FCC classifies wireless broadband as information service (PDF): This is to give it regulatory parity and privileges to cable, DSL, and fiber services--all wireline. It's unclear to me whether this gives wireless ISPs and metro-scale service providers better or worse access to pole rights, as I thought telecom services get nondiscriminatory access under the Telecom Act of 1996, but information services are in a different category. Any experts out there?
New York Times has more on FCC chair's disinterest in cell calls in-flight: Seems like chair Martin will cite the technical issue of tower handoffs to keep the ban on in-flight mobile calling, even though the on-board picocell would resolve that, as has been shown in testing. Nonetheless, thank all that is good in the universe.
Mesh placement via Google Earth: Interesting piece at GigaOm about the use of Google Earth in placing and monitoring Wi-Fi mesh networks. Katie Fehrenbacher writes about an Indian network operator that used Google Earth to plan its 20 sq km Strix mesh rollout in Mumbai. SkyPilot and Meraki also make use of the Google mapping software. Google Earth is the scariest and coolest piece of software I've seen since the original Mozilla.
Kissimmee, I'm wireless! The Florida town is adding Wi-Fi to the airport and downtown.
The Dalles (Ore.) issues muni RFP: The city has interesting historic roots due to its placement on the Columbia River. Google recently built a mammoth data center there in the midst of its typical secrecy, which should be anathema to government (sorry, wrong planet), and yet to which local municipalities are catering all over to avoid scotching the deals.
You're definitely not the only one who thinks Google Earth is among the coolest pieces of software!
I was thinking though it may be cooler if the digital cameras of the future shipped with GPS chips. The idea being that every photo taken could be tagged with the exact coordinates [and angle if possible]. Cameras could then be synched with Google Earth, placing pictures in their geographically precise locations. Eventually, with billions of pictures uploaded, you'll hopefully have an actual ground-level view of Earth that you could tour [as in Second Life]. It would be the largest 3-dimensional puzzle ever created; the best part though is we'd know where every piece goes. And, of course, it would be awesome for spying on other countries ;)
I understand Google's need for secrecy, but their Google Earth folks fuzzed out the whole quadrangle that covers most of Wasco County - pan to the areas east and west from The Dalles, and you can almost read license numbers, looking at Wasco County pulls your eyeballs from their sockets. I wish they were a bit more selective!
In paragraph 62, the FCC notes that "Although we do not reach the question of the applicability of section 224 [federal pole attachment] when an entity is solely providing wireless broadband Internet access services, we note that that issue may be addressed in other pending Commission proceedings."
I think / hope that the FCC will make clear that mandatory pole attachment oversight should go beyond simple telecommunications services - it's an outdated distinction these days.