Getting a lock on broadband
Salon story.

The Federal Communications Commission is quietly handing over control of the broadband Internet to a handful of massive corporations. Fifth in a series of articles on BigCo’s moves to control the Net.

The RIP Act really begins to bite
Guardian story.

“The news in the UK this week that surveillance powers are to be handed to a host of government departments and other groups takes the use of data retention – the keeping of detailed information on how and with whom we are communicating – to a level not seen anywhere else in the world.

The new UK proposals would allow bodies ranging from the Home Office and local councils to Consignia and fire authorities to access the records. “

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“A draft order to be debated by MPs next Tuesday reveals that ministers want the list of organisations empowered to demand communications data to be expanded to include seven Whitehall departments, every local authority in the country, NHS bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and 11 other public bodies ranging from the postal services commission to the food standards agency. Until now, the list included only police forces, the intelligence services, customs and excise and the inland revenue. ”

What happens when the 2.4GHz band becomes so congested that it’s unusable?

Bob Cringeley can sometimes be irritating (because of the way he makes himself a central part of any story), but even his sternest critic has to admit that he’s very good at explaining complex issues. As here, for example. The basic puzzle is this: according to reliable sources, a company called Fusion Lighting has developed a new kind of street lamp. It gives off radiation in the unregulated 2.4GHz band used by 802.11b — so much so that it is claimed that a single bulb can shut down WiFi nets with half a mile. Why then, asks Cringeley, is the WiFi industry not up in arms about this outrageous threat to its technology? Answer: because the industry has already sussed that 802.11b is on its way to commodification (i.e. low profit margins) and would like to move us quickly onto 802.11a — more expensive (and therefore more profitable) kit operating in the 5GHz band. Hmmm… sounds plausible.