AT&T: Give Us $1 Billion in OT
Even as we approach 2010, $1 billion still seems like a lot of money, doesn’t it?Five-thousand employees of ATT say they were denied overtime payments in violation of state law in California, as well as federal labor laws. The company’s policy exempts lower-level managers from OT.Two separate class-action lawsuits have …(113 words) ... »
Teen Downloads 1.4 Million Kilobytes of Data
We knew teens love their texting and downloading, but not this much. One California teen, whose father had recently added him to the family cell phone plan, managed to jack up the bill to $21,917. The father, Ted Estarija, has wondered publicly why Verizon Communications Inc. didn’t bother to contact …(105 words) ... »
Skype CEO Outlines Platform Ambitions, Hiring Plans
Skype, with its spinout from eBay complete and its legal troubles with founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis settled, is looking to the future, where it wants to become a ubiquitous real-time communications platform. And that means thinking about the next-generation Skype architecture and hiring a lot of smart people, CEO Josh Silverman said... »
Amid Consolidation, Ixia Opens Its Wallet
The 451 Group: Inorganic Growth submits: By Thomas Rasmussen Historically, networking test and measurement vendor Ixia (XXIA) has never been much of a shopper. However, that has started to change this year as the Calabasas, California-based company reached for Catapult Communications in June for $105m as well as wrapped up its $44m acquisition of rival... »
Cupertino, You Have a Problem
If you’re a baseball fan like I am, then you know that it in order to win, teams need more than just marquee stars. The role players, pinch hitters and relievers — all have to contribute in order for a team to win. A weak link can blow a game. Same goes for companies... »
Genuity Capital: Wireless Trends from the Open Mobile Summit
Mark McQueen (Wellington Financial) submits: The world of investment banking tech research analysts is a competitive one, so the saavy types make a strong effort to step beyond the traditional quarterly report publication grind. A great example of this came from Genuity Capital Markets, whose Wireless Analyst spent some time in California at the... »
My Thoughts on the Skype Settlement: Winners & Losers Scorecard
The final results are in: eBay and private investors led by Silver Lake Partners have struck a deal with Skype founders and JoltID, the technology company controlled by Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. They are also transferring the ownership of intellectual property needed to make sure that Skype works as an Internet... »
Google and Skype Beware-You’re Getting Taxed
It seems the city of Vallejo California wants to tax texting, other wise known as SMS. So why is this important? Well if you use GoogleVoice you have the option of having your messages delivered via SMS, as well email. Skype has a similar function, as do other companies which work with middlemen like... »
SureWest to use Metaswitch’s Metasphere for business customers
SureWest, a Northern California-based integrated communications provider, will now be offering Metaswitch Networks’ MetaSphere Application/Feature Server to provide advanced IP telephony to business customers. “We were tasked with coming up with the feature server platform in order to offer hosted IP PBX and advanced business services,” said Carl Murray, Strategic Technologies Director for SureWest Communications... »
Busted: Maria Shriver Breaks CA Cell Phone-Driving Law
The advocates for banning the practice of talking on a cell phone while driving now have a high-profile case to bring attention to their cause.Celebrity Web site TMZ caught California First Lady Maria Shriver on camera, talking on her cell while behind the wheel. And it isn’t the first time.California …(101 words) ... »
A Waste Of Money, Time and Words
I have to laugh when I read that the FCC is investigating Google over not terminating calls somewhere that costs more money and where the reciprocal compensation model isn’t really “reciprocal.” To me, it’s a big waste of the money the FCC has to do far better things with, like working to get broadband... »
The Importance of Living Life
The circle of life sculpture in Vigeland Park, Oslo Yesterday brought me a simple memo: live life. It didn’t came on a piece of paper. It was more like a series of disjointed scenes from a movie reel lying on the floor, waiting to be clipped together. It didn’t come as a revelation; instead it came... »
Is The End of Skype Near?
As you probably heard, Joltid has sued eBay and now the new consortium of buyers, over the P2P licensing rights used in Skype. Brad from the ‘Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds’ blog emailed me to say he read my Joltid article, including the comments from Julian Cain, a former Kazaa... »
Siphon SIP App for iPhone Works over AT&T’s 3G network? Holy Toledo!
I tested Siphon, a SIP-based VoIP application for the iPhone, in California at ITEXPO. Interestingly, Siphon worked perfectly in California over AT&T’s 3G data network. Yes, you read that right – VoIP over 3G! I couldn’t contain my giddiness when I realized I could now register my iPhone with TMC’s Asterisk-based IP-PBX and... »
US Telecoms Win Dismissal of Wiretap Suits
A federal judge on Wednesday threw out more than three dozen lawsuits claiming that the nation’s major telecommunications companies had illegally assisted in the wiretapping without warrants program approved by President George W. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker of Federal District Court in Northern California said that although consumer... »