Posted 04/09/09 at 08:35:58 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Cyberspies have reportedly maneuvered themselves into such a position of strength that they can literally pull the plug from the U.S electrical grid whenever they like. According to a Wall Street Journal report, which is based on input from unnamed security officials (retired and serving), foreign spies have not only breached the electrical grid’s ramparts but also left behind software that could allow them to cripple the system.

Officials say that the spies – thought to be from Russia, China and other countries – only wanted to take stock of the American electrical infrastructure and intended no immediate harm. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," a former Department of Homeland Security official told the WSJ.

Both the Russians and Chinese have rebuffed the allegations against them. It is difficult to ascertain whether or not these cyber-saboteurs are acting at the behest of a foreign government.

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Posted 04/07/09 at 06:06:18 PM by Andy Salisbury

Love it or hate it, there’s no looking over the big possibilities that the stimulus package holds for the future of our nation’s broadband infrastructure – and starting tomorrow the folks at the FCC are going to start discussing just how they’re doing to divvy the cash up.

With $7.2 billion of the total $787 billion allocated from the package, the FCC will begin looking for ways to outfit those living in rural areas with access to high speed Internet. They’ll also start looking at ways to improve the speeds of existing broadband infrastructure.

This is quite the undertaking, no doubt about it! Good thing they’ve got until next February.

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Posted 12/23/08 at 09:26:52 AM by Paul Lilly

President-elect Barack Obama will have his hands full trying to get the economy back on track once he officially takes office next month, and if the media reform group Free Press has any say in the matter, a major investment in the nation's broadband infrastructure should be high on the list.

In a 30-page reported titled "Down Payment on Our Digital Future: Stimulus Policies for the 21st-Century Economy", the Free Press proposes spending $44 billion in broadband stimulus funds over the next three years. The vast amount of funds would be used to build next-generation broadband networks, connecting rural areas without broadband service, making high speed connections more affordable, providing PCs and training to low income users, promoting children's access to technology at school and at home, and ensuring clear standards of quality, affordability, and competition.

"Promoting the deployment of a national, forward-looking broadband infrastructure will provide substantial short-term and long-term economic benefits," S. Derek Turner, study author and research director of Free Press, wrote in the report (PDF). "This deployment effort will immediately create tens of thousands of new jobs in the telecommunications, manufacturing, and high-tech sectors."

The United States ranks 22nd in the world in broadband adoption, with over 40 percent of all U.S. homes still without a high speed connection. Obama previously said that investing in computers and broadband for schools and hospitals would be part of his immediate economic recovery plans, but no specific amount was ever mentioned.

Would spending $44 billion be overboard? Hit the jump and sound off.

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