CAROLINANET.COM

DOS (denial of service) attack at Carolinanet

Nicky Smith — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:38:16 -0500

March 2, 2012:

We had a major DOS (denial of service) attack from a number of locations this morning (Friday, March 2, 2012) as this forced us to block all non-US traffic until we identified the sources. We are still blocking most traffic from the Asia Pacific Networks and Latin American and Caribbean IP address Regional Registry. The attack is under control, but we have not yet identified the root causes. If you are a client outside the United States and need access, please open a support ticket and provide us with the ISP or netblock you are originating traffic from and we will quickly add your netblock to the 'safe networks' in our core routers.

March 3, 2012 Update:

We have stopped most all of the attacks originating from our Cogent Communications peering connection, but still have blocked 98% of non-US based internet traffic. We do not expect to resolve this issue until early next week. If you are a client outside the United States and need access, please open a support ticket and provide us with the ISP or netblock you are originating traffic from and we will quickly add your netblock to the 'safe networks' in our core routers. We will also need to know what port numbers you will be accessing our network on. We have blocked all non-standard ports.

March 4, 2012 10:00 PM EST:
We have now open our core router firewall rules to allow non-US traffic on port 80, 443, 25, 53, and 143.

Nicky Smith

Microsoft Exchange – the 1,000 lb Gorilla

Nicky Smith — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:39:05 -0500

Dataglide, the award winning Microsoft Exchange Alternative

Microsoft Exchange is powerful software, but it has its place - in the enterprise. Microsoft Exchange is an enterprise-class messaging and collaboration server and along with it comes expensive hardware, overly complex administration and excessive IT overhead and unnecessary costs. But what about Microsoft's Small Business Server (aka SBS) you ask? While it sounds like it's intended for smaller organizations, don't be fooled. SBS is marketing at its best - an enterprise-class product merely packaged, priced, and positioned for the small business market. Again over priced, complex to administrator. Whether Exchange or Small Business Server, it's overkill and it requires far too much resource investment for many of today's medium and small businesses like yours.

What makes Dataglide hosted email different?

Dataglide, a Kerio hosted solution on the other hand is engineered to address the needs of the work horses of today's economy - businesses like yours. We focus on solving your IT needs, so IT doesn't get in the way of your business. As a result, we've done away with the complexity, overhead and excessive costs, and focused on building the world's best and most flexible messaging and collaboration server for you, at a total cost of ownership you won't even think about.

Dataglide is also another type of collaboration and messaging server that incorporates different kinds of communication features into a single product. Just like Microsoft Exchange, you can also manipulate your contacts, email, and calendar without any fuss at all. What's more, if you are running your own business you will be able to stay in contact with your team through Dataglide so you can get to discuss and work on your current project even if it means working wherever you and your team are located. Regardless of whatever device that you and your team are using to work on your project, Dataglide makes it easier for you to put together the data in a highly readable environment.

Another reason why Dataglide is worth considering these days is the fact that it provides advanced messaging and collaboration use on different platforms such as Entourage, Microsoft Outlook, Address Book and Apple Mail among others that are used in various devices such as Smartphone or desktop. With Dataglide you can rest easy knowing that it has secure email features so any important message is safe and secured during deliver. And if you are in need of an email backup, Dataglide will get things done faster than ever. One probable reason why you should choose Dataglide is that it offers lower cost options for Microsoft exchange users which is definitely a huge deal when it comes to business use. This is definitely a deal that shouldn't be passed up any time soon.

Whether you are planning on setting up an appointment with a client or partner or are in need of sending multiple messages by mail, there is no doubt that Dataglide can help you with your communication needs. Suitable for any type of devices whether large or small, there are plenty of reasons why you should opt for this all-in-one collaboration and messaging service there is.

When you compare the options, without a doubt, Dataglide is the clear winner.

6 reasons why businesses, IT Consultants choose Dataglide over Exchange

Lean - Everything Exchange does, without the IT overhead
Flexible - Deploys easily on Windows, Linux or Mac
Mobile - Broader mobile device support - sync public folders, shared calendars and contacts
Stable - Focus on your business - not on downtime and unexpected costs
Simple - Set-up, administration, and maintenance is a breeze
Value - Lower licensing costs, lower hardware requirements, lower service costs

Dataglide Hosted Email is Perfect for any business

Nicky Smith — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:27:32 -0500

Small, medium and large businesses are keeping closer tabs on expenses today. Unexpected costs wreak havoc on even large budgets. Many enterprises are opting for the convenience and predictability of email hosting for business. By using Dataglide's Connect, businesses don’t need to concern themselves with periodic maintenance and management tasks. At the same time, they enjoy a hosted Microsoft exchange, eliminating the cost of upfront licensing for the products and hardware upgrades.

One of the major benefits of using Dataglide is its hosted email and hosted email archiving. Clients can rely on its security advantages for encrypting and digitally signing sensitive internal emails. Companies using this kind of security layering are less exposed to outside hacking and surveillance by competitors. Hosted email archiving gives companies instant access to past correspondence filed in a logical and easy to use system of folders and synced calendars. Using email hosting for business means office staff and mobile personnel stay in touch and on the same page hour by hour without waiting for an on-site server’s nightly updating.

Dataglide’s hosted Microsoft exchange not only saves on the cost of licensing and equipment but also plays a big role in keeping a company’s message handling requirements up to date. Even better, Connect ensures interoperability of a mobile staff’s cell phones and tablet computers with the home office’s computers. Moreover, personnel can use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome browsers to access their Dataglide Connect accounts. Our hosting service is compatible with Outlook for Windows and Mac, Apple Mail, Entourage, iCal and more.

Even during challenging economic times, business systems and solutions are constantly evolving. Using Dataglide’s Connect hosted email provides problem-free hosting for businesses of all sizes. Many email hosting companies operating according to their own needs, not those of their customers. In comparison, our client companies will not experience unexpected shutdowns for maintenance. We provide advance notice when we need to shut down our servers for maintenance and upgrades. Even better, we schedule these periodic tasks to avoid conflict with our clients’ hours of operation.

Dataglide Connect clients retain all rights to their hosted contents. There are some email hosting companies that retain the right to handle or mishandle customers’ information as they see fit.

Some companies even limit the number of emails allowed within a 24-hour period. We don’t do that. Dataglide puts the needs of its clients’ front and center on the email hosting for business stage. Comparison shopping among providers illustrates the superiority of Dataglide’s Connect capabilities. Set monthly costs.

No licensing or upgrading concerns for clients
Interoperability among browsers and operating systems
Multi-layered security
Real-time syncing of devices and computers
Logical and easy-to-use functionality and access
Convenience
Protection of proprietary content

Dataglide Connect does all of this better than the other providers out there. This is why so many companies are turning to us for their hosted email needs. Call us today to talk to a Dataglide specialist (336) 346-6001.

Making the Move to Dataglide, a Premium Hosted Email Service

Nicky Smith — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:06:05 -0500

Are you in need of a hosted e-mail service for the cloud? When this is the case, you may wish to switch from exchange hosting. Here you can get your e-mail and calendar all in one place making it easy to stay on top of the important things in life. One benefit of making a switch such as this is that it is inexpensive, fast and easy to update. Bring your business into the 21st century. Make use of a hosted email and you will see how easy this is.

The benefits of switching from microsoft exchange hosting are numerous. Archiving is easy when you do so not matter if you keep e-mails for months or years. Technical support is easier also when you make use of a hosted email as many clients are supported. For those businesses whose employees frequently travel, webmail makes access easier than ever. Calendars can be accessed from anywhere and your business will look more professional as a result. You'll be amazed at what you can do when you choose to make the move to a service of this type.

Many features are offered with a hosted email service. Collaboration is easy as you have access to group calendaring and scheduling, shared contacts, folders and calendars, tasks and tasks delegation as well as public email folders. Sync to your smart phone without worrying about viruses, spam or malware and mail archiving is automatic. With an easy web interface and cross-platform support, you'll find this program very simple to use. Store as much or as little email as you need and do so without dealing with annoying ads. Think of all the ways this is much better than what you are currently using.

When it comes to a hosted email service, you will find that there are many plans to choose from. You can choose from a basic account, a pro account or a license plan. It all depends on what your business needs. Mobile devices are supported when you make this move including the iPad and support is easy to access so problems are solved quickly. Try this type of service today and see how it can help your business grow.

Visit www.dataglide.com or call and talk to a Dataglide specialist todat at (336) 346-6001.

How to get an Email Hosting Plan that Truly Suits Your Small Business

Nicky Smith — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:58:16 -0500

When it comes to business email hosting, if you are new to this, you are in for quite a shock. You see, the premier business email service out there these days is Microsoft Exchange. Now while there is nothing wrong with Exchange on the surface, this email hosting service is not necessarily geared towards smaller businesses. when you have a large business and you need a big time hosting plan, Exchange is a good option. But for smaller businesses Exchange is far too large and far too expensive to justify.

Another alternative to Microsoft Exchange is SBS or Small Business Server. However, to believe that this service does what the name seems to suggest, giving a low cost alternative for email hosting to smaller businesses is a very naive way to look at what they offer. Much like Exchange, this service is not really extended for the small business as is represented by it's high cost and it's large scale packaging.

So what is a small business owner to do when they are looking for an affordable email hosting service. One very viable solution is Dataglide. What separates Dataglide from other email hosting services is that unlike SBS or Exchange, Dataglide caters to all users big and small. They do this by providing scalable email hosting solutions.

What this means is that you only get what you need. This makes your system more effective and also more affordable. When you are ready to scale up or perhaps scale down, you can do so easily with Dataglide without the upgrade affecting your current hosting service. What this does is puts you in the divers seat as to how much hosting you'll need and how much you'll have to pay, unlike SBS or Exchange that has a take it or leave it business mentality.

When it comes to running a business one of the worse things you could do is waste resources and money, but that is exactly what Microsoft Exchange and SBS would have you do. However, with Dataglide you get only the email hosting you need at a price you can afford. No wasting large email hosting plans on small capacities and no wasting money on a service that you don't need on such a large scale.

Learn more visit www.dataglide.com or call a Dataglide specialist at (336) 346-6001 today.

Oldies but Goodies, or Why Using iPhone Email Rocks

Nicky Smith — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:10:05 -0500

Technology has advanced so much since e-mail was first being used by a small group of scientists and other academic types some forty or so years ago (yes, it's been that long!). Nowadays, it seems like everyone just "texts" -- or even "tweets." Seems like it won't be much longer before someone writes a telepathy app!

But guess what? You can still use iPhone email in the meantime. As a matter of fact, you really should. It isn't so hard to do, and unlike "texting" and "tweeting" you can actually say something meaningful! If you think about it, those other options are probably best left to the teenagers. After all, do you really want to come across to the person on the other end as being too busy to give a proper response?

Of course, "it takes all kinds" -- there is a time and place for everything. But if you're running a business, using iPhone email instead for communicating with your customers is almost certainly the only way to go. Sure you can tweet a special sale or something, but for the overwhelming vast majority of other reasons there would be for keeping in touch with a customer, you will want to e-mail them.

It's really not hard at all, and barely takes that much longer. And let's not forget one of the greatest advantages of all to using iPhone email instead of anything else: You can take your time replying! This little benefit is not to be underestimated in our harried world of 24-hour news cycles and constant contacts. To properly get a handle on anything critical, you must take your time researching the matter and carefully thinking about everything involved, thoroughly imagining all the possible implications. Well, using e-mail gives you just the time to do that -- and more!

Call a Dataglide specialist today (336) 346-6001 for a test drive.

Branded Email Hosting for Business Today

Nicky Smith — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:02:50 -0500

Everyone's busy "texting" these days, chatting, twitting, what have you. E-mail is so 1990s, isn't it?

Well, that's precisely the reason why you need to get off those free e-mail accounts and finally get one of your own, with your own brand! Email hosting isn't a lot of money at all now, so what are you waiting for?

By using an e-mail account that has your own domain name on it, you are showing that you are a real business, one with the means to afford the simple necessities. That inspires no small amount of trust and confidence in a would-be customer! Properly branded email hosting goes a long way towards establishing yourself and your business as authoritative in your industry. After all, who would you rather turn to yourself for a product or service; someone whose e-mail contact shows that he or she has an account at his or her own company or someone who wants your money but uses a free and anonymous account that everyone else uses for non-critical matters?

Just think about it: Do you really want your customers to receive serious business-related communications from a free and anonymous e-mail account? It just doesn't look professional! Especially when commercial email hosting today is just so inexpensive. Ask yourself what looks better, your newsletter coming from you@yourcompany.com or you@whatever.com?? And speaking of e-mail newsletters, you should be aware that many mail servers (computers that handle e-mail) will "blacklist" as a matter of course anything coming from known free e-mail accounts! That's because such services are used by spammers, thieves, and other unsavory types due to how easy it is to sign up and that it's free and anonymous to boot!

Don't put yourself, your business, or your customers at risk: Get a real account for electronic communications today! Call a Dataglide specialist today (336) 346-6001 for a test drive.

Get Your Hosted Email With Dataglide Today

Nicky Smith — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:47:48 -0500

The newest version of Dataglide comes complete with 64-bit outlook support. This is important because unlike other old versions of this kind of support you don't have to worry about crashes or even worse, losing or missing emails that are important to you.

iOS 5 Support

This support offers a bunch of neat tools such as task syncing, calendaring options, and even encryption features to make sure that everything is always organized, on task, and in the right place when you need it the most.

Auto Configuration

Without the right auto configuration tools you might as well not even bother using a hosted email service with your portable devices. However Dataglide offers the best of the best when it comes to auto configuration tools for the Mac operating system or iOS devices.

Other Features to Look Forward To

There are tons of other cool features to look forward to with this hosted email service. For example the server stability is extremely important if you want to be able to rely on this service day in and day out. There is even a full text search you can sue to help finding specific statements and emails nice and easy.

You will find that using your portable devices without a hosted email service like this you aren't going to feel quite as accomplished. The good news is that this service doesn't cost an arm and a leg so it's pretty easy to get your hands on no matter what your budget might look like. Don't let lost emails get you down, invest in a service that can make staying in touch as easy as saying hello.

Call today to talk to a Dataglide specialist Toll-Free (888) 400-5557. Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM Eastern Time Zone.

How to Find a Great Microsoft Exchange Alternative

Nicky Smith — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:41:47 -0400

A smart shift for your firm might be getting a Microsoft Exchange alternative. You can get huge savings without any lull at all. Staying connected is of paramount importance for your company. Your chosen application must offer you seamless connectivity with essential services.

In the next lines we will talk about the things you need to bear in mind before getting a Microsoft Exchange alternative. We will talk about connection, keep tabs on your contacts and much more.

You need to be connected all the time with Entourage, iCal or Outlook. This way you will be able to supply excellent service to your clients while staying synced with other applications. Each Microsoft's mail product is designed to be used with a responsive support team and allow them to work smoothly. A Microsoft Exchange alternative has a smaller footprint but some of them have a lot of cool features and services.

These computer programs will not cost you a fortune and offer you plenty of options to keep you connected and synced. Thus you will not have a massive overhead cost. The effective management of your firm requires that you stay connected and keep your contacts happy with a lot of communications each day. This is where a Microsoft Exchange alternative comes in handy. Your employees will not have to patch together a lot of applications to get the results you need. With a Microsoft Exchange alternative you will be able to handle email and calendar without jeopardizing any point of the sync process. Anti-spam and anti-virus protection is a most in these types of computer programs.

In the above lines you have learned a lot of interesting things about getting a Microsoft Exchange alternative. If you want to reduce costs while staying connected all the time, a Microsoft Exchange alternative is the way to go for most of us.

Learn more, Visit www.dataglide.com

Choosing Between Microsoft and Dataglide, a Kerio Hosted Email Solution for your Business

Nicky Smith — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:38:11 -0400

With the electronic mail serving as one of the primary modes of communication, a professional business needs to avail of an email host for them to be taken seriously. There is nothing wrong with using Gmail, Yahoo mail or Hotmail but in a business where the competition is bottleneck, using these free services risks your messages to being trashed as spam by potential customers.

There is a need then for an email host that offers the services you need. There are numerous email hosts out there and if you are not careful, you may end up paying for more than what you need or paying less for services that are incomplete. In this regard, the two names that pop most frequently are Kerio and Microsoft. Just considering the two, Dataglide, a Kerio hosted email versus Microsoft's offering, one can get ideas not much on which of them is better but more on which of them better suits your business.

Dataglide, a Kerio email host is often referred to as the Microsoft alternative because the basics being offered by the later are already available in the former. Just for a quick rundown, both hosts are great with connecting with people anywhere and anytime, synchronizing data with wireless gadgets, providing email securities, automatically backups your files and can save past messages in archives. Of course, both offer the regular online calendars and address books plus the beauty of having your own domain name and the company to help you when your email account encounters problems.

Down with the two being similar in services, the financial aspect should be considered. Microsoft is undeniably more expensive but they defend by saying that more pluggins are compatible with them and that their security system is more sophisticated as compared to the other.

So who wins in the fight of Dataglide, a Kerio hosted solution email versus Microsoft hosted email depends on your service needs and probably your budget.

Why Switch from Exchange to Dataglide?

Nicky Smith (Import) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:15:27 -0400

Why Switch from Exchange to Dataglide?

Dataglide is an all-in-one messaging and collaboration server designed for small to medium sized organizations. Dataglide provides advanced email, calendaring and collaboration features across platforms supporting most popular desktop clients including Microsoft Outlook, Entourage, Apple Mail, Address Book and iCal, including the latest mobile devices. Dataglide includes WebMail for clientless access to full groupware and collaboration features via most popular browsers. Dataglide bundles integrated anti-virus, powerful anti-spam, built-in archiving, automated backup and an easy admin interface, making it a perfect choice for any small to medium organization.

Because you don't archive.

Switch to Dataglide and solve your archiving problems. If you need to find - perhaps for legal reasons - emails from 2 months ago or 2 years ago, could you find them? With Dataglide, the answer is YES.

Because your staff uses multiple email clients.

Why hire an IT expert who knows Mac, Windows and Linux platforms? Save the cost - and the headaches - by switching to Dataglide. We support IMAP, POP3, and SMTP, so using whatever email client your workers prefer is no problem.

Because Webmail is fast and easy when you're traveling.

When you need to see new email right now, Dataglide has the solution - WEBMAIL! From any browser or any computer or mobile device, you can log into Webmail quickly, get what you need, and log out. It's fast. It can save your business life.

Look as professional as you want to grow to be.

With a Dataglide hosted email account, a small business can achieve the professional branding and look/feel of a major corporation. Even individual entrepreneurs can look like - and better - work like the big corporations. It's a sure growth potential for your small business.

Because you forgot to bring your calendar.

Dataglide enables you to make an appointment from anywhere you are - just log into your hosted Dataglide account from any mobile device wherever you are to check your calendar, make an appointment, check co-workers' busy schedules, invite them to the meeting and set it all up at once. No more missed, changed or duplicate appointments!

Got a Referral for us?

If you have a business associate that could benefit from Dataglide. Send us a referral via Referral Key and get a $cash 'finder's fee'.

Out-sourcing Email And Messaging Services

Nicky Smith (Import) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:09:05 -0400

Has your company become the victim of a tech bubble? Are you losing increasing amounts of space to mail servers and their backups? Has the cost of maintaining current software and its licenses inflated beyond the cost benefit? Have the number of staff devoted to IT exploded? Email and messaging alone is responsible for much IT expansion and with more mobile devices it's going to become even more important. So how much is email going to cost you in the future? How much bigger is your IT department going to get? Moving email to a hosted service can deflate your tech bubble.

When your company hosts its own email and messaging, it means a continuing cost in purchasing and maintaining expensive equipment. You need servers that each cost thousands of dollars to handle the volume along with increasing numbers of backup servers to handle the archiving. Moving email to a hosted system saves money by eliminating constant equipment purchases.

Hosting your own email also entails covering the software costs. Choosing the right email software takes time away from running your business. Paying the hefty license fees for using it simply adds to the expense. On top of it all is keeping the software updated so that users within the company can smoothly integrate communications. Patches are an ever-present concern for companies that value secure communications.

The physical and software requirements of hosting your email service in-house call for an expanded IT staff devoting increasing amounts of time to replacing equipment or installing updates on servers and workstations. There is also the continued education costs of keeping those staffers certified to work on the software you own.

Moving your email and messaging to a cloud-based model for hosting eliminates all these costs. Out-sourcing your email means someone else absorbs the equipment costs, handles the licensing and is in charge of maintaining a dedicated staff to handle email. Email services can also handle any security issues invisibly without disrupting company communications.

Beyond the financial gains, out-sourcing your email and messaging system means being positioned to take full advantage of the rise in mobile communications. Cloud-based systems can be accessed by smart phones and often integrate seamlessly with smart phone applications. Employees are never out of touch with each other or their clients. Taking charge of business communications once meant boosting your in-house IT capabilities, but the increasing costs of doing it yourself show that the way forward is through out-sourcing.

Learn more at http://www.dataglide.com/news/Outsourcing_Email_And_Messaging_Services_Saves_Money.php

Hybrid Email Hosting with Dataglide. a Kerio Hosted Solution

Nicky Smith (Import) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:50:18 -0400

Companies that have chosen a Hybrid Email hosting as a Microsoft Exchange Alternative for their account domain. They are looking for ways to get as much as they can from every dollar given the state of the economy. The cost of ownership and maintenance of the hardware and software for an on-site email server is prohibitive and most companies are opting for hosted email for business service plans. The costs are fixed and most kerio hosted email solution plans can be paid monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly. The hosted email provider takes care of everything else including redundancy and resiliency. They also filter out any spam or viruses and keep the software and hardware up-to-date. Accounts like Kerio hosted email solution is created by combining several Microsoft Exchange accounts that have been setup for some users that have been set up to access POP3 or IMAP accounts. Microsoft Exchange accounts offer contact synchronization and sharing, calendar, and email functions for about $10 to $15 per month.

However, IMAP only costs $1 to $3 per month because it only offers hosted email for business service. In February 2011 the Gartner Group published a report that the purchase of the smart phone accounted for 17.3% of all mobile handset sales in the first quarter of 2010. The IPAD accounts for another 13.6% of sales. No longer do people have to be sitting at a desk with a computer attached to the same microprocessor as everyone else in order to communicate. Today we have many different ways we can stay connected through email. Considering all the ways that end-users can share email accounts it become clear that Microsoft Exchange Alternative accounts are here to stay. A Kerio Connect such as www.dataglide.com account can give alternative system platforms which allow users to share calendar and other email contact items including smart phone users. Effective coordination of mailing lists and other groups allow companies to stay connected to their customer base even if the client is away from his/her office. It comes down to this type of technology allows companies to get more "bang for the buck".

Got a Referral for us?

If you have a business associate that could benefit from Dataglide. Send us a referral via Referral Key and get a $cash 'finder's fee'.

Dataglide Affordable Hosted Email for Business

Nicky Smith (Import) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:17:26 -0400

Dataglide Connect (www.dataglide.com) is an all-in-one messaging and collaboration server designed for small to medium sized organizations. Dataglide Connect provides advanced email, calendaring and collaboration features across platforms supporting most popular desktop clients including Microsoft Outlook, Entourage, Apple Mail, Address Book and iCal, including the latest mobile devices. Dataglide Connect includes the powerfuk Kerio WebMail for clientless access to full groupware and collaboration features via most popular browsers. Dataglide Connect bundles integrated anti-virus, powerful anti-spam, built-in archiving, automated backup and an easy admin interface, making it a perfect choice for any small to medium organization.

New features in Dataglide Connect include: Distributed Domain – manage a single email domain across multiple servers in different geographic locations; Full Web-based Administration – complete remote management from a web browser; CardDAV – native synchronization support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard Address Book; and New Mobile Device support – including Palm Pre, Nexus, Droid, G2, and HTC Hero.

Dataglide powered by Kerio Connect is the leading mobile messaging and groupware choice for small to medium sized organizations. Kerio Connect supports the Exchange ActivSync protocol delivering over-the-air built-in push email, wireless groupware data synchronization, and remote wipe capabilities for most popular smartphones and smartphone operating systems including Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile phones, Nokia E/N Series devices, and the latest WebOS and Android 2.0 based phones. Blackberry synchronization is supported with AstraSync or NotifySync for Dataglide Connect. Visit www.dataglide.com

The scoop on Net Neutrality

Nicky Smith (Import) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:33:46 -0400

FCC-initiated closed-door negotiations on network neutrality ground to a halt when Google and Verizon reached an independent agreement earlier this month.

The agreement came under fire from a large sector of the tech community and led to a protest on Google’s Mountain View, CA campus, while the search engine giant defended the plan in its public policy blog. Critics of the plan claim that the FCC has proven powerless to protect consumer freedoms and call for regulations to apply equally to wireless and wireline services.

In recent months, the FCC, relenting to pressures from Congress, has let up on its efforts to reclassify the Internet as a telecommunications service, focusing instead on network neutrality. With the sudden end of this round of discussion, it remains unclear how the commission can have an effective role in future negotiations.