Keepingitreal

WASHINGTON — Sorry, Mr. President. Please surrender your BlackBerry.

Those are seven words President-elect Barack Obama is dreading but expecting to hear, friends and advisers say, when he takes office in 65 days. For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign. “How about that?” Mr. Obama replied to a friend’s congratulatory e-mail message on the night of his victory. But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas. A decision has not been made on whether he could become the first e-mailing president, but aides said that seemed doubtful. For all the perquisites and power afforded the president, the chief executive of the United States is essentially deprived by law and by culture of some of the very tools that other chief executives depend on to survive and to thrive. Mr. Obama, however, seems intent on pulling the office at least partly into the 21st century on that score; aides said he hopes to have a laptop computer on his desk in the Oval Office, making him the first American president to do so. Mr. Obama has not sent a farewell dispatch from the personal e-mail account he uses — he has not changed his address in years — but friends say the frequency of correspondence has diminished. In recent days, though, he has been seen typing his thoughts on transition matters and other items on his BlackBerry, bypassing, at least temporarily, the bureaucracy that is quickly encircling him. A year ago, when many Democratic contributors and other observers were worried about his prospects against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, they reached out to him directly. Mr. Obama had changed his cellphone number, so e-mail remained the most reliable way of communicating directly with him. “His BlackBerry was constantly crackling with e-mails,” said David Axelrod, the campaign’s chief strategist. “People were generous with their advice — much of it conflicting.” Mr. Obama is the second president to grapple with the idea of this self-imposed isolation. Three days before his first inauguration, George W. Bush sent a message to 42 friends and relatives that explained his predicament. SOURCE:NYTIMES

Comcast to restrict monthly broadband use

Comcast soon will begin cracking down on heavy users of its Internet service in a move that critics fear could be a step toward restricting unlimited broadband access to download and upload files while surfing the Web. The country's largest cable company and second-largest Internet provider said Thursday that beginning Oct. 1, residential users who download and/or upload more than 250 GB of data a month will be notified and asked to curb their use. Customers who exceed the limit a second time in six months will face termination of their account. The limit clearly defines a policy that Comcast has had in place for many years. In the past, excessive users faced similar restrictions, but the limits were never spelled out and actually fluctuated month to month depending on overall traffic. Comcast would not disclose the range of the old limits. Comcast officials said the move will help maintain a smooth experience for the majority of customers, who use far less than 250 GB a month. The current median monthly data use is 2 to 3 GB, Comcast said. The company, however, has no immediate plans to release a meter for customers to track their own usage. "We have some extremely high bandwidth users that consume a disproportionate amount of data, and that can degrade service for others," said Charlie Douglas, a spokesman for Comcast. "To maintain a high quality of service for users we've gone with this." Critics, meanwhile, said they're disappointed with Comcast's willingness to set limits instead of adding capacity. "This wouldn't be necessary if Comcast had chosen to expand its capacity," said Michael Shames, executive director of the Utility Consumers' Action Network in San Diego. "They've chosen instead to degrade service." S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, a media nonprofit group, said that while the limit seems high now, it might not be sufficient in the future as technology evolves and broadband use grows. He blamed a lack of competition that allows Comcast to profit from "artificial scarcity."

How big  is 250 GB?

To approach the monthly limit Comcast is placing on its Internet users, you would have to do one of the following:

-- Send 50 million e-mails

-- Download 62,500 songs

-- Download 125 standard-definition movies

-- Upload 25,000 high-resolution digital photos

Source: Comcast

F.C.C. Vote Sets Precedent on Unfettered Web Usage

   

The Federal Communications Commission formally voted Friday to uphold the complaint against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, saying that it had illegally inhibited users of its high-speed Internet service from using popular file-sharing software. The decision, which imposes no fine, requires Comcast to end such blocking this year.Kevin J. Martin, the commission’s chairman, said the order was meant to set a precedent that Internet providers, and indeed all communications companies, could not keep customers from using their networks the way they see fit unless there is a good reason.“We are preserving the open character of the Internet,” Mr. Martin said in an interview after the 3-to-2 vote. “We are saying that network operators can’t block people from getting access to any content and any applications.”The case also highlights the broader issue of whether new legislation is needed to force Internet providers to treat all uses of their networks equally, a concept called network neutrality. Some have urged legislation to make sure that big Internet companies do not discriminate against small companies or those that compete with their video or telephone services.The legal complaint against Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, relates to BitTorrent, software that is commonly used by people downloading movies, television shows, music and software. Many, but hardly all, of those files are copyrighted material traded without authorization.Comcast says that a small percentage of its customers using BitTorrent consume a large share of its network capacity, degrading the Internet access of other customers. So it installed equipment that slowed — but did not completely block — file transfers using BitTorrent.Comcast has already said that it plans to move to a new way of managing its network at times of peak use to avoid singling out certain programs. Nevertheless, the company objected rather strongly to the commission’s decision.“We believe that our network management choices were reasonable, wholly consistent with industry practices,” Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement. “We are considering all our legal options and are disappointed that the commission rejected our attempts to settle this issue without further delays.”Analysts said they expected Comcast to appeal the decision.The company’s blocking received wide publicity last October after The Associated Press ran tests of Comcast’s network that substantiated some users’ allegations. Two public advocacy groups, Free Press and Public Knowledge, then filed a formal complaint with the commission, which held several hearings into the matter. SOURCE:NYT.COM

California judge rules early cell phone termination fees illegal

In one of the most significant legal rulings in the tech industry this year, a Superior Court judge in California has ruled that the practice of charging consumers a fee for ending their cell phone contract early is illegal and violates state law. The preliminary, tentative judgment orders Sprint Nextel to pay customers $18.2 million in reimbursements and, more importantly, orders Sprint to stop trying to collect another $54.7 million from California customers (some 2 million customers total) who have canceled their contracts but refused or failed to pay the termination fee. While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that's enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T's two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It's highly probable. Of course, the carriers aren't going to take this lying down. Early termination fees are seen as critical to business, so carriers are expected to look for ways to reclassify the fees (such as by calling them "rates," part of the arcane set of laws that covers the telecommunications industry). The industry is also pushing for the federal government to step in and claim oversight over the early termination fee issue, which would invalidate any state ruling. The FCC is generally more tolerant of such fees, though Chairman Kevin Martin has proposed a plan whereby the fees are decreased the closer you are to the end of your contract. The FCC may also buy the argument that, since carriers are nationally based (and consumers can use their phones anywhere in the country), that a single policy should apply across the nation, rather than creating a patchwork of legislation that could lead to confusion and chaos caused by having 50 different policies. Is the early termination fee dead? Not yet, but it's looking a little haggard. LINK: Sprint early termination fees are illegal, judge rules SOURCE:YAHOO.COM

FCC ready to take on ISP limits Comcast, other providers told they can't interfere with large downloads and file sharing

(07-28) 18:14 PDT -- The Federal Communications Commission appears poised to crack down on Comcast for its practice of slowing down or blocking large file transfers, which has drawn the ire of consumer groups.FCC Chairman Kevin Martin confirmed in an e-mail that he has the necessary three votes to punish the kind of selective techniques used by Comcast to target heavy peer-to-peer file sharing through software applications such as BitTorrent.The five-person commission is scheduled to vote Friday on an order barring Internet service providers from interfering with or blocking customer traffic. Bloomberg News quoted commission sources who said the FCC would censure but not fine Comcast for its practices, which came to light in autumn.The fact that that FCC appears eager to police this activity cheered on network neutrality proponents, who have resisted efforts by the Internet providers to slow down traffic or charge people for higher use."I think it's a huge victory for consumers because it sets down a baseline principle that the FCC will act if cable or phone companies try to interfere with software and content online," said Marvin Ammori, general counsel for consumer advocate group Free Press, which filed a complaint against Comcast.Comcast was singled out in an Associated Press story in October for blocking and slowing traffic on its network by people who were using peer-to-peer file-sharing applications.The practice is used to share content. As a delivery tool for video, it has become a major source of bandwidth consumption and a headache for Internet providers.Comcast initially denied it was managing traffic but later acknowledged employing limiting measures at peak times.The company said in spring that it would move by the end of the year to a new method that did not target an application such as BitTorrent but slowed down any extreme use at peak times.Sena Fitzmaurice, a spokeswoman for Comcast, said companies need to manage their networks to ensure that all users have a good experience."We've consistently said it's not a problem you can build your way out of," she said."You need to manage traffic or it will take as much space as you build. You need network management to make sure the network can handle the traffic in a way that works."Fitzmaurice said she's still waiting for the FCC order to know what implications it will have for Comcast and other Internet providers. It's unclear if it will target only Comcast's current strategy, which will be abandoned by the end of this year, and will allow Comcast's broader management approach, and if so how will it be implemented. Even the question of the FCC's authority is at issue. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

BATTERY LIFE ON NEW IPHONE3G IS MARGINAL AT BEST

When first reviewed the iPhone and discussions were about its battery life as being borderline for the business traveler. Whenever I travel with the phone, it always needs a charge by the time my first dinner meeting rolls around. Steve Jobs originally proclaimed that battery life and chip size were both reasons that the first iPhone didn't have 3G support, the question is does the new iPhone offer 3G performance without the battery life penalty?  Unfortunately, as Apple doesn't design any of the chips or battery technology that goes into the iPhone, it doesn't really have much control over things like 3G battery life. And thus, the iPhone 3G suffers like any other smartphone when operating on a 3G network. The test below is the same one I ran in the original iPhone review, in fact that iPhone and Blackjack data is taken straight from that review - the new data is obviously the iPhone 3G, operating in 3G mode. The battery life is expressed in minutes and the results are expectedly not very good: At 197 minutes, the iPhone 3G can keep you browsing for a little over 3 hours before completing dying. That's with no additional phone calls or anything else going on in the background, just constant surfing. The problem is that this is a very realistic scenario for many users. If you're out of the house and stuck somewhere without a laptop, you'll want the speed of 3G but the battery life will mean that your surfing experience is almost half as long as it would be on Edge. Granted, you can load pages faster in the same amount of time, but you'd have to load pages around twice as fast on average to equal the same productivity. SOURCE:ANandTech.com

For iPhone, the ‘New’ Is Relative

One year and 11 days ago, our nation was swept by iPhone Mania. TV news coverage was relentless. Hard-core fans camped out to be the first in line. Bloggers referred to Apple’s new product as the “Jesus phone.”It was a stunning black slab of glass: a cellphone, a brilliant music and video player and the best pocket Internet terminal the world had ever seen. The huge, bright, touch-sensitive screen made it addictive fun to rotate, page through or magnify your photos, videos and Web pages.Today, the iPhone is in the hands of six million people. Clumsy touch-screen lookalikes from rival phone makers line the shelves.And Friday is the iPhone’s second coming.This time, though,  when the iPhone 3G goes on sale in AT&T and Apple stores, iPhone Mania will be considerably more muted. That’s partly because the mystery is gone, partly because the AT&T service costs more and partly because there aren’t many new features in what Apple is calling the iPhone 3G.The new name hints at the biggest change: this iPhone can bring you the Internet much faster. It can exploit AT&T’s third-generation (3G) cellular network, which brings you Web pages in less than half the time as the old iPhone.As a handy bonus, 3G means that you can talk on the iPhone and surf the Internet simultaneously, which you couldn’t do before.There is, however, a catch: you don’t get that speed or those features unless you’re in one of AT&T’s 3G network areas — and there aren’t many of them. The 3G coverage map at wireless.att.com/coverageviewer(zoom in and turn on “View 3G/Mobile Broadband Coverage” below the map) reveals that in 16 states, only three cities or fewer are covered; 10 states have no coverage at all. (Tip: Whenever you’re outside of a 3G area, turning off the iPhone’s 3G feature doubles the battery’s talk time, to 10 hours from 5.) SOURCE:NYT.COM

New Procedures for Buying a Second-Gen iPhone?

According to Consumerist, an Apple store insider has revealed new prodedures for procuring a coveted second generation iPhone, which is due to go on sale July 11th. Gone are the days you could walk into an Apple store, slap down some cash or your credit card, and walk home with a shiny new phone.Their source reveals these new limitations and potential barriers:

• Those who wish to buy a 3G iPhone for use with corporate of business plans must go to AT&T to purchase their phones. Only phones for personal use can be purchased at Apple.
• Customers must present a valid US government ID to purchase the phone, as well as provide a store employee with your Social Security number for credit check purposes.
• You will be required to pay the activation fee and pick a plan at the time of purchase. Phones will be activated on the spot at the store.

To be fair, this is different from the iPhone buying process we've gotten used to, but it's not all that different from signing up for a new contract with a new phone anywhere else. Although I hope there is an option for those who want to buy the phone without activating on the spot or extending their contracts. One should be able to go in and offer to pay full price for the phone without having to go through the hassles mentioned above. SOURCE: CLEVELAND LEADER

YouTube ordered to hand over viewing data

(07-03) 18:06 PDT -- In a ruling that could have serious privacy implications, a federal judge has ruled that popular Internet video site YouTube must hand over details about what people watch online.The decision filed Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton in New York is part of a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit that Viacom Inc., the entertainment group that owns Comedy Central, VH1 and Nickelodeon, among others, filed last year against Google, which owns YouTube.The suit says YouTube hasn't done enough to remove copyrighted material from its site and is making money off it.Viacom demanded to review all of YouTube's logging information to prove that copyrighted clips are more popular than amateur videos on the site. The logging data includes how often users watch videos, how much time they spend doing it, their username and their Internet Protocol addresses, the unique identification assigned to individual computers and devices.The case, and this ruling, could have broad implications for Internet content and user behavior. The sharing of copyrighted materials online, both in music and video, has become commonplace in recent years, creating tension between copyright holders who believe they should control their material and Internet users who wish to share and manipulate the content.Google requested Thursday that the judge reconsider the ruling."We see no reason why Viacom and the other plaintiffs seek or require such information," Google said in a letter filed with the court. "Given plaintiffs' stated reason for seeking information from the logging database ... potentially personal identifiable information should be irrelevant."Google counsel Catherine Lacavera expanded on that point in an e-mailed statement: "We are disappointed the court granted Viacom's overreaching demand for viewing history. We will ask Viacom to respect users' privacy and allow us to anonymize the logs before producing them under the court's order."Viacom officials said the company has not asked for personally identifiable information of any user and that all the data would be handled by its advisers confidentially and used only to prove its case against Google.SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

iPhone users can escape AT&T's contract

For all its cool new features, Apple's iPhone has always rankled some of its most diehard fans because it has been tethered to a two-year service contract with AT&T. Until now.AT&T said Tuesday that the next generation of Apple's touch-screen smart phone will go on sale next week with an option to forgo the two-year contract. But those buyers will have to pay an extra $400 for the favor.IPhone buyers who agree to the two-year contract with AT&T - the only approved telephone and Internet service provider in the United States - will get an 8-GB iPhone for $199 or a 16-GB version for $299. Without the contract and its stiff termination fees, the phones will be priced at $599 and $699.The new iPhones will be sold only in AT&T and Apple stores beginning July 11; none will be sold online. Phones without the two-year contract will be available sometime "in the future," AT&T said, and they'll still be locked into the AT&T network when they are activated.The option of activating the iPhone from home won't be available with the new models, and AT&T is advising customers to arrive at stores ready for a credit check, with a photo ID and Social Security number. The company posted a checklist online (see links.sfgate.com/ZDZM) to help prepare customers.The prices will apply for new customers, original iPhone customers and existing AT&T customers who qualify for an upgrade discount. An upgrade fee of $18 will be charged to existing customers, while new customers will pay the standard $36 activation fee.Upgrade discounts for existing customers will be determined by payment history and the amount of time left on the AT&T contract. Existing customers who don't qualify for the upgrade discount will have to pay $399 or $499 for the 8-GB and 16-GB models, respectively.The cheapest calling plan costs $69.99 a month for 450 anytime minutes and 5,000 night and weekend minutes. That includes unlimited Web browsing and e-mail. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

iPhone 3G on sale 8 a.m. July 11; no-contract iPhone on tap

Looks like we'll have to get up bright and early to buy the new iPhone. Also, AT&T says a "no-commitment" iPhone is "coming soon."First things first: The new iPhone 3G will go on sale at 8 a.m. next Friday at AT&T retail stores and Apple stores. So if you're planning on lining up, you'd better be ready well before sunrise. Also, AT&T has finally clarified pricing for current AT&T subscribers who want the iPhone 3G. In a nutshell, if you're "upgrade eligible" (log into your AT&T account to see if you are), you'll be able to buy the new iPhone for the discounted price of $199 for the 8GB version or $299 for the 16GB model. (AT&T is somewhat vague about the eligibility criteria, although your credit history and the time remaining on your contract are factors.) You'll also have to pay an $18 "upgrade fee."If you're not eligible for the discount, you'll have to fork over extra for an "early upgrade"-$399 for the 8GB iPhone 3G or $499 for the 16GB model. Ouch.AT&T also says that a "no-commitment" (read: no contract) iPhone 3G will be available soon, at $599 for the 8GB version and or $699 for the 16GB handset. Pricey, but hey-no two-year contract. Unfortunately, AT&T won't offer the new iPhone on a prepaid basis, at least not at launch. Some other items: You will have to get your new iPhone activated at the store, and that means a credit check. So bring a photo ID and your Social Security number (especially if you're not yet an AT&T customer). If you want to cut down on the wait, you can go to an AT&T store now and take care of the credit check early. There have been some rumors that current iPhone users could simply register the IMEI number of their new iPhone with AT&T clerks-meaning they could finish activating their phones at home. It's a nice idea, but so far, there's no indication from AT&T that such a plan exists. As for the newly detailed rate plans, there aren't any surprises. Each plan comes bundled with unlimited data; $70 a month gets you 450 minutes and 5,000 night/weekend minutes, while a 900-minute plan with unlimited nights/weekends goes for $90. A 1,350-minute plan will cost $110 per month. Family plans are available, and business data plans will cost $45 a month (versus $30 per month for standard data in the bundled plans). Text messages are extra, too. Individuals pay $5 for 200 texts per month, $15 for 1,500 a month, or $20 for unlimited texting. For family plans, you'll pay $30 a month for unlimited messaging.AT&T also has a checklist of required documentation, fees, and rate plans. Download the PDF here. SOURCE:YAHOO.COM

RACISTS HACK INTO HIP HOP WEB SITES: AllHipHop, SOHH forced to shut down temporarily last week

Hip Hop was under attack in cyberspace late last week by racists who hacked into the sites of llHipHop.com and SOHH.com and swapped out the usual rap-related articles with fake headlines and racial slurs. According to MTV.com, the hackers also swiped personal information about workers at SOHH.com.Both Web sites were first infiltrated early last week through its forum pages, and both were forced to shut down temporarily on Friday. Taking credit for the crime is a party identifying itself as "Anonymous." "AllHipHop and SOHH, two pioneering Web sites that have been in the industry for over 10 years, are appalled by the unprovoked racist attacks of these cyber terrorists," said AllHipHop co-founders Chuck Creekmur and Greg Watkings in a statement released late Friday. "With all the social strides that we have seen for several years, it is sad to see that this sort of blatant, hateful racism still exists in 2008 — a time of tremendous possibility. Together, AllHipHop and SOHH are committed to relentlessly pursuing these attackers, using every resource available, to ensure the capture of these criminals and prevention of repeat offenses." SOURCE:EURWEB.COM      

Comcast, TWC test curbs on heavy Internet use

Time Warner Cable and Comcast are launching tests this week of new management controls for bandwidth consumption -- alternatives to the approach of throttling packets outright, though they may not prove to be any more popular. Both major cable ISPs are limiting their tests for now to just a few places in the US. Yesterday, it was learned that TWC plans to try out a new metered billing scheme that will charge users on the basis of individual bandwidth consumption. Although the metered approach could curb usage among some subscribers, the cable firm might also stand to gain some extra revenues among those willing to pay the price. Elsewhere, Comcast has announced plans to test a method of controlling traffic problems that slows file transfer speeds for individual heavy users during peak times of Internet use. Comcast's tests are slated to start on Friday in Chambersbug, Pennsylvania and Warrenton, Virginia. Meanwhile, Comcast is still officially under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission on charges that it has been blocking P2P file transfers. During FCC hearings, Comcast has denied blocking any Web site, application, or protocol. Beginning Thursday, TWC subscribers in Beaumont, Texas, will be given monthly "allowances" for the amount of data they upload and download. Those who exceed the limit will be required to pay $1 per gigabyte. SOURCE: BetaNEWS.COM

Mozilla Unveils Firefox 3.0 TODAY

After several beta releases and a planned bid for the Guinness Book of World Records, Firefox 3.0 has arrived.As of 1pm EST Tuesday, users can download the latest version of the open-source browser, which includes an improved book marking system and drop-down search returns in the URL bar, among other features.Aesthetically, the browser is not drastically different from its predecessor. The forward and back buttons have been altered, while the browser buttons and window frames have also been redesigned to conform to the look of a user's operating system, but not much else has changed. On the features front, the drop-down URL bar – dubbed the Awesome Bar – offers suggestions of possible Web sites as you type your search query.Version three offers a three-tier book marking system: bookmark stars allow for one-click favorites; bookmark tags all you to add details to your favorites; and bookmark folders are saved searches that update when you add new items matching that search to your bookmarks, according to Mozilla.Download manager has also been revamped and now includes the ability to pause and resume downloads, search through downloaded files, obtain more detailed file information, and revisit the original download page.Firefox 3.0 also boasts improved color profiles, font and text rendering, and zooming capabilities, as well as malware and phishing protection, Mozilla said.Developers will also be able to create Web SOURCE:PCMAG.COM

Taking Control of Repairing Your Computer

LEMONADE and computer keyboards do not mix. I learned that the hard way a few weeks ago, when my stepdaughter accidentally spilled some onto her iBook laptop. Over the phone, I told her how to remove the keyboard and blot up the mess. But even after the lemonade dried, the iBook didn’t work properly. The spill had precipitated a virtual stroke: the laptop could no longer connect to the outside Internet world, its screen was dim, and when Stacey tried to type, evryling cme out lke tis. A local repair shop said a new keyboard would cost $200 installed, and it would take two weeks. Googling “iBook keyboard repair,” I found a Web site selling parts to help people fix their own computers. The next morning, I received a new keyboard, and 10 minutes later, I had it installed — at half the cost and with virtually no downtime. While personal computers rival the brain’s neural complexity, you do not need to be a neurosurgeon to fix one. Many parts can be easily replaced at home for a fraction of what a professional would charge. According to Paul Reynolds, the electronics editor for Consumer Reports, consumers should not bother fixing a PC when the cost equals about half the price of a new machine. And that number is easy to reach. Having a shop replace a laptop’s L.C.D. screen, for example, can easily run up to $600. Doing it yourself might cost $200, and a few hours of research and labor. From adding memory to replacing a motherboard, repair tasks often require little more than patience, organization and a couple of small screwdrivers. There is a downside to doing it yourself. If you guess wrong and replace a part that is not causing the problem, you will have wasted time and perhaps money. But many hardware problems are fairly easy to diagnose. SOURCE: NYTIMES

Questions over extent of YouTube blockade

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Conflicting reports emerged out of Pakistan on Tuesday over the duration of a Pakistani government block on the video-sharing Web site YouTube for showing a "highly blasphemous Dutch" video.The video, which the Pakistani Telecommunications Authority described as "highly provocative" and "anti-Quranic," featured Dutch politician Geert Wilders and had "the potential to cause more unrest and possible loss of life and property across the country," PTA said in a statement on its Web site."PTA believes that the said footage absolutely stands against the values of religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence arousing deep anguish and distress across the Muslim world."Wilders, a far-right Dutch lawmaker, announced last month that he would release an anti-Islam film. Both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have expressed concern that the film would spark global protests and riots.The Pakistan government is asking YouTube to remove the "objectionable content," said Nabiha Mehmood, a spokeswoman for the PTA.She said the government would reinstate access to the video-sharing site if YouTube complied with the request. But YouTube, in a statement, only referred to access problems for about two hours on Sunday.YouTube's statement did not address the Pakistani government blocking access to its site. It said that an issue related to its site in Pakistan affected access to YouTube for users around the globe for about two hours on Sunday."Traffic to YouTube was routed according to erroneous Internet protocols, and many users around the world could not access our site," the statement said.YouTube added: "We have determined that the source of these events was a network in Pakistan. We are investigating and working with others in the Internet community to prevent this from happening again."The government said it decided to block the video after senior representatives from several ministries of the Pakistani government met, according to a statement on the PTA Web site. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Net worth Heavy bandwidth users could change way ISPs bill for time

Until now. The growing popularity of video on the Net has driven a traffic increase that's putting strains on service providers, particularly cable companies. To deal with it, they have had to change the way they convey Internet data. And they've done this in secret, raising concerns -- by Web companies, consumer groups and the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission -- that the nature of the Internet is being altered in ways that are difficult to divine.But as traffic grows, there are signs that these subtle and secret controls are insufficient and will give way to more overt measures. For instance, we could find ourselves paying not just for the speed of our connection, but for how much we download. Already, some ISPs are hindering file-sharing traffic, and AT&T Inc. is talking about blocking pirated content.The issue is coming to a head this year, as the FCC is investigating complaints from consumer groups and legal scholars that Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable ISP, secretly hampered file sharing by its subscribers. File sharing, which allows Internet users to download movies, music and software among each other with software like BitTorrent and KaZaa, has been a haven for piracy, though legal uses are proliferating as well.By interfering with traffic, the groups said, Comcast is determining what will and won't work, violating the Internet's unwritten tradition of "net neutrality" -- the principle that traffic be treated equally.The FCC has adopted a broad policy that Internet service providers can't block specific applications. But its interpretation of that statement is not clear, because it hasn't had to rule on a similar case. Crucially, the policy makes an exemption for "reasonable traffic management," which Comcast says its practices fall under.The FCC case will be closely watched by ISPs, because it appears that most of them use some kind of traffic management -- slowing down less time-sensitive traffic, like file sharing -- to keep Web surfing snappy. Whereas earlier doom scenarios for the Internet mostly concerned the "highways" that move traffic around the country, the chokepoints that are appearing are actually close to our homes. It's your neighbors that are the problem."The increasing use of bandwidth by a minority is an increasingly important issue for all ISPs," said Time Warner Cable Inc. spokesman Alex Dudley.Time Warner Cable reserves the right to limit the bandwidth available to applications like file sharing and manage traffic in other ways, but it won't say what it does for fear competitors could attack that in their marketing.Internet service providers and consumer advocates agree that some form of network management, also called "traffic shaping," can be good for everybody. Not all Internet traffic has the same level of urgency. It makes sense for the service providers to give priority to a voice call, which needs a steady stream of quickly delivered data, over a movie download.This is unusual territory for telecommunications providers -- in the old telephone network, some phone calls aren't generally prioritized over others. Prioritization makes the Internet more like the postal system, where you pay for delivery speed and quality of service.The goal for ISPs is to ensure that "some bandwidth hog can't knock your mom off, who's just trying to get her e-mail," said Rob Malan, founder of Arbor Networks, a Lexington, Mass., a company that supplies the gear ISPs use to identify and prioritize traffic. The company is quick to point out that its products don't work in the way that's drawn FCC scrutiny to Comcast.But the heavy veil of secrecy ISPs lay over their practices make it very hard to evaluate what they are doing.Arbor Networks said it has 160 customers worldwide for traffic prioritization. It has been able to reveal the names of some overseas clients, but no U.S. customer is willing to be identified.When users complained to Comcast about file-sharing not working, the company would not acknowledge the problem. Only after an Associated Press investigation brought attention to the issue in October did Comcast disclose it was temporarily blocking some file-sharing attempts. It updated its online Terms of Service on Jan. 25., without telling customers, to include a statement about how it may limit file-sharing. SOURCE OF THIS STORY 

All-you-can surf Web buffet overrun

One way of looking at it is this: Internet service providers have been serving us an all-you-can-eat buffet for years. That has worked great because they've had more food than they knew what to do with, and we've enjoyed the simplicity of a flat price and our pick of the dishes.But every year our appetites have been growing. Some of us have turned into real gluttons, taking advantage of the pricing to eat 10 times as much as the majority of customers. The food is running out, and diners are starting to get in each other's way at the table.Now, Internet service providers are starting to limit the availability of dishes that are popular with the big eaters (controlling traffic). They're also considering telling us to stick to two helpings per person (limiting monthly downloads). And they might end up doing both.The consumer ISPs at the forefront of these trends are cable providers. Comcast Corp. has become the poster case for traffic control by hampering some file sharing, and Time Warner Cable Inc. is testing monthly bandwidth caps.This is hardly an accident, because congestion is a greater threat to cable companies.In the basic configuration, each cable serves about 500 households, which share about 40 megabits per second of download capacity. If each household gets Internet service with a maximum download speed of 10 mbps, that means four of them downloading at full speed can saturate the connection."Fundamentally, the cable companies have come at this from kind of a disadvantage," said Rob Malan, chief technology officer of Arbor Networks, which provides traffic-management equipment. "One greedy person on that network knocks the whole neighborhood off line."Cable companies can employ various tricks to increase capacity. For instance, they can devote additional channels to data, or they can "split the node" to reduce the number of households on each cable. A new modem technology called Docsis 3.0, which is starting to roll out this year, can increase download capacity on a cable to 160 mbps.Of course, these solutions cost money. Stan Schatt, an analyst at ABI Research, estimates that cable providers need to spend $24 billion through 2012 to upgrade their networks.Phone companies like AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., which operate digital subscriber lines, aren't immune to congestion. But since phone lines aren't shared, bottlenecks for DSL service are deeper in the system, on routers and fiber-optic links that are easier to upgrade.It's nothing new that cable and phone companies have sold more bandwidth than they can provide to everyone at the same time. The practice of "oversubscription" is as old as telecommunications, and it's the only way to build a network consumers can afford. The phone network, after all, has never been able to handle everyone trying to call at once.

Meanwhile, Internet use keeps climbing, with video being the big driver in recent years. Google Inc.'s YouTube, which started in 2005, already accounts for about 10 percent of Internet traffic, according to Ellacoya Networks (which is being acquired by Arbor Networks).SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Postal Agencies Respond to Mail Decline

Because many people around the world are like Sellers, the U.S. Postal Service and its counterparts in other countries are tapping technology to cut costs and expand into electronic services including services designed to attract more "junk" mail. In the United States, first-class mail volume has dropped 7 percent since 2001 an average of 1.3 billion fewer letters, postcards and bills each year. A 15 percent boost in bulk advertising and other discounted mailings has so far offset only some of the loss in revenue. Many postal agencies are having to serve more households because their nations' populations are growing but are getting less mail to deliver to each, said Dean Pope, general manager of business development at Canada Post. "In order to sustain business in that formula, you have to find new services and products and find new revenue growth opportunities," he said. One of those new services is Canada Post's Borderfree program, which allows Canadians to buy items from U.S. e-commerce partners, pay in Canadian currency and know all taxes and fees ahead of time. Borderfree takes packages from U.S. hubs through Canadian customs and delivers them in Canada. In France, La Poste will print e-mails customers send in and deliver them to physical mailboxes with registered notes and time stamps. Tunisia's postal service offers a pre-charged payment service for paying utility bills and buying things online. In Italy, a new digital certification service at Poste Italiane archives loan documents for banks so that years after a transaction a party can retrieve the original document with an electronic postmark as proof of its authenticity. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Silicon Insider: Yahoo -- A Company in Crisis

There's no Yahoo! for Yahoo! these days. The online giant, which has already survived one of the greatest melt-downs in high tech history and come roaring back, now once again appears to be looking down into the abyss. The company's stock is plummeting -- down nearly 30 percent since the summer, when the company booted long-time CEO Terry Semel. The company is bleeding market share to arch-rival Google -- down 6 percent from a year ago (everyone in the search field is losing to Google, but none as fast as Yahoo). And when the company announces its fourth quarter financials Tuesday, they are expected to be bleak indeed, and it is widely assumed that they will be accompanied by lay-offs -- several hundred according to some sources, up 2,500 according to stock analyst Henry Blodget. Meanwhile, Wired.com is predicting that the co-founder and current interim CEO Jerry Yang will likely soon get shoved out of the execs chair to be replaced by long-time CFO and current president Susan Decker. In other words, Yahoo is looking like a company slowing spinning down into disaster. Needless to say, this is not a good time to be in trouble. Healthy companies get dragged kicking and screaming into recessions, they have war chests set aside full of money to fund R&D during the slow times, they manage their lay-offs instead of being managed by them, and they position themselves to come powering out of the downturn ahead of their competitors gobbling up market share as they go. Right now, if Yahoo has anything going for it, it is that some of its current crisis is being camouflaged by the general economic slide, especially in advertising. Moreover, as I suggested recently, Google, whose own stock is also slipping from its nosebleed heights, is heading for its own fall -- driven not by a failure of the business model, but a growing internal character crisis -- and Google's decline may perversely buoy Yahoo's fortunes. SOURCE OF THIS STORY