Sunday, August 10, 2008 U.S. plan they don't want us to hear about POST A COMMENT It's been called the digital "national embarrassment" -- how other nations' residents have high-speed at home, while the U.S. numbers keep slipping; An FCC proposal, on the table this month, hopes to "boost U.S. competitiveness by giving each household (Free) high-speed Web access..." however, the duopoloy wants to stop it. It sounds like a no-brainer: With more and more businesses shifting towards the web, such a huge-digital-divide can definitely effect how good -- (or how badly) -- the future U.S. economy performs on that bigger global arena... FCC chairman's Kevin J. Martin free-high-speed plug votes this month -- basically says "any household in the country -- (would be able to) -- cruise the Net at broadband speeds, at absolutely no cost." Says Business Week. "But his idea faces heated opposition from companies such as AT&T that worry their profits will be threatened by a free alternative." The facts: "Only 60% of American households have speedy Net access). And that huge gap " puts the country in 15th place among developed nations..." -- a huge drop from 2001 when the U.S. ranked fourth. The plan: "create incentives for private companies to roll out more broadband..." much like basic Television, it could "make money by selling advertising and advanced services." --(with a premium no-ad option for those that can afford to pay more). Just think, a free web model could actually create more competition to get an even faster web out there, and help those helpless resentful-ignorant people -- (who don't get high-speed) -- so, we'd all actually be on the same high-speed-playing field... 'and then we'd all be able to watch Ceasar and Chuy talk about Amy Winehouse --('in the end doesn't it sounds like a win-win-win for all?): Source: Business Week Labels: Business-101, ceasar and chuy, freeconomics, net neutrality, News Trends, Poverty Divide, rich and poor divide, web trends posted by Henry Cruz at 4:01 AM Friday, April 25, 2008 Just Give it Away... POST A COMMENT "You can always spot an amateur...here is the number one tell sign of an amateur writer," I overheard someone say the other day. "They are the folks focused on getting copyrights for their work." Thinking they had that one original idea...yeah, good luck with that. Which leads me the biggest trend on the web: the rise of "freeconomics," as suggested by the editors of Wired Magazine, which is being driven by the underlying technologies that make everybody a user. So, as technology moves more to a "google-ish" business model ...the cost of production is less and less...so, what's left? The craigslist.org model that focuses on charging for premium ads... And then you only have: Ideas...But, you say, "Writers often have the same ideas," though they will go out and develop them differently. How do we maintain our originality? You could work months on a story or even years perfecting it's and then it's rejected because a similar one was just published. Yeah, most of the really good ideas have already been used...and abused. With the web, everything is very much about: How fast can you go? And getting it: now...so, what do you do? You give it away...eek, Free? Giving it away free allows you to claim a stake on that "idea." Like a turf war of ideas....Yep, look at the book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" -- it's available totally free on the web and yet it's become a number one hit on the Times best seller list. Why would people pay for something that they can get for free? In a free market you'll always get folks that want the "premium" model. Now, you just figure out how to make a premium model out that to pay your bills while doing it, and we're all good (sorta, kinda). Labels: Books, freeconomics, ideas posted by Henry Cruz at 2:19 PM     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . July 2008 . August 2008 . September 2008 .