Re: [funsec] Not so fast, broadband providers tell big users (fwd)

["Todd Vierling" <tv () pobox com>]

On 3/13/07, Daniel Senie <dts () senie com> wrote:
> You've mentioned powerline a few times. Care to expand on the
> business case for BPL?

I do admit that I haven't been keeping up on BPL technology lately, as
I am not in [and know only one person living in] an area where power
lines are the only cabled connection to the world.  My point was more
that there are areas where it's simply impractical to put out many of
the today-common technologies for broadband.

> As for satellite, have you ever actually used a DirecPC or similar
> service? The latency makes such services useful mostly for casual web
> browsing and for email service. You can't use VPNs, VOIP, or most
> other more interesting services.

Yes, these are known limitations, and to some extent goes with the
logistics of living in more remote areas.

> >(I don't mention cell-based wireless technologies,

> Sprint seems to be doing an OK job in this regard, actually. Their
> "unlimited" contract seems to not have strings attached like Verizon
> Wireless (who think "unlimited" means "use it occasionally for email,
> but we really didn't mean "unlimited.").

Which is a somewhat new point of view, even for Sprint.  See quote
from John Polivka in:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=95867

I hope the carriers find from experience that fixed termination sites
are more "OK" than they originally thought.  Sprint has done a Good
Thing by actually jumping for the allowance for wireless routers, and
I'm watching with great interest.

(Verizon has Bell roots, which readily explains why they're vehemently
-- at least for now -- against true "unlimited" use of their EV-DO.
I'm personally rooting for HSDPA from a different non-Bell-rooted
provider, because I just can't give up the interchangeability of SIM
cards.  ;)

--
-- Todd Vierling <tv () duh org> <tv () pobox com> <todd () vierling name>