Author Archives: Jesse

After the FCC denied a license to a "white space" Internet device, so named because it uses the space between broadcast television channels to communicate, manufacturers shot back that the prototype tested was defective and that the FCC didn't bother testing a spare they had in their possession at the time. What makes white space devices so attractive is that they use the space between active television channels, a spectrum that's both widely plentiful and penetrates buildings well, two things that makes WiFi so unsuited to large-scale deployment. While Microsoft is the key cheerleader for this new gadget, Intel, Google, Dell and Phillips are also in on the coalition trying to win FCC approval.

Also in the way is the powerful National Association of Broadcasters. They've filed briefs with the FCC opposing the use of the unused channels claiming that the possibility of interference is just too high. In reality, it appears to be simply ensuring that members have exclusive access to the bands. Given the hot debate over the 700MHz band and the limited amount of bands left, you can bet these kinds of fights are going to become both common and high-profile.

Buried in a D-News article concerning the recent construction in Layton and Centerville was a brief statement indicating that Cottonwood Heights has completed a feasibility study and is now considering whether to join as a pledging or non-pledging city. It now joins Farmington and Vineyard on the list of cities considering membership in the fiber optic project. Roger Black of UTOPIA has said that several dozen other cities currently have inquiries into the agency to find out what it would take to join.

We're also getting a clearer picture of the construction schedule. While Layton and Centerville are scheduled to have the full build-out completed by early 2008, Tremonton, Brigham City, Perry, Lindon and Payson are likely to be completed by year's end. Construction in Murray, Midvale, West Valley City and Orem is going a bit slower with completion of anywhere from 65% (Murrary) to 25% (WVC). Most of the delays in these Phase I cities has to do with getting permission from property owners to deploy the fiber to their buildings, especially apartments and condos.

Hey UTOPIA folks? You really need to start updating the website to give us better progress reports. Hearing it thought the grapevine isn't helping out. 

Holy didn't see this coming. Swedish company PacketFront announced that they've bought out DynamicCity, the chief contractor on the UTOPIA project. Since both are private companies, the purchase price has not been disclosed. The press release states that the Lindon office will remain the head of operations while sales and management will be based in Denver.

So what does this mean for UTOPIA? It's hard to tell from the press release hyperbole, though PacketFront seems to have a solid track record of successful projects and brings a much larger organization to the table. This might help speed up deployments in current UTOPIA cities as well as provide a smoother transition for new cities in the future. It could also spell even more service providers on the network, something that benefits everyone. This might explain why they're been MIA lately when I send e-mails.

I'll assume a default stance of semi-cautiously optimistic on this deal until it plays out a little further. 

Ask and ye shall receive. After the close of the open comments period, the FCC had received over 27,000 comments on network neutrality, a few of them completely laughable claims by telecommunications companies. The most outrageous of these is the claim by AT&T that a neutral network would need double the bandwidth currently used, an amount they should have already been offering under the terms of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. (I suppose they're too busy trying to make up lame excuses for hiding the $10/mo DSL package, huh?) The MPAA also got in on the questionable claims by stating that network neutrality would actually decrease content (and by content, they mean their share of it).

I can see how telcos are scared. Over 75% of US Internet users watched some online video in May, an activity contributing to growing bandwidth usage. Maybe they can take some cues from "the 40Gbps grandma" in Sweden. Or maybe use some new wireless technologies to keep pace. You know, innovate for a change.

Even though the FCC doesn't appear poised to take any action just yet, ISPs are already starting to use deep packet inspection to peek in on your data and see not just what kinds of services you're using but what exactly you're downloading. You have to wonder how long it will be before they use this technology for evil, anything from providing logs of what you said in chat rooms to an unscrupulous employee gathering credit card data to buy a new XBox on eBay. Not only are ethical issues involved, but legal ones as well. This technology is envisioned to give feds the ability to wiretap Internet connections, a scary proposition considering that many wiretaps are now done without warrants.