Hasta La Gadget!

Google Fiber’s whopping 1000Mbps Internet connections sure sound sweet, but despite the awesome deals which include free option (after a $300 construction fee), fiber doesn’t seem to be having quite the draw you’d expect. That being the case, Google has lowered some of the pre-registration goals. More »

Comcast has just done the deed — following a rumor on the matter, it’s launching 305Mbps (down) / 65Mbps (up) Xfinity Platinum internet service in the highly populated Northeast division of the United States. For those who’ve been around a while, you may remember a time where one would weep upon finding out that Verizon’s FiOS simply wasn’t available at a desired location. Now, however, Comcast is doing its darnedest to rival fiber-to-the-home options with blisteringly fast cable service.

In addition to its new flagship tier, the provider is also doubling the speeds of two of its existing internet speed tiers in certain markets at no additional cost. Specifically, Xfinity Blast! customers will now get download speeds of up to 50Mbps (formerly 25 Mbps), and Extreme 50 customers will now receive speeds of up to 105Mbps (formerly 50 Mbps). According to GigaOM, the ultra-desirable Platinum service will ring up at $300 per month, which is a full $90 more than Verizon’s own 300Mbps FiOS option. Of course, this probably means that you’ll hit your monthly cap a heck of a lot faster, but hey — at least you’ll get bragging rights.

Continue reading Comcast doubles broadband speeds ‘in certain markets,’ launches 305Mbps Xfinity Platinum service

Filed under: Internet

Comcast doubles broadband speeds ‘in certain markets,’ launches 305Mbps Xfinity Platinum service originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“You could argue that there’s some value in it.”

That’s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking candidly during a recent interview at D10 in California. The topic of conversation? Widespread WiFi, and whether or not the government should be the one thinking about its future ubiquity. More specifically, if WiFi hotspots should be treated like “roads or water supply,” as aptly stated by AllThingsD‘s Kara Swisher.

This obviously isn’t the first time such an idea has crossed the minds of those connected to Washington, D.C. Muni-Fi (municipal wireless networks) projects were all the rage a few years back, but one spectacular failure after another swiftly extinguished that momentum. In more modern times, America (as well as other nations) has sought to solve the “rural broadband” problem, bringing high(er)-speed internet connections to places with a higher bovine population than human.

But bringing broadband to places like rural North Dakota seems like an easy chore to a small, but passionate, group of 60,000 sitting some 4,770 miles from San Diego, California. American Samoa may be an unincorporated US territory located closer to pure bliss than the hustle and bustle of Wall Street, but it’s no doubt being taken into consideration in recent mapping projects aiming to pinpoint the areas most lacking in terms of digital infrastructure. Unbeknownst to most mainlanders, this fragile island chain is home to the most expensive internet in America, and the political issues surrounding it are astonishing. Head on past the break to learn more on what I discovered.

Continue reading The most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa

The most expensive internet in America: fighting to bring affordable broadband to American Samoa originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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