Sascha Meinrath's blog

The New York Times is now reporting on the hacking of the websites of ICANN and IANA. For many of the folks who've been attempting to conduct research on the Internet and make improvements to its structure, this comes as no surprise. And yet, the scientific community faces a continuing data acquisition crisis -- they're prevented from collecting the information they need to know how the Internet works and how we might improve it. At the heart of the matter is an utter disregard by regulators and policy makers to mandate that companies make information available that had been in the public domain previously, but which they now claim to be proprietary. Until that's done, the security and structure of the Internet will continue to face failures, with the degree of chaos only certain to grow in coming years.

The recent FCC spectrum auctions netted $19.6 billion. In essence a group of companies paid for exclusive licensure of several bands of the public airwaves. Which begs the question, if they have exclusive licensure (guaranteed by law and by the enforcement powers of the FCC), what happens with all those wireless microphones currently operating (both legally, but mostly illegally) in those bands? The only solution is going to be that they will have to vacate those bands -- thus far, there's been nothing but silence on the issue. Personally, I plan to grab some popcorn and watch how the telcos and FCC deal with the problem. Meanwhile, devices are, even today, being sold that use this band -- basically, it's pirate radio equipment being manufactured and sold by major corporations. This is going to get interesting.

I would say that a little bird told me; but, in fact, this has been developing for quite some time. New ownership of the Philadelphia wireless network will be announced today. From the community side of things, we're cautiously optimistic that the solution that's been reach will directly address local concerns and ensure the continuing viability of the project. [UPDATE01] Looks like the rest of the media is finally catching on to the Philly resuscitation. Meanwhile, here's my recommendation for finding out more:

The Future of Philadelphia's Wireless Internet Initiative: A Public Forum
When: Wednesday, June 18, 6:30 p.m. Where: Tuttleman Learning Center, Room 105, Corner of 13th St. and Montgomery Ave. Temple University
Panelists Include:
• Mark Rupp, Principle, Boathouse Communications
• Beth McConnell, Executive Director, Media and Democracy Coalition
• Karl Garcia, Technical Staff, Google's Wireless network, Mountainview, Calif.
• Greg Goldman, CEO of Wireless Philadelphia
• Phuong Ninh, Philadelphia Student Union's Youth Leadership Team
• Bill Green, City Councilman-At Large
• Invited, representative from the Nutter administration

[UPDATE02] From the Media Mobilizing Project in Philly:

Media Mobilizing Project Statement on Change of Ownership of Philly WiFi System MMP believes that change in ownership is an important step in realizing a vision of a new Philadelphia where everyone has access to the Internet. We are excited to work with the new ownership group. Currently many residents wait two to three hours at local libraries to get on the Internet for 30 minutes. But they wait because they severely need the service. They need the Internet to apply for jobs, apply to college, get vital information about health and their communities. They need the Internet to have the full set of rights which come along with the information based society in which we live. Consequently, MMP believes that new ownership is a vital step but not a silver bullet in solving the problem that at least 25% of the population lives in poverty, 30% do not own a computer and less then 50% of residents have access to the Web. Therefore, we call on the Mayor and city hall to keep digital inclusion at the top of their agenda. At the same time, we believe it is vital that community groups and the many neighborhoods and people who comprise the fabric of the city, must work and envision how to make the Philly WiFi network not only a technological reality but a social, political and economic resource which compels a more just city. For this reason MMP and Temple University are co-hosting a forum on the future of Philly WiFi Wednesday night at 6:30 in room 105 of Tuttleman Learning Center. The forum will include members of the new owenrship group, Councilman Bill Green and others. Media Mobilizing Project is a local organization devoted to the use of the Internet and other media as an organizing tool in low-income communities around the city. Media Mobilizing Project works with groups to utilize the media and communications in organizing campaigns while training community members in basic video, audio, web and computer skills. MMP has worked with Wireless Philadelphia getting folks within our network online, while also helping people acquire the tools and skills to access the Web. In recent months we have been working to inspire community engagement to help keep the Philly WiFi network alive. Media Mobilizing Project 4134 Lancaster Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 215.990.3702 mediamobilizing@gmail.com www.mediamobilizing.org

Back in December 2006, I organized the COMMONS Strategy Workshop at the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Now, a year-and-a-half later, Google is getting into the game and is hosting a two-day, off-the-record strategy session to put the ideas behind the COMMONS Project into practice. It's fantastic being here -- 25-30 incredibly brilliant folks from across North America & Europe working to solve the problem that there's far too little data available to network research. This data acquisition crisis is remarkably dangerous -- we very much do not know what's happening across the Internet, how to solve growing problems, or even whether the problems being claimed by ISPs are, in fact, real. I'm hopeful that by cloistering ourselves off for a few days we'll generate ideas that can be put into practice, both in the short term and over time.

I've been bouncing between workshops, conferences, and summits for the past several weeks and haven't had a free moment to update folks on things. Thankfully, I'm out in CA, which means that my internal clock gets me up between 4:30 and 5:15am each day -- which is way before my local colleagues seem to be stirring and has enabled me to start catching up on the backlog. The 2008 International Summit was a resounding success -- here's a quick wrap-up: Wow -- what a fantastic Summit!!! Over 150 people came through over the course of the 3-day gathering. Thanks to everyone who made this year's Summit so phenomenal! Folks have been doing some great documentation of last week's International Summit for Community Wireless Networks -- for those who weren't there (and those who were), I thought I'd point out a few favorites of that people have sent along to me:

Steven Mansour has pulled together an *awesome* slideshow (with music!) that, I think, captures a lot of the energy, excitement, and conspiring (and debauchery) that went down at this year's Summit. This photo-video is really spectacular -- it's worth watching just for the cool effect of the medium -- check it out at: http://stevenmansour.com/en/videos/2008/june/03/is4cwn_2k8_slideshow Matt Westervelt took (last I looked) some 897 pictures at the Summit. Many of them are up at: http://flickr.com/photos/mattw/sets/72157605383291643 -- lots of great shots & candids. Angela Siefer has a great synopsis of Harold Feld's rousing plenary talk titled, "Policy Hackers for Good," available on her blog: http://angelasiefer.com/wifisummit For the Arabic readers amongst us, Abdelnasser Abdelaal has written up a synopsis for Al Hayat, one of major Middle Eastern papers. You can take a look at http://www.alhayat.com/science_tech/06-2008/Item-20080612-7cefe2ae-c0a8-10ed-0007-ae6ddb9e21f3/story.html. Google translate does an o.k. (though occasionally comical) job. And the American Association for the Advancement of Science has a great synopsis of some of the keynote speakers up at http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2008/0605wireless.shtml, including Amir Dossal (head of the billion-dollar UN Office of Partnerships), FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, Mark Ansboury from One Community, and Rey Ramsey (head of One Economy).

If you've created documentation that you'd like to share, please pass it along. As always, please tag your media "IS4CWN".

New broadband statistics from the OECD (through the last quarter of 2007) point to the complete and continuing failure of the United States to reclaim its prior successes, much less, even keep up with a growing list of other countries. Even the Wall Street Journal is jumping into the fray:

"Once the undisputed leader in the technological revolution, the U.S. now lags a growing number of countries in the speed, cost and availability of high-speed Internet. While cable and telecom companies are spending billions to upgrade their service, they're focusing their efforts mostly on larger U.S. cities for now."

The Wall Street Journal article contains some real gems -- pointing to historical precedents that mirror today's broadband situation and debates:

Chattanooga's Mr. DePriest compares his agency's plan for high-speed Internet to the rollout of electricity, which came to many parts of Tennessee only in the 1930s as a result of the creation by the federal government of the Tennessee Valley Authority. That was three decades after many businesses and homes in major urban areas like New York were first electrified. The country's electricity at the time was largely provided by private companies, which denounced any government efforts to get into the business as "socialist" -- echoing the debate over municipal fiber networks today.

Meanwhile, if a picture's worth a thousand words, here's a few bloggings worth of data: Lots more OECD facts and figures concerning broadband statistics are available here. For the truly ambitious, take a look at the OECD report on broadband growth and national policies to read about the documented importance of governmental intervention to supporting the spread of broadband connectivity.

Could a political campaign be a catalyst for free wireless across the country? My colleague, Roy Russell, thinks so. He's just launched a campaign to create free open wireless hotspots with the network name, "Obama 2008." It's a great idea -- offer a useful service and local resource, advertise for your candidate of choice, and demonstrate the community-oriented ethos that permeates the campaign. The affinity group is located at: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4jbm As Ray writes:

I've turned the security off on my wi-fi network, and renamed the SSID to "Obama 2008". I think of my wi-fi access point as a tiny beacon of hope, beaming my support for Barack Obama out to anyone who is listening, at least with a wi-fi device within 100 yards of my home. And they're free to get some free Internet access. I enjoy sharing with my neighbors, and I encourage everyone to do the same!

Hopefully the other campaigns will follow suite. In the meantime, it would be fantastic to see some official recognition from the candidates for this innovative idea.

Last year, New America Foundation released an in-depth report and analysis of the Wireless Philadelphia Project, "The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer." We concluded that the private franchise model was suboptimal and that Philadelphia's solution was problematic in a number of ways. At the time, we received good press coverage and a helluvalot of blowback from certain constituencies (who continued to assert that everything was on track). Now that we've made it to May, 2008, Wireless Philadelphia is on its last legs. While many of us are still working to salvage something from this mess, reading through the New America Foundation report, it's amazingly how eerily prescient it is. Ironically, the solution we proposed was exactly what has been on the table for the past couple months -- but, as with far too many innovative ideas, this one got mired in the muck of Philly politics and, perhaps, personal egos. Sadly, the mainstream press continue to demonstrate a remarkable ignorance by tagging this failure as a failure of "municipal wireless" -- the reality is, the Philadelphia model is a corporate franchise granted to Earthlink -- much of the problem stems from the fact that the municipality has no control or ownership over the network and Earthlink has demonstrated no accountability to the local community. Conde Nast's Portfolio gets it completely wrong -- heading their story, "Another Municipal Wi-Fi Plan Dies" -- which is a particular shame since I've spoken with the article's author, Sam Gustin, previously and he knows better. Computer World labels the Earthlink failure as, "another blow to the municipal Wi-Fi market", when a better understanding of the situation would dictate that it's a failure of the corporate franchise business model. SiliconValley.com rightfully points out that where Earthlink's wireless networks have been taken over by municipalities, they've continued to operate, while those that haven't (e.g., Philly and New Orleans) they're being shut down. Isn't the story, then, that where corporate franchises are converted into municipal networks, the networks continue to thrive? The story's also being covered by PC World, Digital Trends, and a host of other news organizations. My recommendation? Read The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer, check out my recent article for GovTech's Digital Communities, Municipal Wireless Success Demands Public Involvement, and remain critical of the notion that the death of municipal wireless is nigh.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) recently released a fascinating assessment, "The Incredible Shrinking Think Tank" documenting the third straight year in a row that think tanks were cited less than the prior year. At a time when think tanks are, on average, saw a 17% decrease in their citations in the press between 2007 and 2008, New America Foundation saw a 44% increase! In fact, New America saw the largest increase of any think tank in the study. When you take a look, the numbers are rather stunning:

The Philadelphia saga is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Though I've been privy to a lot of the behind-the-scene negotiations, if you're looking for details, you'll have to look elsewhere. However, you won't have to wait long -- the Philadelphia Metro has already started covering things -- which means that someone's already spilling the beans. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News are going to be running stories tomorrow. All in all, the proposed solution is a really good one for the residents of Philly; but yes, it's caught up on the demand for a $250,000 payment. Meanwhile, Wireless Philadelphia released this statement today...

Dear Friend of Wireless Philadelphia: I am writing to provide you a brief update on the Wireless Philadelphia Initiative. Philadelphia's Wi-Fi network continues to operate in the roughly 80% of the City in which it has been deployed (see map ). Nothing in the ten-year Network Agreement permits EarthLink to unilaterally impose deadlines for the network's transfer, turn off the network or remove network equipment. It has been well publicized that EarthLink recently announced its intention to sell its Wi-Fi networks and exit the municipal wireless business. Wireless Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia continue to work together to explore options for the network's future. In the meantime, we are committed to our core mission of serving Digital Inclusion customers with internet access, hardware, technical support and training. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Best regards, Greg Goldman CEO Wireless Philadelphia ggoldman@wirelessphiladelphia.org

My friend and colleague, Aaron Kaplan, has been playing around with his Iphone and is now running open source mesh software on it. The eventual goal of all of this is to create device-as-infrastructure networks -- i.e., systems where every piece of hardware is also a part of the communications network. As we've continued to work on integrating myriad open source wireless technologies into a single solution, experiments to integrate Iphones and other devices into new network architectures continue to provide fascinating results.

Mike Leber over at Hurricane Electric put out a reminder that some estimates are now putting IPv4 number exhaustion at less than 1000 days out. Having raised this issue with folks here in DC quite a bit, I've been intrigued by the lack of regard with which this problem has been met. In fact, it seems like few folks want to really address the issue, even though it's a problem that's certain to only grow in complexity and dysfunction as we near exhaustion. Having just attended the most recent ARIN meeting in Denver, CO, I know that the scientific, research, and general IP communities have been ringing the klaxon for awhile now. Impressive amounts of information on the impending IPv4 exhaustion are readily available, and there's even some of us inside the beltway who are available resources to talk with anyone who'd be interested in addressing the problem (so do give a call). What's worse, IPv6, while the only solution available, has its own scalability problems. All I'm saying is, when this becomes "the big story" -- remember, lots of us have been working to proactively address the problem for years. We certainly can't say we didn't see this coming.

I've been on the coordinating committee for the upcoming Computers, Freedom, & Privacy Conference which is taking place up in New Haven, CT later this month. The schedule is now just about finalized and it has shaped up to be an amazing group of intellectuals and experts. Here's more information for anyone who's interested in these issues:

COMPUTERS, FREEDOM, AND PRIVACY: TECHNOLOGY POLICY '08 http://cfp2008.org/ 18th Annual CFP conference May 20-23, 2008 Omni Hotel New Haven, CT Conference Blog: http://cfp08.blogspot.com/ Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=683858084 Conference Wiki: http://cfp.wikia.com/wiki/CFP08 LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/61857/7885844E0F9D Hotel Conference Discount Deadline: May 1, 2008 Early Bird Registration: Fri., May 2, 2008 YJoLT Tech Policy Essay Contest: Mon., May 5, 2008 ABOUT CFP: TECHNOLOGY POLICY `08 What should the technology policy priorities of the next administration be? As the choice of presidential candidates becomes clearer and election year moves towards a comparison of the candidates' platforms on the issues, technology policy is increasingly relevant to the forefront of public debate. In the areas of privacy, intellectual property, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and freedom of speech, topics that were once confined to experts now appear in the mainstream of political issues. We now know that our decisions about technology policy are being made at a time as the architectures of our information and communication technologies are still being built. This year, the 18th annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference is focusing on those issues at the forefront of technology policy this election year. With plenary panels on the "National Security State and the Next Administration" and "The 21st Century Panopticon?" the discussions taking place look towards our present and future priorities. CFP: Technology Policy '08 is an opportunity to participate in shaping those issues being made into laws and regulations and those technological infrastructures being developed. Policies ranging from spyware and national security, to ISP filtering and patent reform, e-voting to electronic medical records, and more will be addressed by expert panels of technologists, policymakers, business leaders, and activists. The panel topics are listed below and full panel descriptions are available on the conference website at: http://www.cfp2008.org/wiki/index.php/Program. The CFP: Technology Policy `08 conversation has already begun in the virtual spaces connected to the conference. Even if you are unable to attend the conference this year, there are several opportunities to participate remotely. The guiding principles that ought to guide our policies are being debated on the conference blog. Social networking groups on Facebook and LinkedIn are providing new spaces for the CFP community to meet and discuss. The Yale Journal of Law and Technology is hosting a call for essays, on the priorities of the next administration, with more details below. We look forward to seeing you in New Haven on May 20-23. CONFERENCE PROGRAM Plenary Sessions Presidential Technology Policy: Priorities for the Next Executive The 21st Century Panopticon? The National Security State and the Next Adminstration Tutorials A Short History of Privacy Constitutional Law in Cyberspace e-Deceptive Campaign Practices: Elections 2.0 Maintaining Privacy While Accessing On-line Information Panel Sessions Activism and Education Using Social Networks Breaking the Silence: Iranians Find a Voice on the Internet Charismatic Content: Wikis, Social Networks, and the Future of User-Generated Content Filtering Out Copyright Infringement: Possibilities, Practicalities, and Legalities Filtering and Censorship in Europe Hate Speech and Oppression in Cyberspace Interoperability at the Crossroads?: The "Liberal Order" versus Fragmentation Law, Regulation, and Software Licensing for the Electronic Medical Record Measuring Global Threats to Internet Freedom Network Neutrality: Beyond the Slogans New Challenges for Spyware Policy Patents: The Bleeding Edge of Technology Policy Privacy, Reputation, and the Management of Online Communities Rights & Responsibilities for Software Programs? States as Incubators of Change "The Transparent Society:" Ten Years Later Towards Trustworthy e-Voting: An Open Source Approach? CALL FOR ESSAYS Yale Journal of Law & Technology Call for Essays on the Technology Policy of the New Administration. Deadline: Monday, May 5th The Yale Journal of Law & Technology (YJoLT) is seeking essay-length submissions concerning the technology policy platform of the new American presidential administration. Essays selected for publication will appear in the Fall Issue of YJoLT (publication date November 2008). Ideal submissions will discuss the priorities and guiding principles that American technology policy should follow. Submissions analyzing a particular technology policy issue in depth will also be accepted. Essays of less than 5,000 words are preferred. Please submit all essays to yjolt.submissions@gmail.com. Please include the text "CFP Essay" in the subject line of the email. The authors of essays selected for publication will be notified on a rolling basis. Any questions can be directed to Lara Rogers, lara.rogers@yale.edu. CONFERENCE FUNDING FOR JOURNALISTS The Yale Law School Law and Media Program (LAMP) announces an opportunity for journalists to receive full funding to attend CFP: Technology Policy 08. CFP: Technology Policy 08 will begin with a full day of tutorials and programming specifically geared toward journalists writing about information technology and policy, followed by a networking reception for journalists and other participants in the Law and Media Program. We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of US technology policy in the information age. Journalists writing on privacy, intellectual property, telecommunications and cyberlaw are encouraged to apply for conference funding, which will include travel, hotel, meals and any registration fees for the full conference. To apply, please send a cover letter explaining your interest in the program, along with your resume and three writing samples (by e-mail and hard copy) to Tracey Parr (tracey.parr@yale.edu), Yale Law School, P.O. Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215, by March 31, 2008. Up to twenty journalists will receive conference funding. Applicants accepted for conference funding will be notified by April 4, 2008.

A good number of my friends know my love of the Basque tradition of communal meals. I was first introduced to Basque in Urbana, Illinois and immediately became a core member and instigator. While Basque is about fun and camaraderie and food -- there's usually a good bit of experimentation as well (though rarely with liquid oxygen and nitrogen. When I moved to the East Coast, I worried that I might be leaving behind the notion of fantastic foods and epicurean gatherings. Boy was I wrong. Dinner conversation gave way to small gatherings, which ended up with further pondering, and last month, to the continuation of the tradition. Here's menus & commentary from the past two Basques: Read more... read more

I've been talking with folks down in North Carolina about innovative business models that will facilitate public private partnerships whereby municipalities work with non-profit organizations to deliver broadband services. As the Philly model continues to flail about (though I'm hopeful for some resolution in the near future on this), alternative systems are being implemented. Wally Bowen over at theMountain Area Information Network (MAIN) has been heading up the charge. A month or so ago I wrote to the Asheville City Council supporting the plan that MAIN was proposing. And I'm quite happy to see such a resounding endorsement for what is certain to become a remarkably interesting municipal wireless project. Here's more:

Asheville, N.C. endorses new Wi-Fi business model ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A proposal to make Asheville a "Wi-Fi City" -- via city-wide, wireless Internet access -- won unanimous endorsement March 25 from the Asheville City Council. The plan, put forth by the nonprofit Mountain Area Information Network (MAIN), would provide secure wireless coverage -- including mobile access -- throughout the city. "I'm pleased that the City of Asheville has officially endorsed MAIN's 'Wi-Fi City' proposal" said Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy. "This effort will not only help bridge the Digital Divide in our community. It also signals to the nation that Asheville has a 21st-century vision for an inclusive and sustainable Digital Economy. . . ." Read the entire story: http://www.main.nc.us/wifi.

It's rare that the New York Times and Wall Street Journal agree so wholeheartedly on things, but this past week has seen both issue calls for wireless innovation across the United States. The New York Times issued a pro-municipal wireless editorial that, among other things, states:

Broadband service is no longer a luxury. It has become a basic part of the infrastructure of education and democracy. EarthLink should fulfill the commitments it made. Even in these tough economic times, cities should keep pushing municipal Wi-Fi and looking for partners and plans that can make it a reality.

Lee Gomes from the Wall Street Journal issued a pro-White Space Device column that focuses on the successes and potential uses of these new technologies:

The white-space proposal has been in the news in recent weeks because of its strong backing by Microsoft and Google, among others. White space, they say, could help create a "Wi-Fi on steroids," with faster connection speeds running over longer distances than are possible now in the hot spots common in homes and coffee shops. As for interference with TV broadcasts -- or with wireless microphones, which use this same spectrum -- that can be easily handled. Before transmitting any data, a white-space networking device would "listen" to detect if a frequency is in use. A version of this "smart sensing" is already widely and successfully deployed by the U.S. military.

Here are the full stories: Read more... read more

I was recently looking at data over the course of a week from the US Census, the ITU, and the OECD, all looking at indicators of broadband services in the United States. What grabbed my attention was the remarkably close relationship between the diminishing number of Internet Service Providers and the global standing of the United States when it comes to broadband penetration rates. Clearly there's a relationship here, the question is, what's driving this mess? Here's the data in graphical format (sources are the US Census, ITU, and OECD):

Alicia Mickelsen sent me Belair's press release on the Boston pilot wireless deployment. For everyone that's been wondering, "What's Boston been up to?" Here's the answer:

Today, Boston announces the completion of the city’s first wireless pilot. Equipment from BelAir Networks, the leading provider of mobile broadband mesh networks, is powering the next generation wireless broadband network in the Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston. The network is the result of the company’s partnership with openairboston.net, a private, non-profit corporation created to develop, implement and operate a network to provide wireless internet access throughout the City of Boston. Since its soft-launch in late August, openairboston.net estimates that the network has already had over 3,000 unique users, with average session length of 79 minutes per user. The network now makes it possible for approximately 8,000 households within the pilot area access to the Internet for as little as $9.95 a month. I have included the press releases on the network below, from BelAir Networks and from the city of Boston. If you would like to learn more about the network, I would be happy to put you in touch with a BelAir Networks executive. Thank you, Alicia Alicia Mickelsen Breakaway Communications for BelAir Networks 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 410, New York, NY 10010 (212) 616-6002 | amick@breakawaycom.com

Read more... read more

I'm sure that the NAB will soon be releasing a flurry of PR decrying the failure of a white space device during FCC testing. Which device, you may ask? Why, the Microsoft one, of course. And which device failed miserably during the first round of FCC testing? Why, the Microsoft one, of course. But didn't a white space device suffer a power failure last month -- which one was that? Why, the Microsoft one, of course. So what's the National Association of Broadcasters going to go to town on -- declaring that the technology simply won't work based on the failure of a single company's device? Why, yes, you guessed it... So why is the National Association of Broadcasters spending so much time and energy filling the press with the continuing failure of Microsoft's device? Probably because they're scared as hell that someone might otherwise point out that the DARPA XG Project has already proofed out the viability of white space device technology. "Hold on a second," you might ask, "white space device technology has already been proofed out and deployed by the military?!?" Indeed! In fact, on September 18, 2006 Shared Spectrum publicly announced the successful testing of DARPA XG technology for battlefield warfare. Assuming for a second that physics works the same for both military and consumer products, if white space device technology works for battlefield warfare, I'm of the opinion that it's going to work in my living room as well. In fact, DARPA XG technology was successfully tested in civilian situations at DYSPAN in Ireland on April 16-20, 2007. So why is this even an issue? Because physics, reality, precedent, and data are coming up against a monstrously large PR and FUD campaign by one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, DC -- the National Association of Broadcasters. Which begs the question, who sucks even more than Microsoft?

As I reported earlier, Bell Canada has been caught throttling traffic from independent service providers. More data is now coming in and the extent of the bandwidth throttling has been remarkable. Here's a 24hr snapshot from one ISP: Meanwhile, independent ISPs have set up a map of where they're being discriminated against -- as it turns out, Bell Canada has been doing this to scores and scores of competitors. Here's the map: View Larger Map