Aspen Wireless News & Updates

Four State Broadband Co-Op Engages Aspen Wireless Networks for Grant Preparation, Broadband Mapping and Consulting Services for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Western Montana.

Pacific Northwest Internet Service Everywhere broadband cooperative PNWISE.org to leverage Aspen Wireless’ services portfolio and experience to provide affordable and speedy broadband to all rural areas and anchor community institutions by 2012.

Hood River, Oregon. (PRWEB) July 15, 2009—Aspen Wireless Networks, Inc., who is celebrating their 10th year as renowned broadband consultants and entrepreneurs announced today it was selected by a broadband cooperative in the Pacific Northwest known as PNWISE, who is actively working to create ubiquitous rural broadband service in four states; Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Western Montana. PNWISE is bringing together leadership in small communities, local service providers and state-level government to create the vital partnerships required to achieve rural broadband service.

Aspen Wireless Networks will be providing services to PNWISE from its extensive portfolio including broadband mapping (to the census block), financial modeling, public-private partnerships, business planning, technology engineering and systems integration to ensure PNWISE will meet its goal. Aspen Wireless will also engage in collaborative grant preparation with PNWISE for a grant submission to the NTIA and RUS under the recently announced $4 Billion first round of the total $7.2 Billion allocated for broadband under the ARRA stimulus act.

“We have been stirring this pot for years now, but Aspen Wireless is the key component to turning this dream in to a reality,” said Link Shadley, Managing Member of PNWISE. “Cooperatives brought electricity, telephone and other vital utilities to rural areas and we are committed to delivering affordable broadband as the next utility to our part of rural America.”

“We love rural broadband and always have – it was the founding reason for our company a decade ago and remains the highest priority to us today,” stated Scott Stevens, Co-Founder of Aspen Wireless. “PNWISE embodies rural broadband and has done an amazing job of fostering support and creating a real plan for delivering advanced broadband services to rural America. These guys have it nailed.”

This is not the first large-scale project Aspen Wireless has worked on. In 2002 Aspen Wireless worked on National Broadband, which leveraged relationships with WilTel, Intel and Wal-Mart to deliver middle-mile and last-mile connectivity at 422 points across 38 states. Aspen Wireless has also provided the same rural broadband solutions to companies like CenturyTel. Last year, Aspen’s principal consultant and co-founder Scott Stevens was a member of The Obama Campaign’s Technology/Media/Telecom Policy Committee.

“Although we have grown substantially, we continue to work with small providers to bring them the same success potential all our clients enjoy. PNWISE realizes the importance of these small providers through their innovative ISPartner programs,” stated Mr. Stevens. “We were inspired to take PNWISE on as a client.”

Pacific Northwest Internet Service Everywhere broadband cooperative will be leveraging wireless technology as the most cost effective and advantageous way to deliver multi-megabit service to rural America. Wireless technology allows PNWISE infrastructure to be leveraged for public safety mobility for first responders and emergency personnel as well as provide backhaul for SmartGrid, which is particularly important to utility leaders in the Northwest region. Additional infrastructure will be deployed specifically to provide hundreds of megabits and even gigabits to key community institutions in rural communities such as education, healthcare and municipal government and will feature grid independence and network redundancy.

“Wireless easily meets the current and future demand of rural America. We intend to exceed the 20Mbps service preferred by the NTIA and USDA RUS for a fraction of the cost of fiber, putting Northwest rural America ahead of general metropolitan populations,” stated Mr. Shadley. “Best of all, it will be affordable.”

About Pacific Northwest Internet Service Everywhere
PNWISE is a broadband cooperative focused on providing ‘’affordable broadband for everyone’’ without prejudice to all rural areas across the Pacific Northwest including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Western Montana. PNWISE is continuing to seek partners in communities across the region to join and become involved in delivering the broadband utility. As a middle-mile backhaul provider, PNWISE will connect local government, economic development districts, educational school districts, higher education, healthcare and public safety facilities. PNWISE will also discuss additional needs of public safety for multi-megabit mobility and inter-agency interoperability.

For partnership or information inquiries for PNWISE please email info(at)pnwise(dot)org. For press inquiries please contact press(at)pnwise(dot)org.

About Aspen Wireless Networks
Aspen Wireless Networks is celebrating a decade of broadband consulting and market leadership. Aspen Wireless provides consulting services that leverage years of applied knowledge and leadership insight to create well-refined and realistic broadband businesses and successful deployments. The company specializes in all broadband technologies including fiber, wireless, cable and copper including hybrid networks. Aspen Wireless has served hundred of clients and worked on significant projects, providing services including; business planning, financial modeling, partnerships, network engineering, application engineering and network deployment.

For sales inquiries or for general information please visit Aspen Wireless Networks website at http://aspenwireless.net/.

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Broadband USA site now has active link to NOFA:

Link to NOFA (pdf download)

HIGHLIGHTS of the NOTICE OF FUNDS AVAILABILITY

Related downloads:

A summary by Knight Foundation, Knight Center for Digital Excellence on the NOFA.

A summary, strategy and recommendations for changes by New America Foundation on the NOFA.

KEY POINTS

USDA and NTIA have developed a two-step application process:

- In step one, the goal is to create a pool of viable and potentially fundable applications.

- Step two is to fully validate the submissions in step one and identify the most highly qualified applications for funding.

BTOP funds are available through 3 categories:

- Broadband Infrastructure

- Public Computer Centers

- Sustainable Broadband Adoption.

Broadband Infrastructure category consists of Last Mile and Middle Mile in unserved and underserved areas.

Broadband definition: two-way data transmission with advertised speeds of at least 768 kbps downstream and at least 200 kbps upstream.

Public Computer Center will expand public access and capacity at entities that permit the public to use these computing centers.

The Sustainable Broadband Adoption category will fund innovative projects that promote broadband demand.

- $1.2billion for Last Mile Projects.

- $400M for grants Remote Area projects.*

- $800M for loans or loan/grant combos for Non-Remote projects.*

- $800M for loans or loan/grant combos for Middle Mile projects.

* Remote area means an unserved, rural area 50 miles from the limits of a non-rural area.

All awards under NTIA BTOP and USDA BIP must be made no later than September 30, 2010

For-profit corps that are willing to promote the goals of the Recovery Act and comply with the statutory requirements are eligible.

Eligibility factors:

- 1) application;

- 2) completion w/2 yrs;

- 3) technical feasibility.

Nondiscrimination and Interconnection Obligations:

- i. adhere to the principles contained in the FCC’s Internet Policy Statement

- ii. not favor any lawful Internet applications and content over others

- iii. display any network management policies and provide notice to customers of changes to these policies

- iv. connect to the public Internet directly or indirectly, such that the project is not an entirely private closed network

- v. offer interconnection on reasonable rates and terms to be negotiated with requesting parties

Conditions will apply for the life of the awardee’s facilities used in the project.

The scoring criteria for BIP and BTOP:

- 1 Project Purpose;

- 2 Project Benefits;

- 3 Project Viability;

- 4 Project Budget and Sustainability.

As follows;

- Project Purpose 25 pts: Proportion of Rural Residents Served in Unserved Areas 5 pts Rural Area Targeting 5 pts Remote Area Targeting 5 pts.

- Title II Borrowers (5 points). Recovery Act and other governmental collaboration (5 points).

- Broadband speed: Last Mile Projects of 20+ megabit per second service will be favored; 100+ megabits per second service for Middle Mile.

- Pts for demonstrating affordability and providing choice of provider.

- Pts for 25% discounts to “all critical community facilities in the proposed funded service area”.

- Critical community facilities: public facilities that provide community services essential for supporting the safety, health, well-being.

* Critical community facilities: emergency response and other public safety activities, hospitals and clinics, libraries, schools and more.

- Project Viability (25 points).

- Applicant’s organizational capability (12 points); Community support (2 points); Ability to promptly start project (10 points).

- Disadvantaged small businesses (1 point).

- Project Budget and Sustainability (25 points).

USDA and NTIA intend to announce the awards starting on or about November 7, 2009.

Unserved area:

- census block where at least 90% of HHs lack access to facilities-based, terrestrial broadband service @ 768 kbps.

Underserved area:

- 1. no more than 50% of the HHs in the area have access to facilities-based, terrestrial broadband service @ 768 kbps.

- 2. no fixed or mobile broadband service provider advertises broadband transmission speeds of at least 3mbps.

Courtesy of Fierce Broadband Wireless
June 28, 2009 — 11:33pm ET | By Lynnette Luna

The federal government won’t require the “buy American” stipulations it had originally planned to require of companies obtaining stimulus money to build broadband networks.

In a notice published Friday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is distributing $5 billion of the $7.2 billion earmarked for broadband deployments in unserved and underserved areas, said the Secretary of Commerce granted a limited waiver of the buy American stipulation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to broadband equipment used in broadband networks deployed using stimulus money.

The waiver includes switching, access, transport, routing, customer premise and billing equipment as well as end user devices. The waiver doesn’t include optic cables, coaxial cables, cell towers and other facilities that are in abundance in the United States. For other equipment not on the list, companies can request waivers case by case.

Earlier this month, Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent said they wanted the buy American provisions eliminated, arguing that the requirement for U.S.-made equipment would be “grossly inefficient” and a “radical departure” from normal practices. The two industry heavyweights also said such rules would slow down projects because telecom networks typically are made up of equipment from companies worldwide. Congress said funds provided under the law passed in February generally can’t be used for iron, steel and factory goods not produced in the U.S.

Additionally, regarding spectrum reform to a panel consisting of Michael Calabrese VP at New America Foundation, Chris Sacca VC and former VP at Google, Jonathan Spalter Chair of Mobile Future Advisor Board and Brian Knapp of Loopt, moderated by Carolyn Brandon of CTIA.

http://broadbandcensus.com/2009/05/21st-spectrum-policy-should-include-map-experts-say/

Breaking News: RUS To Post 2009 Funds Notice for Community Connect Grant Program

Courtesy of colleague Peter Pratt stimulatingbroadband.com

04/20/09 The Community Connect Program of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), division of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), will post its Notice stating available funds for the Program’s 2009 grant cycle within the next 12 to 18 hours.

The Notice will state the grant application deadline date for 2009 applications is June 19, 2009.

The Program within RUS funds telecommunications networks in designated rural and underserved areas of the domestic United States, with grants, loans, and loan guarantees.

The Community Connect Program is funded with annual federal appropriations for the USDA in the range of $20 million to $25 million. The Program is strongly supported by Members of Congress from rural states who routinely work to include the programmatic funding in each federal funding cycle’s Farm Bill. The RUS previously announced that “25 communities in 16 states” received a total of ”$15.6 million in broadband community connect grants” in the 2008 funding round.

Sources within the USDA have stated that the funds Notice will be posted either this evening, April 20, or Tuesday morning, April 21, Washington time (EDT).

Deadlines for grant, loan, and loan guarantee applications, and other terms and conditions of the Program, will be posted on the website of the “Rural Development Community Connect Grant Program,” at: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/commconnect.htm

Note: The annual appropriations and programmatic guidelines for the Community Connect Program are distinct from the $2.5 billion in appropriations and guidelines yet to be issued for the RUS portion of the “broadband stimulus” funds contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the ARRA-derived RUS program is expected to be released on or about June 12, 2009 as previously reported by StimulatingBroadband.com here.

The June 12 target date for the NOFA is expected to be a joint issuance with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), as the rulemaking proceeding has been jointly conducted by both agencies to date.

Courtesy of colleague Peter Pratt stimulatingbroadband.com

Recommendations for RUS Broadband Stimulus Programs

Courtesy of colleague Liz Zucco via stimulatingbroadband.com

04/17/09 (Editor’s Note: With this posting, we welcome our colleague Liz Zucco. Liz has deep experience in successfully writing and winning grants and loans for rural carriers, community organizations, and healthcare providers. We welcome her invaluable expertise in the complex realm of federal grantsmanship, program management, and rural broadband. Liz knew rural broadband before rural broadband was cool.)

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) loan program within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been invaluable in moving funding for rural broadband initiatives out into the field. However, when we examine the loan program and the Community Connect Grant program together, we see that there remain gaps in the methods and availability of funds for rural access. Even with the positive terms of federally backed loans, many times there is just not enough market potential to warrant a loan to serve a particular rural market.

While the Community Connect program provides grants, we believe the program suffers from limitations such as the inability to group together multiple townships to provide for management and operation of a larger system. Such systems scale better and tend to be more sustainable.

With the new $2.5 Billion funding soon to be made available for RUS from the American Recovery and Renewal Act of 2009 (ARRA), RUS now has an important opportunity to do better leverage its funds via some simple program reforms.

We would like to propose that the RUS consider making the following changes in its grant and loan strategies in order to fulfill the goal of access for all Americans.

1. Provide a loan/grant combination for RUS borrowers to assist them in leveraging their operational costs when they are willing to take the risk of a loan. This will give these good borrowers the chance to extend their footprint with assistance for capital costs, and repay monies borrowed to continue the RUS’ ability to make loans. This is a fair solution, as operators are in many cases struggling to get into the leaner and less populated areas. In many cases operators are forced to drop markets altogether due to the inability to justify capital costs. Yet these same borrowers could support their operational costs if given the opportunity to build into these areas with assistance in the form of a grant.

2. Allow the Community Connect program to encompass more than “one incorporated area”. This would allow entire counties to develop unified broadband initiatives, thus improving operational sustainability and better leveraging the costs of running networks in extremely rural markets. Many towns and hamlets are only but a few thousand people. By combining five or six small towns into one consolidated service area, the costs to build and maintain networks are apportioned over a larger revenue base. The rural service provider thus increases its chances of sustaining the network in a previously unserved region.

Credit: Colleague Liz Zucco via StimulatingBroadband.com

Our Thoughts :: The $100 Billion Issue: Cisco Lobbies to Clarify “Buy American” Clause
in Federal Stimulus Package

Courtesy of colleague Liz Zucco via stimulatingbroadband.com

04/16/09 As seen in a publicly disclosed e-mail message from Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the San Jose based networking equipment market leader is lobbying against a strict interpretation of the “Buy American” provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

We believe the Cisco statement to the federal agency is extremely significant. Far more than the $7.2 Billion in “broadband stimulus” funds in ARRA could be subject to the Buy American clause. We believe that upwards of $100 Billion in information technology (IT) appropriations are contained in all of the tech-related programs and funding lines in the Act. As outlined below, we believe that strict application of ARRA provisions meant to apply to roads, bridges, and public buildings can not reasonably be applied to the IT / telecom sector if appropriations from the Act are going to be spent on technology deployments, as intended.

Our analysis of IT funding portions of the Act agrees with that of several legal and market research analysts who have done detailed reviews of the legislation. We believe the approximate $100 Billion IT figure is reached when considering total appropriations, additional to the $7.2 Billion, for: healthcare record computerization, smart grid electric distribution control technology, federal computer system upgrades, public safety communications, intelligent transportation system (ITS) tech within the massive funding for road and bridge construction, computer learning and educational technology, and possible broadband rewiring of subsidized and public housing.

The e-mail message, reproduced on the NTIA’s public disclosure site reports that Cisco’s Jeffrey A. Campbell had an Ex Parte telephonic discussion with NTIA Senior Advisor Mark Seifert on March 23, 2009 to lobby NTIA against strict interpretation and enforcement of the Buy American language contained in Section 1605 of the Act (Section below).

Mr. Campbell, based in Cisco’s Washington office, is the firm’s Senior Director for Technology and Trade Policy, within the corporate Global Policy and Government Affairs division. As stated in his e-mail, he specifically sought clarification from NTIA that any network facilities built with BTOP funds not be ”...constituted a “public work” which would subject them to the “Buy American” requirement.” Alternatively, Campbell sought “a public interest waiver of the “Buy American” requirement…for all electronics equipment used in broadband networks.”

The report by the retained lobbyist who initiated the telephone discussion, and its public disclosure, are both mandated by the Obama Administration’s new disclosure rules for lobbyists seeking to influence any federal agencies relative to grant or loan expenditures from the ARRA. President Obama issued a Memorandum on March 20 which contained the strictures. As reported by the government watchdog group The Sunlight Foundation, the disclosure regulations set off a firestorm of concern on K Street when they were promulgated.

Our analysis:

1. To date we have only seen published stories on the Cisco meeting in Brad Reese’s column on Cisco in Network World, and on Democratic Underground. Cisco itself has not commented yet, although its government affairs site routinely stakes out free trade positions, as is common in the high tech sector. We believe the Cisco argument will receive far greater review and feedback from not only other electronics manufacturers, but from the telecom carriers that purchase their products, and from the bevy of trade associations representing the American high technology industry in Washington. Cisco itself has been instrumental in supporting the work of as many as 32 technology trade groups, including TechNet, in addition to its own robust lobbying presence.

2. The reality is that many components of any microelectronic array, and most semiconductors found in virtually any networking equipment, are fabricated abroad. Virtually no telecom network operating today in the United States, supporting either a public service provider or an enterprise, could function without the existence of global supply chains feeding into the final hardware product. We hope that review of the Act’s Sec. 1605 by NTIA will reasonably look at the realities of global manufacturing and trade in the telecom sector, as do current domestic content regulations of the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service.

3. Cisco and its supported high tech trade groups, like TechNet (the folks that lobbied for a 100 Mpbs national broadband goal back in 2002), have been in the forefront of pushing for a progressive national broadband policy for years. Cisco understands the equation of greater broadband deployment equals greater economic activity and higher employment levels in the American economy. Cisco’s push for clarification of the “Buy American” provision is a reasonable and an ultimately practical request. The goal of an effective national broadband strategy is within reach, in large measure thanks politically and technically to Cisco.

The Buy American language of ARRA is found under Section 1605 of the Act:

BUY AMERICAN SEC. 1605. USE OF AMERICAN IRON, STEEL, AND MANUFACTURED GOODS. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States. (b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in any case or category of cases in which the head of the Federal department or agency involved finds that — (1) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron, steel, and the relevant manufactured goods are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities and of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufactured goods produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent. (c) If the head of a Federal department or agency determines that it is necessary to waive the application of subsection (a) based on a finding under subsection (b), the head of the department or agency shall publish in the Federal Register a detailed written justification as to why the provision is being waived. (d) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with United States obligations under international agreements.

Credit: Colleague Liz Zucco via StimulatingBroadband.com

Broadband Stimulus Public Comment Round Closes at Midnight, 60 Day Target Set for Grant Guidelines…

Courtesy of colleague Peter Pratt stimulatingbroadband.com

04/13/09 The public comment period for input to the two federal agencies writing grant guidelines for the total $7.2 Billion in broadband stimulus funding contained in the American Recovery and Renewal Act of 2009 (ARRA) closes today, April 13, at 12:00 midnight (EDT), local time in Washington DC. A federal agency spokesman further stated today that a target date of June 12 has been set for issuance of funding guidelines for the broadband grants and loans.

Mr. Mark Tolbert, Spokesperson for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the US Department of Commerce, confirmed for StimulatingBroadband.com late this afternoon that the public comment portal at the NTIA website would close this evening at midnight.

Importantly, Tolbert also confirmed that NTIA has set a “target of approximately 60 days” from today for official promulgation of its Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA). The NOFA will provide grant and loan applicants for all ARRA broadband stimulus funds, with guidelines for how to apply, and what selection criteria will be used for evaluation of applications. Tolbert also stated that there will not be another public comment round, nor period for reply comments as is common in proceedings of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), between now and the release of the NOFA on or about June 12.

Mr. Tolbert’s statement, giving this 60-day target cycle for issuance of the NOFA from today’s comment deadline is more specific than the range recently given by NTIA Policy Advisor Mark Seifert on April 2 to a House Subcommittee. In testimony to the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, chaired by Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA), Seifert stated that NTIA estimated release of the grant guidelines would take “a couple of months”.

In filed written testimony, Seifert stated, “A Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) will be published as expeditiously as possible, likely in the next couple of months, that will describe in detail how the application process will work, how we will evaluate the applications, as well as how grantees will be held accountable, including requirements for progress reports and job creation measurements, to ensure that taxpayer investments are protected.”

“We will be releasing a Notice of Funds Availability,” stated Tolbert this afternoon in a telephone interview “which will spell out criteria and instructions which lead into the application process.”

The NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) portal has been receiving public comments, which are made jointly to NTIA and to the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) division of the US Department of Agriculture, since opening on March 10. Over this 34-day period, just over 1,150 comments had been posted to the public comment site by Monday afternoon.

Just over 180 comments have been filed today alone, up to 5:30 pm (EDT). Comments posted today come from a diverse range of commentators, as has been typical of the previous postings. Comments today included those filed by New Jersey Governor John Corzine, by Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) the large American manufacturer of wireless infrastructure and personal wireless terminals and cell phones, by the Administration of Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, by the City of New York, by several telecommunications wireline and wireless carriers, and by Mayor Mark Hipsher of Grainger County, Tennessee.

The broadband stimulus provisions of ARRA appropriated a total of $7.2 Billion for grants, loans, and loan guarantee funds to be dispersed by the 2 federal agencies.

Courtesy of colleague Peter Pratt stimulatingbroadband.com

Electricity, telephone, water and waste disposal services have been taken for granted in American cities since at least the 1920’s. But if you lived in a rural area only 60 years ago, chances are you went without these necessities of modern life and high standard of living they make possible.

Modern utilities came to rural America through some of the most successful government initiatives in American history, carried out through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) working with rural cooperatives, nonprofit associations, public bodies and for-profits ervice providers. Today, USDA Rural Development Utilities Programs carries on this tradition helping rural service providers expand and keep their technology up to date, helping establish new and vital services such as distance learning and telemedicine.

The public-private partnership which is forged between Rural Development Utilities Programs and these industries results in billions of dollars in rural infrastructure development and creates thousands of jobs for the American economy.

For more information on programs by USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) visit their site:

http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/index.htm

It shocks most Americans to hear that there are still residents of the US (and Canada) that do not have a telephone and in fact cannot get a telephone line. Many… perhaps most of the residents that fit that description reside on Reservation Nations, and it’s appalling. While some strides have been made to provide at least basic telecommunications services on Reservation Nations, many residents of Reservation Nation remain completely unserved by telecommunications services.

Broadband Wireless is a superb fit for the unique requirements of providing to Reservation Nations:

• Not just BASIC telecommunications services, but ADVANCED telecommunications services – high speed Internet and multi-line telephony service through the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
• Coverage of not just a select portion of a Reservation Nation such as a town, but coverage of an ENTIRE Reservation Nation and the ability to offer services to ALL residents of the Reservation Nation

• Cost-effective and affordable not just to a Reservation Nation with extensive financial resources or US Government subsidies, but the many Reservation Nations with much more modest financial resources

  Aspen Wireless can advise on suitable technologies, system architectures, and vendors, as well as assist in construction, training of local personnel in operating, maintaining, and extending the system, and the many other aspects of building a truly advanced Broadband Wireless telecommunications system.

  • 

ASPEN, Colo. – On a hillside overlooking downtown Aspen, three entrepreneurs; Jim Selby, Scott Stevens, and David Peterson describe The Aspen Wireless Network, an ultra-advanced Wi-Fi Mesh-networking system that now blankets this resort community with a high-quality wireless broadband cloud. Listening with obvious fascination was one of the most powerful people in American communications.

“This is breathtaking,’’ said Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, as the trio wrapped up its presentation. He was continually impressed, he added, at how modern technology has upended traditional assumptions of what it takes, in money and time, to create such a system. - Dan Gillmor, Mercury News Tech Columnist

San Jose Mercury News (FULL STORY – free registration)
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/9489638.htm?1c

Dan Gillmor Blog Entry
http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/010722.html#010722