The FCC yesterday announced its plan to create a volunteer “digital literacy corps.” But based on the government’s track record in implementing a similar technology-oriented volunteer plan, the National Emergency Technology Guard, the idea will never meet the FCC’s lofty expectations. Congress authorized NET Guard in 2003, but it took five years just to launch a pilot program.

Two sources, here and here, have now confirmed some blurbs seen on Twitter the last few days that March’s upcoming Broadband Plan will include the proposition of a website called Video.gov.

Free Press trivializes the very real plight of people who have to fear disappearing in the dead of night for criticizing a regime – all to make a political point in a policy fight.

However, there is a legitimate point to be explored in their over-the-top rhetoric. While Free Press would have you believe that your cable company bears some resemblance to totalitarian governments, the better comparison would be government-to-government.

Despite being a Boxee user and fan of the service, (I have been a user of both the Alpha and Beta clients for over a year) I have to call out Ronen for trying to be too clever by half. The fact is, Zucker has the more honest argument on this point. Boxee doesn’t, in fact, act just like a browser.

Free Press spent a lot of words in their NPRM filing to argue that the FCC’s definition of reasonable network management practices was unreasonable. One of their kinder passages states:
The Commission’s proposed definition is circular, ambiguous, and incomplete, and without further definition will create loopholes and result in future errors in policymaking.
So what does Free Press propose to use in its place?  From a blog post on their site (ironically titled “Clear Standards for Reasonable Network Management“), they have come up with wording that is rock solid and could not …

Late last week, the National Telecommunications & Information Association and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service announced the rules for doling out the second round of broadband stimulus funding – totaling $4.8 billion. The Notices of Funds Availability (NoFA) contain significantly different rules from the first round funding restrictions.
As many trade publications have noted, the new NoFAs make it much easier to qualify for funding. However, while the agencies argue that the new rules make it easier to target specific priority areas, the more likely scenario will see …

One of the best parts of my job is I get to skim through countless blog posts about all sorts of telecom topics and see what people are thinking. But occasionally I stumble upon a post so truly hysterical that I smile for a week. This is one of those days.  Apparently, the Future of Music Coalition is organizing musicians to file comments on the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on net neutrality. Acts are pouring out of the “Where Are They Now” file in droves just to …

Content creators want to protect the model that gives them the most certainty. To argue that they would simply make their content available through a model that didn’t do that is simply laughable. Trying to force them to do so by foolishly invoking the heavy hand of government in business negotiations.

Is piracy through analog audio/video ports a serious threat or an unproven myth? Digital Society has conducted research that shows that the threat is real.

David Farber is considered to be the “grandfather of the Internet”, and he gives some valuable insights in the following two video clips as to how the Internet actually works as opposed to common misconception.