Lacking broadband infrastructure in N.C. - Moore County

Darlene Yudell of Moore County shares her story about the challenges of life without broadband at a public meeting about poor Internet access in North Carolina.

Now Boarding: In-flight Wi-Fi

This week, USA Today reported that Delta Airlines is now offering in-flight Wi-Fi on flights between Regan National, LaGuardia, and Logan airports. The service, called Gogo, is provided by Aircell. Gogo works by connecting a plane’s Wi-Fi hot spot to the ground over a 3 MHz signal that links to Aircell’s network of 92 cell towers across the United States. Passengers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices can have access to the service for a nominal fee ($9.95 for flights lasting three hours or less, and $12.95 for trips exceeding three hours). And speed? Well, Aircell’s Web site doesn’t mention specific download/upload figures, but users say the service performs well.

Delta’s decision to upgrade its in-flight service menu follows that of competitors. American Airlines launched its Gogo service a few months ago—with power outlets at every seat in business and first class. Coach passengers get one outlet for every two rows. No privacy filters to shield your laptop screen from prying eyes though. You’re on your own there.

In-flight connectivity is, of course, not new. Boeing actually came to market with its Connexion service in 2004, when the product was offered on international carriers like Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. Unfortunately, the company’s bulky 400-pound system didn’t find wide appeal among domestic airlines, so Connexion was discontinued in 2006. But that was two years ago…

Aircell’s system is light-weight at just 125 pounds, and the company cites easy installation and expert client support as selling points. And then there’s the potential revenue boost. These days, many passengers travel with an electronic device, and airlines are guessing that while those folks are munching on their honey-roasted peanuts, they’ll also want to e-mail, surf, chat, and shop. If their hunch is right, demands for VoIP won’t be far off.

Lacking broadband infrastructure in N.C. - Alamance County

Jean Apple of Alamance County shares her story about the challenges of life without broadband (particularly in her experience with AT&T) at a public meeting about poor Internet access in North Carolina.

Paging the Economy! Can We Get Some Stimulation Please?

It is impossible to watch the news these days without hearing stories on the economic recession and how it is impacting the country. As the recession continues, national and state leaders are examining a variety of ingredients in some far-off economic stimulus packages – all wondering if any of them will help to stir the economy. Early on, there was talk of a possible focus on physical infrastructure – investing in improved roads, airports and schools for the country – creating jobs through the implementation of these projects, simultaneously improving the backbone of the country. But FINALLY, the idea of increasing broadband infrastructure became part of the discussion.
Last weekend, in a radio address, Pres.-elect Obama pledged rollout of a massive public works program as part of his economic stimulus plan, including a renewal of the country’s information superhighway. While some have said that physical infrastructure projects take too much time to show results, others say the recession is deep enough that we have plenty of reason to invest for the long term. If we are moving toward an infrastructure-focused plan, it seems that broadband, our gateway to 21st century competitiveness, should be the key component.

Edward Glaeser’s recent column in the New York Times talks about the challenge of not losing focus on human capital in the mix of all the public infrastructure projects, especially when considering the unskilled workers. And really, broadband is A LOT more than just physical infrastructure. It is more so a tool that allows citizens and communities to reach their full capacity by enabling them to be connected to each other. A global conversation, if you will. But reaching those left behind will require not only infrastructure, but also training and education that will help unskilled workers reap the benefits of this tool.

This plan holds lots of potential promise for those interested in a national broadband strategy, but there is much left to be defined. It will be interesting to see how a massive broadband deployment program would be rolled out. From the FCC? From individual states? From some yet-unnamed entity? Broadband is not currently considered a public utility. Traditional public works programs are defined by the government investing in government-owned infrastructure. So if that’s the case moving forward, who will own this valuable infrastructure? If the funding goes to private service providers, what will be the criteria for deployment? How do we ensure competition between the providers, and what areas will be targeted? These questions are just some of the complicated issues to be sorted out in the country’s economic stimulus plan. At the e-NC Authority, we will be watching with great interest to see how it unfolds.