New FCC Broadband Rules

Via: The Washington Post and Digital Trends


The FCC has proposed redefining the term "Broadband".

Currently, ISP companies have to supply 4 Mps download and 1 Mps to meet that definition.  The FCC has proposed altering that to 10 Mps or even 25 Mps.


There are people rejoicing about this online because it will force ISP companies to spend money on infrastructure.

Think about that for a minute.  Do you really think it's a good idea for the Federal Government to have the ability to force American companies to spend billions of dollars?

And it gets worse when you realize that this is being done to benefit two companies: Google and Netflix.

The Government imposing a burden on one company in order to provide a beneficial result to another company is not what is supposed to happen in a free society.


Netflix and Google (through YouTube) combined account for up to 40% of current Internet companies.  They are the ones that need the additional bandwidth, but instead of paying for it themselves they have gone to the Government and apparently found a way to force other companies to pay for the infrastructure they need for their businesses.

Getting the Government to force other companies to pay for your business expenses is nice work, if you can get it.


It gets worse when you realize that Google is not just a content provider.  It is an ISP itself, and in direct competition with the companies hit by this regulation.  The new rules would not affect Google as an ISP provider largely due to the nature of its Internet Service.  It only provides service in a few small areas with high population densities.

Why does that matter?  Well as someone pointed out in the Washington Post comment section, there is a big difference to providing Internet service to an area with dense and sparse populations.

The average connection speed in South Korea is 50 Mps.  Roughly 5 times that in the U.S.  South Korea has a population on 20 Million people in an area the size of Wyoming. 

Wyoming's Population is just over 500,000.  When you break it down on a population basis, the Infrastructure needed to provide service to Wyoming is 40 times as expensive as it is to provide the same service to South Korea.

An ISP could provide 50 Mps service in Wyoming.  It would just have to charge 40 times as much as those in South Korea to do so.


This brings us back to Google and its "Internet Service".

Google Fiber is only available in 2 cities right now and one of those helped with financing.  The exact amount of aid from Kansas City is unknown, but it runs into the millions. 

Other ISPs have to pay 3%-5% of subscription revenues from customers.  Google got a waiver.  Other ISPs cannot put their wires on municipal utility poles.  Google was allowed to do so free of charge.  Kansas City also agreed to provide electricity and space for Google's equipment, free of charge.


Now Google has gone to the FCC and apparently gotten it to force other ISPs to pay for the Infrastructure Google wants to use as a content provider.  How much help do you think they will get from Government? 


Google has perfected getting someone else to pay for its business expenses.  When the Government is involved it's called "Corporate Welfare."

A Prosthetic Leg That's Just Too Cool For Words

I came across this while checking out my RSS feed today: a prosthetic leg design for rock climbing.  This isn't normally the type of subject I comment on but this one is in a class by itself.

Beyond the fact that it allows amputees the ability to engage in physical activity they wouldn't normally be able to participate it, it's just cool looking.

For some behind the scene information on its development, check out the project's design page on Behance.

A Look at Past Fashion Predictions

Brought to you by British Pathe, a look at what people in 1960 though fashion would look like in the year 2000.




The concept here is "The Past in Prolog".  It makes a certain amount of sense with fashion, but they missed the time period drawn from by at least century in this clip.

One of those outfits looks like it should have been worn at the battle of Waterloo.

Today's WTF Moment: Ethel Merman Disco Album

Hat Tip: Neatorama


Really?  Ethel Merman released a disco album?





The funny thing is,I can take Ethel doing disco better than those backup singers.  Ethel is just being Ethel with a disco beat.  Those backup singers are shrill.

Live Action Toy Story

Someone had too much time on their hands and did a live action version of Toy Story using real toys.  (It's gotten over 11 Million views at this time.)




The only potential problem here is a Copyright Infringement Notice. Google's DRM software doesn't always work well and parody works (like this one)can get hit. You have to give the film-makers credit on this. It's quite an undertaking. It shows what "amateur" producers are capable of with today's technology.

Amazon Deal on Marvel Blu-Ray Bundle

Hat Tip: Geeks are Sexy

Amazon currently has a deal on a Marvel Blu-Ray Bundle


Get 10 Movies on Blu-Ray for $64.99.  That's a 68% savings on the original $199.99 price.


The bundle includes Daredevil, Electra, the two Fantastic Four movies and all the X-Men related movies (except the one currently in theaters).

The X-Kitties!

Source: The Pet Collective via Geekosystem

Warning!  Cute Overload.