THE LWVCT MEDIA
STUDY: Concurrence achieved a long time ago!
League
has been thinking about
Net Neutrality and related subjects for a while!
C O N T E N T S
- WHAT'S NEW...
- Fall Conference on
E-Democracy: A 21st Century Citizen's Right to Know and
Participate STREAMING HERE!
- More
new stuff
- link
here
to report on high speed internet
access in U.S.A. as of 2006 - compare this to what I-BBC reports: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7114728.stm#anchor
- INTRO to
the topic: inspired by Free Press' presentation at LWVCT Convention
'07...
- Which
Committee is in charge of these issues in the U.S. House of
Representatives?
- Tech info;
- THE
NEXT GENERATION - WIMAX - modem for laptop,
alternative possibly the real alternative to WiFi (no technical
problems) - similar speeds to DSL (?)
- CT
news.
- WiFi
locations and cost (if not
FREE). NOTE: not
an all-encompassing list - http://pcworld.jiwire.com/
- More on
WiFi in CT.
- Background
reports on WiFi and Media
Study
matters...
E-Democracy:
A 21st Century Citizen's Right to Know and Participate...LWVCT Fall
Conference
If you want to participate in the
League of Women Voters Media Study, JOIN the Weston LWV HERE:
LEFT TO RIGHT:
Keynote speaker CT Att'y General Richard Blumenthal, Jon Bartholomew of
Common Cause, Tony Riddle of Alliance for Community Media, Alexandra
Russell of Free Press
WATCH THESE GREAT
PRESENTERS! This
program is 2 hours and 20 minutes long.
DIRECTIONS:
Click on the appropriate link below, depending on whether you have a
broadband (cable or dsl) internet connection, or a dialup modem
connection. The video is in Windows Media Player format. If
you are using Internet Explorer, and have Windows Media Player
installed on your computer, the program should begin playing shortly
after you click on the link. With some other browsers, such as
Firefox, the entire download will have to occur before the program will
begin playing. That may take considerable time, depending on the
speed of your connection. The files are very large, due to the
length of the program! The broadband version is 354 mB
(megaBytes) in size, and the dialup version is 54 mB. If your
computer does not have Windows Media Player installed, you can download
and install it from www.microsoft.com. Microsoft
has a version of WMP for Apple as well as for Windows computers.
Once the download
process has completed, but not before, you will be able to skip around
to arbitrary points within the program, by dragging the position slider
in the Player program.
Cable or DSL:
http://www.lwvweston.org/LWVCT12-1-07CableVersion.wmv
Dial
Up:
http://www.lwvweston.org/LWVCT12-1-07ModemVersion.wmv
FALL
CONFERENCE 2007:
E-Democracy: A 21st Century
Citizen's Right to Know and Participate
At
the Capitol, Saturday morning, December 1, 2007 9am to Noon in
the Old Judiciary Room...CT State Capitol, 210 Capitol Avenue,
Hartford. Interest around the country in the program - example here.
HOW DID IT GO? WATCH
IT AT THE LINKS ABOVE!!!
It
was fantastic,
AG great, other speakers super and audience q&a spectacular (and
the Old Judiciary Room was packed)!!! President
Jara Burnett started us off, reporting on the Media Study's near
completion and preparation for presentation to Local Leagues.
Kathy Wilson of the Hartford LWV moderated most ably.
Food for thought as LWVCT Media Study Committee prepares final document
for member Concurrence! It was truly inspiring to hear
Att'y General Blumenthal thank the League for letting him talk about
deep and serious issues for our democracy (rather than consumer issues
only as his portfolio as CT AG lets him do usually).
Common Cause was delighted to hear what CT and its AG were up to;
PEG specialist from Alliance
for
Community Media in D.C.
was SUPER and
had the full background
about PEG--where its been and where it must go. Advocating for
the people, Alliance for Community Media was thoughtful and gave the
Study Committee some direction.
A rousing presentation by Free Press (reminding us that the League is
an organization that she admires and sees as an invaluable ally in this
push for an open Internet)...
---------------
Keynote Speaker: CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal -
get some background here;
Watch Ben Scott
of Free Press speak about net neutrality on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ladtEC-G7pU
and...on
the
iPod hearings at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8hxJ73320M
STAMFORD
WIFI
A way to support universal access in
compact areas - all you need is a laptop and a library card.
It
works
like this: in a part of the downtown of Stamford, CT: from
public buildings and public spaces, DSL access is free to anyone with a
CT Library card. Within a circle of connectivity, users may
access the Internet free. The spot where this started is Stamford
Library, then to City
Hall and to parks andpublic plazas, hopefully from roof tops to the
train station.
This is an experiment of "One Coast, One Future," and a similar WIFI
experiment is up and running @ a train station in Norwalk; there
should be something going on in Bridgeport, too.
DEFINITION
AND LEXICON FROM THE
SOURCE
Questions about the subject of
"WIFI":
In the
U.S.A.? In Connecticut?
What role
does population density play?
Topography?
Is it a
good
option in
remote areas otherwise underserved by commercial providers?
- What
is government's role?
Entry
level ones here in Connecticut, the "Land
of Steady
Habits":
AVAILABLE AT LWVCT
OFFICES... video of LWVCT
Convention 2007 activity in main meeting room, (for those Leagues not
able to be at the one-day event)...
freepress
speaker at LWVCT
Convention '07 tells their version of the story...POWER POINT
presentation here!
The who, what, when, where, why, and how of Wi-Fi; "Net
Neutrality" - where WiFi fits into the new
LWVCT Study.
WiFi?
Why not!
Read research
study that raises the major
questions (in the Executive Summary) and gives an excellent overview...
(found via Google from footnotes on "Broadband" - Wikipedia).
Got kitchenware? (i.e. WOKTENNA) -
instructions below:
Make
2.4GHz parabolic mesh dishes from cheap but sturdy Chinese
cookware scoops & a USB WiFi adaptor! The largest so called "WIFRY"
or "WOKTENNA" (12"= 300mm diam) shows 12-15dB gain (enough
for a LOS
range extension to 3-5km),costs ~US$5 & comes with a user friendly
bamboo handle that suits WLAN fieldwork- if you can handle the curious
stares! Neater boutique versions may better appeal indors.
What is
it ("WiFi")?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi
Some
more on
what it is...
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wireless-network.htm
TECHNICAL
INFO:
Want to talk like a Wi-Fi techie? Some
words you should know...
What
is "bluetooth?" Bad
circulation in your teeth?
Here's a link to another "glossary"...here is annd
more definitions of computer terms; another!
Wi-Fi Alliance - its the IEEE
802.11a-g and an "n" version is forthcoming, according to our
technical consultant - on the web: http://wi-fi.org/
A Subect of
Interest All Over The World
http://www.wifinetnews.com/
Bluetooth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
BLOGGING IT:
http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/
We
found this niche blog article - blog itself has now been merged into
the The Wireless Report (www.thewirelessreport.com), which covers all
things wireless - http://wifi.weblogsinc.com/2006/01/24/two-u-s-cities-make-top-10-hotspot-list/
B A C K G R O U N D R E
P O R T S . . .
THE
BASICS:
Most
users know they need a laptop that's equipped with a wireless card to
connect to a WiFi network. Here are some other tips about how to get a
strong signal from a citywide system.
•
Look
for a node: Before you subscribe, look to see where the closest node is
to your building. If it's within eyesight, you're more likely to get a
strong signal.
• Work by
a window: If possible, use your computer near a window on the first or
second floor. You won't get a signal from the middle of a building with
no windows.
• Use a
CPE: To get a signal indoors, use a wireless router called a CPE, or
customer-premise equipment, that strengthens the signal. EarthLink
offers one at no charge to customers who sign up for a one-year
subscription and sells them to other customers for $69.95.
Source:
Chronicle research
THE DEVIL IS IN THE
DETAILS: So how do you think the
lobbyist who wrote this bill defined "high speed?" The same way
the writer made sure to link CT the present Federal standards?
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2008/TOB/H/2008HB-05682-R00-HB.htm
New
Position:
LWVCT
Internet/Media Study Concurrence Statement
Approved by the
LWVCT Board 4/1/2008
A
Neutral Internet: "Net Neutrality"
The LWVCT
believes that a free and open Internet is increasingly important to the
protection of individual liberties – freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, and freedom of association – guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution
and by the Connecticut Constitution. The League also believes
that net neutrality protections are essential for political discourse,
dissemination of news, and democratic participation. Therefore,
the League of Women Voters of Connecticut supports the LWVUS position
to protect the open, neutral, nondiscriminatory nature of the
Internet. To further this position, the LWVCT supports efforts by
the State of Connecticut to protect the open, neutral,
nondiscriminatory nature of the Internet.
Universal
High Speed Internet Access for Connecticut
The League of
Women Voters supports making high speed Internet access available to
all Connecticut residents, without charge, through schools, libraries,
and other secure public buildings. High speed affordable Internet
access is an essential service that should be readily available to all
Connecticut residents and businesses. State and local government
policies should support broadband, wireless, and other means of high
speed Internet deployment throughout the state.
Efficient, high
speed access to the Internet for all Connecticut residents-regardless
of geographic location or neighborhood demographics-is a necessity for
assuring equal access to local and state government, for maintaining
openness and transparency in government activities, for communicating
with legislative leaders, for engaging in political discourse, for
competing in the global marketplace, and for assuring that voters
receive the information they need to participate in our democracy.
Community
Access and Public Affairs TV:
Public,
Educational, and Governmental (PEG) TV & the Connecticut Network
(CT-N)
The League of
Women Voters believes that community access television channels – for
public, educational, and governmental programming – must be adequately
protected, promoted, and funded, regardless of the provider of TV/video
services to Connecticut residents. Statewide public affairs
programming, such as provided by The Connecticut Network (CT-N), must
be adequately protected, promoted, and funded by the state legislature
and available to all Connecticut residents, regardless of the provider
of TV/video services. Government should provide opportunities for
citizen participation in decisions regarding community access, or PEG,
TV.
Access to the
public airwaves through modem TV/video communication is essential to
the public interest and to League of Women Voters’ mission and purpose-
to protect civil liberties, to ensure open, transparent government, and
to promote the public’s right to know. To protect the public
interest, high quality PEG transmission and PEG availability on basic
service tiers are essential.