Facebook founder Zuckerberg calls for universal access to Internet

BARCELONA -- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday the "whole world deserves to have access to the Internet," to a packed crowd at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona.

Zuckerberg's appearance was one of the most eagerly expected event of the opening day of the congress, which began Monday and runs until Thursday.

"Everyone deserves access to the Internet and I don't understand how we can still be like this in 2016... if there are more and more people with Internet access, it is a business model which works," said Zuckerberg, who highlighted that more clients for Internet providers would then lead to "investment in infrastructure."

He also spoke about the move towards 5G, questioning why the industry was moving so quickly to this level of connectivity when the important thing is that all the world can afford an Internet connection, "not just those who have money to pay for expensive connections."

source: interaksyon.com

New York launches probe into speeds at major Internet broadband providers

The New York attorney general is probing whether three major Internet providers could be short-changing consumers by charging them for faster broadband speeds and failing to deliver the speeds being advertised, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The letters, which were sent on Friday to executives at Verizon Communications Inc, Cablevision Systems Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc, ask each company to provide copies of all the disclosures they have made to customers, as well as copies of any testing they may have done to study their Internet speeds.

“New Yorkers deserve the Internet speeds they pay for. But, it turns out, many of us may be paying for one thing, and getting another,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement.

Time Warner Cable spokesman Bobby Amirshahi said in a statement: “We’re confident that we provide our customers the speeds and services we promise them and look forward to working with the AG to resolve this matter.”

Cablevision spokesman Charlie Schueler said the company’s Optimum Online service “consistently surpasses advertised broadband speeds, including in FCC and internal tests. We are happy to provide any necessary performance information to the Attorney General as we do to our customers.”

Verizon declined comment, saying it had not yet seen the letter.

The probe by the attorney general is particularly focused on so-called interconnection arrangements, or contractual deals that Internet service providers strike with other networks for the mutual exchange of data.

In the letters, the office says it is concerned that customers paying a premium for higher speeds may be experiencing a disruption in their service thanks to technical problems and business disputes over the interconnection agreements.

A 2014 study by the Measurement Lab Consortium, or M-Lab, found that customers’ Internet service tended to suffer at points where their broadband providers connected with long haul Internet traffic carriers including Cogent Communications Group Inc.

“Internet service provider interconnection has a substantial impact on consumer Internet performance – sometimes a severely

negative impact,” the study said, adding that business relationships rather than technical issues were often at the root of the problem.

A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said the findings in the 2014 study, coupled with consumer complaints and internal analysis, prompted the inquiry into the Internet speeds.

Some of the letters also raise questions about speeds delivered by Time Warner Cable and Cablevision to consumers over “the last mile,” a term that refers to the point where a telecommunication chain reaches a retail consumer’s devices.

source: interaksyon.com

Thousands of Hungarians protest against tax on Internet traffic

BUDAPEST — Thousands of Hungarians protested in Budapest on Sunday against a planned new tax on Internet data transfers, which they said would not only increase the tax burden but would also curb fundamental democratic rights and freedoms.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, which has been widely accused of adopting anti-democratic policies, first unveiled plans for the new tax late on Tuesday in the draft 2015 tax bill submitted to parliament.

The draft tax bill contains a provision for Internet providers to pay a tax of 150 forints (0.38 pounds) per gigabyte of data traffic, though it would also let companies offset corporate income tax against the new levy.

The rally on Sunday was organised by a Facebook group which has over 210,000 supporters. The protesters, which some local websites estimated as numbering over 10,000, gathered in front of the Economy Ministry.

“The move… follows a wave of alarming anti-democratic measures by Orban that is pushing Hungary even further adrift from Europe,” the organisers of “100,000 against the Internet tax” said in a press release.

“The measure would impede equal access to the Internet, deepening the digital divide between Hungary’s lower economic groups, and limiting Internet access for cash-poor schools and universities,” they added.

At one point, protesters held up their mobile phones, lighting up the square in front of the ministry. Then they walked to the city’s historic Heroes Square. Some of them also went to the nearby headquarters of the ruling Fidesz party and threw outdated computer parts at the building, breaking some windows, local Internet website Index.hu reported.

The organisers gave the government 48 hours to withdraw the tax legislation and said there would be a fresh protest on Tuesday if this does not happen.

Fidesz said in a statement on Sunday that on Monday it would submit an amendment to the legislation in parliament, which would set a maximum level on the tax payable by individuals. It said monthly payments would be capped at 700 forints, and Internet providers would pay the tax.

But some protesters said the new tax was an epitome of the government’s mistaken economic policies.

“This would be a double tax on us, as I have already paid a sky-high VAT when I bought the gadgets, computer and router,” said Attila Sos, 43, who came to the protest with his family.

“This is a good occasion for a lot of people to come here to show that they are discontent with the government’s tax and economic policies. This was only the icing on the cake.”

“The Internet connects people and it should not be limited,” said Krisztina Nagy, 21, who wants to be a Web programmer, and fears that companies would push the costs of the new tax onto customers.

Orban’s government has in recent years imposed special taxes on the banking, retail and energy sectors as well as on telecommunications providers to keep the budget deficit in check, jeopardising profits in some sectors of the economy and unnerving international investors.

At the same time, it has cut personal income taxes.

The Association of IT, Telecommunications and Electronics Companies has said the tax would force them to raise prices.

source: interaksyon.com