broadband

The United States and China were the two largest attack traffic sources, accounting for nearly 50 percent of total traffic, according to Akamai's first quarter State of the Internet report. The top 10 portals saw about 90 percent of the attack traffic, with more than two-thirds of the traffic likely related to the Conficker worm.

Americans are more economically productive with broadband than any other country, according to new research. But that doesn’t mean the US in number one in broadband. Likely major ISPs and backbone providers will gleefully point to Saul Hansell’s New York Times blog—and his headline: Surprise: America is No. 1 in Broadband—in rebuttal to criticism of how they’ve built out their networks.

About 5.7 million U.S. households will become new high-speed Internet customers this year, a 12 percent decrease in subscriber growth compared to 2008, according to a new forecast by market research firm Pike & Fischer.

In his final days as chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin appears to have done an about face on a proposed content filter for free wireless broadband. After opposition killed the original plan, Martin has placed a new proposal, sans smut-filter, on the table for review at the next and final FCC meeting on January 15. Perhaps it’s an attempt to end his tenure on a high note by doing something very positive for the nation—auctioning off spectrum to a wireless provider that can serve up wireless broadband to 95 percent of the country.

IBM has partnered with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) on a $9.6 million agreement to have Big Blue install Broadband over Power Line (BPL) networks at electric cooperatives through out the eastern U.S.The concept of broadband over power lines has widely been thought of as a dead end idea but with IBM's backing it is now being resurrected.

A big story flew somewhat under the radar yesterday as the Election was at the forefront of minds not only all across the America, but around the world. The FCC has approved the use of the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels, otherwise known as "white spaces" for public wireless broadband service.

High speed Internet customers like their service but 30 percent are willing to ditch their provider if they can find a more affordable service elsewhere, according to a report from J.D. Power & Associates.Cost savings is cited by 69 percent of high-speed Internet customers and 40 percent of dial-up customers as the main reason they would consider switching providers.

Free speech issues weren’t enough to knock down FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s push-through of a free national wireless Internet initiative, but few were talking about those free speech issues anyway.  T-Mobile's and Deutsche Telekom AG's arguments about signal interference—which is the cry-wolf line of the wireless industry these days--weren't either; after successful testing in Seattle, free wireless Internet is on the way.