Broadband News and Updates	Related: Internet News , Wireless and Mobile
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Samsung Unveils 'Galaxy Tab' Tablet - Will have embedded phone capabilities, likely sold through Verizon		Thu, Sep 2 10:56 AM
Samsung today unveiled their response to the Apple iPad: the Galaxy Tab. Unlike the iPad, the Android-powered device has two cameras, is a bit smaller (7.5 by 4.7 by .5 inches) and lighter (13.4 ounces), and actually operates as a phone. As such, the device will be offered through a phone partner, rumored to be Verizon. It's not clear yet if it's exclusive, given specs indicate it supports HSDPA and HSUPA (which could mean AT&T/T-Mobile, or it could simply mean European carrier support). Much like the recent netbook craze, you can expect this to be the opening salvo in a wave of subsidized tablets tied to carriers aimed at locking users into long-term contracts. Motorola and HTC are also rumored to be developing Android tablets for use on Verizon's network. read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
AT&T Forgets They Began The Network Neutrality Debate - Then calls people "conspiracy theorists" for pointing it out		Thu, Sep 2 09:08 AM
Consumer group Free Press is apparently hitting some of AT&T's buttons this week, if this missive from AT&T lobbyist Hank Hultquist is any indication. Hultquist this week attacked the consumer group as a purveyor of "Da Vinci Code conspiracy theories" for a recent letter the group wrote to the FCC that points out how AT&T's long-standing dream of "paid prioritization" could be bad for consumers. In it, Free Press notes they don't oppose intelligent network management, just paid prioritization: In a network where congestion is a somewhat rare occurrence, paid-priority treatment holds little value for third parties. Allowing ISPs to abuse their terminating access monopoly power by charging for paid prioritization directly produces the incentive to create scarcity. Policies that reward and encourage a steady state of scarcity are of course not a recipe for closing the digital divide through buildout and network expansion. AT&T retorted by trying to conflate QOS network management (which, especially in more intelligent modern incarnations, few if any oppose) with paid prioritization, or an ISP charging content companies an extra surcharge if they wish to have their content reach AT&T customers more quickly. AT&T also accuses the group of being inconsistent conspiracy theorists -- simply for pointing out AT&T's long-documented ambitions on this front: One sometimes hears...that the introduction of paid prioritization would enable ISPs to turn best effort Internet transmission into a "dirt road" and force virtually the entire Internet ecosystem to "pay extra" for prioritized transmission. Why would ISPs require such an elaborate scheme to raise rates if they have the market power attributed to them by the CoENN? Yet now Free Press seems to suggest that ISPs would restrict prioritization to only a few "deep-pocketed Internet giants." While I enjoy the Da Vinci Code conspiracy theories as much as the next blogger, I do expect at least some superficial consistency. Why would an entrenched, incredibly powerful duopoly carrier impose an "elaborate scheme" to milk more money out of consumers and businesses that already pay for bandwidth? To make more money, of course. While the Free Press is certainly known for occasional hyperbole, suggesting that AT&T could abuse their market position using paid prioritization certainly isn't conspiracy material. It's not even controversial. AT&T enjoys ignoring this fact: AT&T started the entire network neutrality debate in 2005 by proclaiming that they were going to charge content companies (who already pay for bandwidth) an extra, nonsensical toll to reach AT&T customers quickly. Thanks predominantly to lobbyist distortion, the debate has grown into a ridiculous, often-incoherent monster since then. However, it should be remembered that it was AT&T's vocalized desire to act as a bridge troll that began the network neutrality debate, and the original goal of network neutrality rules was to prevent AT&T from abusing its duopoly/monopoly power to extort passers by. Update: The IETF also thinks AT&T's conclusions are misleading: The current chair of the IETF, Russ Housley, disagrees with AT&T's assessment. "AT&T's characterization is misleading," Housley said. "IETF prioritization technology is geared toward letting network users indicate how they want network providers to handle their traffic, and there is no implication in the IETF about payment based on any prioritization." read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
Virgin Mobile's New $40 Prepaid Data Plan Has Huge Issues - Fluctuating speeds, page load issues...		Thu, Sep 2 07:02 AM
While that new Virgin Mobile $40 unlimited prepaid data plan looks great on the surface, users in our forums note that they're having a lot of problems not only ordering the plan, but actually using the plan for web browsing. Not only did Virgin Mobile botch the initial launch, but users are reporting inconsistent and often pathetic speeds with the service (as in, sometimes struggling to best dial-up era speeds). One consistent complaint by users is that routing or caching server overload is resulting in incomplete page loads during browsing: There are definitive problems with Virgin Mobile's unlimited offering now. I can confirm the problems exist whether you use their usb modem or their mifi. I bought the usb modem, and I had trouble, so I exchanged it for a mifi, and I continue to have trouble. Pages will not load at times. When they do load, it is usually after having to refresh several times. Images do not load well, and Flash-heavy sites bog down. I have Millenicom, too, and I am not having any of these issues with Millenicom. Seriously, the Virgin service is so poor, that I am considering cancelling after only two days. A consistent complaint among Virgin Mobile users is that despite running on Sprint's network, Virgin Mobile service is immeasurably poorer than using Sprint's network directly. Many users in the same location find no performance issues when using Millenicom, another Sprint-powered no contract prepaid operator. We've dropped a line to Virgin Mobile to inquire about some of these problems. Impacted users (many of whom complain the company does not respond to e-mail support requests) may find some help by contacting Virgin Mobile's Twitter representative. read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
Thursday Morning Lnks -		Thu, Sep 2 06:19 AM
Google Sued Over Nexus One 3G Connectivity Issues ubergizmo.com Should public Wi-Fi access be 'free'? zdnet.com Global broadband cost disparity must be addressed itpro.co.uk NJ Transit hoping to add Wi-Fi to commute northjersey.com Apple's iOS beats Android 6:1 on the Web networkworld.com Is Falsely Being Accused Of File Sharing With An Automated Pre-Settlement Letter A Form Of Harassment? techdirt.com AT&T calls net neutrality advocate a conspiracy theorist theinquirer.net Intel goes all in on wireless with Infineon deal, but will it pay off? fiercewireless.com Rumor Mill: Verizon bringing prepaid to Blackberry. Android phones fiercewireless.com (Not so) Crazy Microsoft Rumors: A new Zune HD? zdnet.com		DSLreports - front page
Can't Get Verizon 15 Mbps DSL? You're Not Alone. - That 7,000 foot drop off is a real doozy		Thu, Sep 2 06:03 AM
For many people in our forums, Verizon's new announcement of 15 Mbps ADSL2+ service doesn't mean a whole lot, given they're beyond the 7,000 foot range the service is restricted to. Many are already barely able to get 1.5 Mbps downstream; Rob Pegoraro of the Washington Post tested the addresses of thirteen friends in the DC area, none of which are able to get the upgrade. Sector analyst Dave Burstein reiterates that those who can't get these faster speeds -- probably shouldn't hold their breath: Given that the majority of customers are beyond the 7,000 foot cutoffs for the 10-15 meg service, that means they have ADSL2+ to about a third of the network. Most of the rest are behind remote terminals or connected to DSLAMS 5-12 years old, neither of which are scheduled for volume upgrades. . .Experience from Britain, France and the UK has been that almost no one gets the 20 & 24 megabits possible with ADSL2+ and only a minority can even get 10 megabits down. So with no DSL upgrades planned, and FiOS deployment halted with the exception of several large cities, 1.5-7 Mbps DSL is as good as it's going to get for millions of Verizon customers. If you're in a FiOS neighborhood, or are able to get 10 Mbps downstream via Verizon ADSL2+, consider yourself lucky. read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
Verizon's Stubborn Refusal To Compete In Prepaid Space - Competing on price would apparently be beneath their station...		Thu, Sep 2 05:45 AM
Verizon has so far shrugged off the idea of offering unlimited, pre-paid broadband service, and their recently unveiled $80 for 5GB prepaid plan looks ridiculously uncompetitive next to new offers from Virgin Mobile, Clearwire's new Rover prepaid brand, Millenicom and soon, MetroPCS' looming prepaid LTE services. One analyst tells Light Reading that Verizon's reluctance to compete in the space is because once they begin competing on price -- they'll have to continue to do so: "When you lump Verizon and AT&T together, and you own 60 percent of the mobile market, and there are these little companies with 10 percent of your subscriber count who are coming in with lower pricing plans, you can't afford to drop your prices," Bluestein says. "It will be a world of hurt when you have that kind of share. Strategically it makes sense that they would do anything to avoid competing pricewise and valuewise. As such, Verizon will be throwing a limited number of prepaid-fueled Droid, Palm and Blackberry handsets at the problem. Verizon and AT&T have been able to avoid taking a hit from this prepaid space because of coverage -- and because they've generally had a better selection of handsets, though this is slowly changing. As handset availability broadens and Verizon and AT&T make their hard turn toward the postpaid low caps and high overage plan pricing model, a growing number of users may find prepaid appealing. Update: Of course if you're Verizon, you might not need to bother competing in the space, given the kinds of problems users are having with Virgin Mobile's newest prepaid offer. read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
FCC Delays Neutrality Rulemaking - Given they'd have no authority to enforce said rules...		Thu, Sep 2 05:24 AM
The FCC yesterday issued a public notice today (pdf) that claims to be looking to clarify several definitions in the network neutrality debate. Of course what the agency is really doing is delaying any real decision on new network neutrality rules -- given they lack the proper authority to enforce them after their court loss to Comcast. Instead, the FCC's working hard behind the scenes on their effort to partially reclassify ISPs as common carriers, after which (assuming they can navigate the gauntlet of deep-pocketed carrier lobbyists fighting the idea) they'll be able to craft traffic non-discrimination rules they can actually enforce. In other words, sometime around 2027. read comment(s)		DSLreports - front page
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