TheAge out of Oz is reporting a settlement price for broadband of $2.50AUD/mo. Good till 2009. That pricing is from the carrier to the wholesaler. Pricing for the retail customer is of course negotiable based on conditions. From what I gather the broadband provider does not even have to be your voice carrier.

Mimics the arrangements we have here with third party providers for ISDN. But the price! Even if double at the retail channel that beats the heck out of the average $19-22 we pay here in the States.

Unless you have been sequestered for a 60 day sleep deprivation study you have seen the wildfires in California right? To Ca’s credit most of the 911 systems in the State also have the ability to do Reverse 911. It’s a fancy term for multitrunk outward dial with a recorded message. In Ca’s case they used the technology to call residential phone lines to warn of approaching fires. Neat trick.

But all was not glory in this happening. If you were a VoIP subscriber or a cell phone only user, which many are, you were out of luck. The technology is landline centric. Charles Sahner a Vonage spokesman:

These systems [including Reverse 911] are not designed for ‘nomadic’ systems like cell phones or VOIP,” Sahner said.

They use the old database of landline numbers. “We’ve been working with state and local officials for a long time in an effort to get everybody on the same page. The emergency-system people need to realize that the world is moving to other services like cells and VOIP, and that these lists of numbers should be included with all the older landline numbers.”

I won’t point fingers to either the VoIP providers or cell carriers. All of them prominently display in their contracts that they are not 911 aware providers. Even though many like Vonage do provide a 911 tie in. It is of course a matter of geography — you and your cell may not be at your residential billing address when you call. (GPS enabled cells solve some of this, IF you have it turned on when you call!)

But it does seem to me that a minor programming change to the 911 system is in order. People should be permitted to ‘opt-in’ any device they wish into the system, so long as a dial back confirmation can be established. Considering that the landline carriers are losing primary line business in the double digits this should be addressed. The alternative is a 911 system that becomes more and more irrelevant as time marches on.

To quote Martha Stewart — “That’s a Good Thing.”

Linky.

Greater Peoria Regional Airport has free internet as well as free parking. Before you try to log on, though, make sure you snag the WEP password. (We have it listed on our map.) Chicago Rockford International Airport also has no-strings-attached wireless. RFD has free parking, too. (from Jaunted)

We reported Sprint maybe unlocking phones — Sprint to Unlock Phones. Well its confirmed but is as we know it limited availability. It’s part of a class action suit in California and Florida. If you were a Sprint customer between 1999 and 2007 but left on good terms with a cell phone paperweight; you might want to call Sprint. According to the lawsuit Sprint is required to provide you the unlock codes so you can use the phone on a CDMA compatible carrier.

Slowly the grip that the carriers have on the customer equipment is slipping away. It may take a while, but at some point the hassle of keeping the phone lock will be economically untenable as a business model.
Linky.

Vamoose, a regional hiline bus line serving the NY area is now offering on-board WiFi and guaranteed seating. In a commodity market offering WiFi can be a market differentiator. Besides if I were a starving college student I would welcome the 4hr ride just so I could surf the net and update my FaceBook profile.

Linky.

AT&T has announced a delay in its broadcast mobile launch that was scheduled next month. Exact rationale for the delay was not forthcoming. I am sure somebody is not happy, the Christmas Season is a great time for Wireless Retailers.

Linky.

A post at Consumerist has deeper issues than just a  joust to consumer affairs. This goes to the very heart of a company, its relationship to its customers, and its responsibility to its investors. Essentially what is the economic value of Trust in the digital age?

The heart of this matter lays in the under current of the Enron scandal of the past. The problem being that Sarbanes-Oxley does not apply here but the truth does. But in a world that is going digital there will be few secrets. If you are a company on one of the  exchanges there is no secrets at all. Your finances are laid open for all to see. Your suppliers will list you as a customer for purposes of their own marketing. The trade press will be looking for that ‘new’ angle to sell more pulp. Your institutional investors will know more about what is wrong with your company than if you were the CEO. The lowest employee in a company can disclose sensitive matters on blogs within minutes of discovery.

Consider what Comcast is attempting here. They are attempting to hide a business relationship that is already been exposed. They are implicitly asking their employees to lie about the Comcast-Sandvine relationship. By extension they are also asking their employees to lie to the customer base. Acting this way does nothing but corrode employee morale. Then once the story is fully disclosed in public the corporate credibility is gone.  What of the institutional investors, what are they to believe when Comcast makes any ‘forward statements’ in a 10-q or annual report?

So what next? Well if Comcast does not quit digging the hole deeper multiple people up to the CEO may be out on the street, worst case. Comcast stock could take a dive on this issue though it is slight. But an important bit, the Net Neutrality forces have been given a very large club against the forces arrayed against them.

In a room full of liars, the first to tell the truth is the most powerful person.