Free US wireless network a step closer

Good news. Hope this plan proceeds now that the FCC has not discovered significant problems with interference.

Just imagine, free internet free telephone via vo-ip, i can feel that coming !

Yeah. This will happen. Not.

We can't have people going and getting informed for free and what not!

How is this free? Is this company just setting this up out of the goodness of its heart or are they getting tax money?

yayy telephone over internet, no more phone lines anywhere :)

Will probably have advertisements to pay for infrastructure and maintenance. I still like it. Opens the doors for a lot more network-based social changes.

Or the taxpayers will be paying for it as a social service like water or power.

If I recall correctly from a ways back, it's not free for everyone, Just low income, that couldn't otherwise afford the utility. I still like Google's idea the best though: Subsidize the cost of the infrastructure (ie. cost of building the main wireless hi-speed network with some public financing as we do our own roads) essentially making the data stream itself free/low cost, and let providers compete for the cost/variety of carried content. It would get built considerably faster then ten years with combined public and private funds and with a lot more then just one company with a stake in getting it done briskly.

Pfft...the internet is just fine. I don't want the government being/funding an ISP in any way shape or form.

After all they've done so well with education, social security, medicare.....

the government owns the airwaves (or what ever wave for that matter). that's why the company has to apply for a "lease" over the airwaves, meaning the company has to pay for its use. the government profits from this. the government won't owe anything to anyone.
of course the company won't be doing it for free. people who want to use the infrastructure M2Z sets up would have to go to M2Z to use it. they pay M2Z, M2Z pays the government, everything is covered, and you get to use internet for free over M2Z's network seeing probably advertisements of the companies that pay M2Z.
of course, the government can't lease it to just anybody. they have to show that they can 1) build the structures and 2) sustain the setup 3) to ensure that the government has a steady income from all of it.

Telecoms are worried for good reason.
You don't need 'Vonage' to make internet calls!

below is from the website. Notice the "premium and wholesale subscription services" part. Must have to pay for that I would guess.... also, in the free service area, notice the "M2Z will filter indecent content"
All in all though, I think it is a good idea.

On May 5, 2006 M2Z Networks filed an application at the FCC to lease a national spectrum license from the US government in order to provide a competitive broadband service deployed on un-utilized spectrum. Thousands of officials and organizations from all over the country (including city council members, State Senators, U.S. Senators, associations, public safety groups, colleges, and universities) have written letters to the FCC to encourage them to approve the M2Z application. M2Z's license will include numerous public interest obligations including:

* M2Z will offer a free broadband data service;
* M2Z will execute an aggressive build-out that would ensure coverage for 95% of the American population within 10 years and with intermediate milestones of 33% coverage within 3 years, 66% coverage within 5 years;
* M2Z will filter indecent content at the network level for the free broadband service in order to protect children;
* M2Z will commit to serve any federal, state, or municipal public safety organization with free broadband service without limit to the number of devices on the network;
* M2Z will pay 5% of the gross revenues derived from M2Z's premium and wholesale subscription services to the U.S. Treasury.

M2Z's public service commitments provide government decision makers with an immediate opportunity to solve many challenges facing America today.

http://www.m2znet...ication/

Filter indecent content? There goes information freedom out the window.

Telecoms are worried for good reason.
You don't need 'Vonage' to make internet calls!

Yes and no. remember the time cell phones got out.. . and what happened to the beeper? the beeper companies just bought into the cell networks or sold their assets into the cell phone companies, or if they had the capital, upgraded themselves. but for those without substantial portion of the market just got pushed over. these last are the ones worried. Consortiums are also common so everyone gets a piece of the market.

Filter indecent content? There goes information freedom out the window.

"Ones freedom, another's demise." - poi -

> fft...the internet is just fine. I don't want the government being/funding an ISP in any way shape or form. After all they've done so well with education, social security, medicare.....

The government invented the internet, made the high way system, funds almost 100% of medium and long term research, delivers pure water and takes away trash and the sewage like the stuff you just spewed.

Government is sometimes needed since the market is composed of local optimizers who cannot always get out of local minimums. Get rid of the old neo-con meme that Gov. is no good. It is a tool that has clear and effective uses ... as well as the danger of misuse.

> fft...the internet is just fine. I don't want the government being/funding an ISP in any way shape or form. After all they've done so well with education, social security, medicare.....

The government invented the internet, made the high way system, funds almost 100% of medium and long term research, delivers pure water and takes away trash and the sewage like the stuff you just spewed.

Government is sometimes needed since the market is composed of local optimizers who cannot always get out of local minimums. Get rid of the old neo-con meme that Gov. is no good. It is a tool that has clear and effective uses ... as well as the danger of misuse.

So because the government built the roads that's some kind of argument for all car dealers to be government owned? Did you actually read what I wrote or is reading comprehension your problem?

One 20MHz segment means this will be slow internet in many areas. Probably OK for IM and e-mail :-)

It will probably be slow. Broadband doesn't mean fast, it means it has a large carrying capacity.

Once the FCC is allowed to govern the Internet, they must protect it for children and those other adults that are offended by some things, like...well see George Carlin's gig on the 7 dirty words. How can the FCC allow them to be banned on TV and not the 'public' Internet they will allow us to use on the same 'public' airwaves.

This is redundant to everyone else's arguments but... Free at what price?