MuniWireless

The (sponsored) free Wi-Fi access did not go away after the Christmas holidays. Skype is sponsoring free Wi-Fi this weekend at 100,000 hotspots around the world. Skype is trying to publicize its recently launched Skype Access, a service that allows you to pay for Wi-Fi by the minute. Free Wi-Fi will be available at the WiFi hotspots that work with Skype Access. Advertising supported Wi-Fi has been a popular way for Wi-Fi operators to subsidize free access, which is usually…

As a longtime Skype user, I was pleased to see that Skype now allows me to pay for Wi-Fi access in places that charge for Wi-Fi (such as airports) without going through the trouble of getting out the credit card, typing in the details, and authenticating via a cumbersome login screen. This is very handy when you are in an airport or other location where you don’t have a lot of time and you don’t want to pay the hourly…

This is the last of a series of articles written by Marc Canter about digital cities and fiber networks.

In the first two parts of this series I defined what I meant when I use the term “Digital City” and the basic rights that every Digital Citizen has to a JOB! I talked about a sustainable model to drive these jobs and how by paying for multimedia encyclopedias – corporations could create a 3:1 usage of their money – and write…

Broadband speed tests are nothing new to many readers of this site. Most of us probably use Speedtest.net. But the fact that the FCC has posted a broadband test tool profiled prominently on the Broadband.gov website, shows how politically sensitive broadband — its presence and absence, its cost and speed — has become. It’s getting to be like electricity. If you don’t have it, you might as well be living on another planet.

The FCC’s tool lets you measure download and upload…

This is part 2 of a series written by Marc Canter about digital cities and fiber optic networks.

As the economic roller coaster ride over the past 20 years has taken us to new highs and lows, Cleveland and the Northern Ohio region have seen their economy flatline.  Once known as the home of innovation in America, Northern Ohio has turned into a poster child of the demise of our manufacturing base, as we exemplify what it means to have…

NTIA and RUS will grant a limited extension of time to file infrastructure applications in the second funding round. Specifically, applicants for BTOP Comprehensive Community Infrastructure projects will have until March 26th to file their applications to NTIA. Applicants for BIP infrastructure projects will have until March 29th to file their applications to RUS. Applications in NTIA’s two other project categories – Public Computer Centers and Sustainable Broadband Adoption – remain due on March 15th.