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Rewriting Rules on Delivery of the Internet

mathin writes "A recent NYTimes (free reg required) article states that, 'The Federal Communications Commission began writing new rules today that officials and industry experts said would profoundly alter both the way the Internet is delivered and used in homes and businesses.' Things under consideration: broad band over electrical wires and VoIP. A little thin on details, but interesting none the less."

8 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Fuck off! by Doomrat · · Score: 5, Funny

    FCC: Let's see... we haven't quite ruined everybody's fun yet. Let's fuck with the Internet.

  2. The FCC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are they going to ban boobs on the Internet too?

  3. Broadband over Sewer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    I saw Scottland was considering running broadband using sewers. Now that crap is fast. We're not talking peanuts either, but fiber rich high throughput with full traffic shaping and end to end tapering.

  4. Query... by B2K3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If our Internet is not delivered within thirty minutes, do we get it for free?

  5. rewriting rules on the discovery of the internet by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 2, Funny

    So I read the headline and thought "So is the FCC putting out a declaration that GW Bush 'discovered' the internet?"
    What with it being an election year and all...

  6. wtf by segment · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought broad band was a group of chicks playing some tunes...

  7. thy lamp is thine firewall? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 4, Funny

    So this sounds good..
    "Consumers will be able to plug their modems directly into the wall sockets just as they do with any garden variety appliance"

    ohhh yeah! Hackers thine evil bits shall meet the wrath of my toaster oven!!

    Will my floor lamp blink when my imClone stocks fall to $60 a share??

    Will I have to worry about a backdoor being installed covertly on my fridge and making my milk curdle?

    Will my George Foreman Grill become an open spam relay peddling viagra to all the braun shaver users worldwide?

    MY GOD MAN, HAVE WE NOT LEARNED ANYTHING FROM MICROSOFT PRODUCTS????? ...ohhh that's right... the spammers ARE the advertising companies looking for a new place to spam in the best interests of the consumer.

    So just how well should I trust the "secured" network interface of my BlendOmatic-2006XS 5-in-1 blender-oven?

  8. Why BPL is needed by panaceaa · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is great news! The FCC is looking into the future and seeing what great quality of life leaps will happen with Broadband-over-PowerLine. After 10 years of consumer Internet access, the next frontier for Internet connectivity is clearly the kitchen. There are unfathomable benefits to having toasters, blenders, and microwave ovens access the Internet. I see BPL as the way to provide that interconnectivity, without the downsides of other options:

    1) Giving kitchen appliances wireless cards: Lots of people have tried hacking their toasters to support existing 802.11b standards, but these hacks are overly expensive and don't work on a large scale.

    2) Redesigning and remodeling kitchens to have ethernet jacks: This will happen over time, but in the short run it's too expensive to retrofit existing homes. In addition, having to run a wire from a toaster to both a power and ethernet jack adds too much clutter to countertops.

    BPL has none of these detractions of the above options. Toasters and microwaves can be connected to the Internet as easily as they're plugged in to a power jack, and no kitchen remodelling is necessary. Clearly ham radio and emergency service disruption is a small price to pay for the overwhelming benefits of kitchen appliance interconnectivity.

    I applaud the FCC's forward thinking on in this area.