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Tag Archive: Martin

Travel Tips: Finding an Internet Connection

Assuming you’ve already figured out how to keep your laptop powered on your next major jaunt across the continent, staying connected to the Web is your next major travel hurdle. After all, Solitaire and a handful of movies can keep you entertained for a bit, but what you really brought a laptop for is e-mail, Web surfing, Skype, and all the other niceties of connectivity. So, how do you tap into the Internet when your friendly home Ethernet cable is dangling under an empty desk 1,000 miles away? Read on.


Find free Wi-Fi  Read more...

Obama Nominates Genachowski to Head FCC

Obama Nominates Genachowski to Head FCC

President-elect Barack Obama has announced he plans to nominate Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission in his administration—a move that has been greeted by applause from media reformers and open media advocates. The FCC is currently run by Chairman Kevin Martin, whose tenure has not been without controversy: under Martin’s watch, the FCC approved the merger of Sirius and XM satellite radio as well as AT&ampT and Bellsouth, and significantly eased restrictions on cross-ownership of newspaper and television outlets in the same markets; the FCC has also played a major a role in overseeing the transition to digital television and establishing principles for an open Internet—and the FCC recently sanctioned cable operator Comcast for violating those principles.

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Outgoing FCC Chair Backs DTV Switch

Outgoing FCC Chair Backs DTV Switch

Speaking at last week’s CES show in Las Vegas, outgoing FCC chairman Kevin Martin said that delaying the United States’ February 17, 2009 transition to digital television could confuse consumers and, thereby, create higher costs for the transition going forward. Martin noted that all publicity and education materials about the transition—not just from the FCC but from the entire television industry—has been centered on the February 17, 2009 date.

However, Martin also said it’s important to make sure the government’s converter box voucher program is operating so consumers who rely on over-the-air television broadcasts can set hands on a converter before the switchover deadline.

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MI6 Advertises On Facebook

If you’ve ever had fantasies of being a real James Bond, Facebook might be the best place to start that new career. Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service – better known as MI6, the organization that runs agents abroad – has begun advertising for recruits on the social networking site, a big turnaround from the times (quite recent times, in fact) when it would quietly look for the qualified among Oxford and Cambridge graduates, and following up on radio and TV ads, according to the Guardian.

MI6 is using three ads that appear when Facebook users contact each other. One reads:  Read more...

FCC Sanctions Comcast for P2P Blocking

The Federal Communications Commission has ordered U.S. cable giant Comcast to end discriminatory network management policies (PDF) and sanctioned the company for "secretly degrading" the performance of peer-to-peer sharing applications like BitTorrent and Gnutella. The order requires Comcast to stop blocking P2P applications and fully disclose the details of its networking management techniques by the end of 2008.

However, the FCC did not fine Comcast for violating its four-principled Internet Policy statement from 2005.  Read more...

FCC Head Wants to Penalize Comcast

In comments to the Associated Press, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has let it be known that he intends to recommend cable operator Comcast be penalized for violating the set of FCC principles that protect consumer’s access to the Internet. “The commission has adopted a set of principles that protects consumers access to the Internet,” Martin told the AP. “We found that Comcast’s actions in this instance violated our principles.”

Comcast’s actions, in this case, would be the throttling of selected peer-to-peer networking traffic on the Comcast network. After initially denying any deliberate blocking of P2P traffic, Comcast eventually admitted it occasionally “delays” traffic to better manage its network. In this case, “delaying” traffic included forging reset packets on behalf of its customers, causing P2P transactions to shut down.  Read more...

Tenori-on Music Device Reaches the U.S.

One of the little known ironies of the music world is that that largest maker of musical instruments on the planet isn’t a name like Fender, Gibson, or Martin—although those names certainly command a lot of brand recognition. No: it’s Japan’s Yamaha—its logo with three tuning forks!—the same people who make motorcycles, golf carts, jet skis, and powerboats. And a lot of those instruments—and audio gear—command the respect of industry pros.  Read more...

FCC Mulls Regulating Network Practices

FCC Mulls Regulating Network Practices

At an agency hearing on broadband services held at Stanford University, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said his agency should scrutinize two primary factors when trying to evaluate whether ISPs’ network management policies were “reasonable:” do application designers know what will and won’t work on the network, and are consumers fully informed about the nature of the service they’re purchasing, and any restrictions that may come with it.

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FCC Weighs in On Network Management

FCC Weighs in On Network Management

At a hearing yesterday in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin weighed in on Internet service providers that engage in "network management" practices that involve degrading service for some types of traffic—like file sharing applications—in favor of others. While allowing that service providers should be able to take reasonable steps to make sure their networks run efficiently, "the Commission is ready, willing, and able to step in if necessary," Martin wrote in a statement (PDF). "Consumers need to know if and how network management practices distinguish between different applications, so that consumers can configure their own applications and systems properly."

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Google Commits $4.6 Bln to Wireless Auction

Google Commits $4.6 Bln to Wireless Auction

In an uncharacteristic move, Internet giant Google has informed FCC chairman Kevin Martin the company will commit at least $4.6 billion to the FCC’s upcoming spectrum auction in the 700 MHz band—so long as the FCC requires auction winners adhere to four princples of “openness” which designed to encourage competition and consumer choice.

Google announcement is apparently the company’s way of “putting its money where its principles are,” citing concerns in its public policy blog that the federal government’s allocation of wireless spectrum licenses has been inefficient and on the effect of creating a duopoly in regard to broadband Internet access: basically, for most Americans who want broadband, the only options are cable and phone companies—and franchise agreement lock many people into only one of each.

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