Organizations join to petition for net neutrality

SavetheInternet.com recently reported that it had collected 250,000 signatures from people in the United States on a petition aimed at preserving net neutrality. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Comcast in a suit that claimed the internet service provider violated the law.The organization is made up of members from other special interest groups such as Free Press, the American Civil Liberties Union and MoveOn.org. The hope of the petition is to inform the Federal Communications Commission that the people of the U.S. do not support the Supreme Court's decision."The internet holds truly revolutionary potential to give marginalized communities a more powerful political voice and connect them with 21st-century economic opportunity," James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, said. "But that potential can only be realized if the internet remains an open communications network, free from discrimination by corporate gatekeepers."The Supreme Court made the ruling in favor in Comcast because it believed that forcing the company to comply with net neutrality violated its ability to run its company without government interference. The FCC has denounced the decision because it fears ISPs will block other websites for issues of content.

Despite mobile broadband growth, fixed broadband ascends

Despite the growth of mobile broadband in recent years, sparked by the adoption of smartphones, fixed broadband subscribers grew 13 percent in 2009, according to ABI Research. Mobile broadband has revolutionized web access for millions of people - especially enterprise users - but fixed broadband is more reliable and normally much faster than wireless.Cities and towns struggling financially are seeking ways of improving broadband speed to draw new residents. As more products and services become available on the web and more people use the internet for entertainment, reliable high-speed broadband is the best way to attract those people - especially among young professionals."Fixed broadband is an attractive platform for the delivery of [internet protocol television], gaming services with low latency, rapid access to web content and secure access to non-building access points," Jake Saunders, ABI vice president for forecasting, said. "Technologies such as fiber-to-the-home, VDSL and GPON are helping to keep fixed broadband relevant to end-users."In parts of the world still without access to reliable broadband, it is unlikely that fixed broadband will become the preferred choice as these countries begin implementing it. According to Business Daily Africa, parts of the continent currently trying to bring its residents broadband prefer mobile broadband.

Main Street Broadband to prove high-speed internet to Donalsonville, Georgia

Residents of Donalsonville, Georgia recently learned that they will soon be able to access high-speed internet thanks to Main Street Broadband. The company will begin its expansion effort immediately in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Service.The expansion is part of a broader undertaking to improve broadband speed in both southern Georgia and North Florida - two of the most under served regions in the United States. Main Street and the USDA have used feedback from people in the area on social networking sites to gauge the areas with the most demand."Our focus is providing quality and affordable high speed internet service to the residents and businesses of Donalsonville," Mike Mies, co-founder and CEO of Main Street said. "We receive such positive feedback from our customers on how they use our services, from continuing education to utilizing social media and enabling small business efficiencies."In Donalsonville, service will likely be available to the entire community some time in June.The North Florida Broadband Authority received an $18 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in late February to improve broadband speed and access throughout the region.