Quoted from Tommy

I just looked, and Motorolas are also readily available as well.
They too, will cost you less than you'll pay TW for leasing one, even for just a few months.
Get the model number off your modem. I'll find you one for less than 30 or 40 bucks.
They aren't exactly some rare "boutique" item.

Quoted from joebxr

AGREED...I'm wanting top of the line wireless one (Motorola SBG6580), but not finding it BIN for less than $100+...some auctions ar around $70. Retail is up over $128

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The Obama Plan and Keynesian Economics: Digging Holes
by Marcus Pickett
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Although classic Keynesian theory has been exposed as flawed, most economists agree the guiding principles of Keynesian economics are useful tools during times of economic recession. Deficit spending is one of the cornerstones of economic recovery. So integral was this infusion of new spending that John Keynes famously said "government should pay people to dig holes in the ground and then fill them up." This precept has literally come full circle. One of the elements of the $850 billion economic stimulus plan is specifically to pay people to dig holes and then fill them up. The catch: this time we're going to lay fiber-optic cables and geothermal piping.

The Multiplier Effect: How One Project Leads to Five
One of the central tenets of Keynesian is the multiplier effect, which claims that government spending sends positive ripples throughout the economy, creating new consumer spending and, in turn, increased employment. This may sound complicated and vague but can be easily understood through specific elements of the Obama Plan. Digging a subterranean path for fiber optic cables might cost anywhere from $44 billion to $100 billion, depending on the scope of the project. This initial outlay will create a significant portion—possibly all—of the 2.5 million jobs Obama hopes to create/save. By helping to pay for the digging and fiber-optic installation, huge numbers of tech jobs will be created to bring the full value of 100Mbps broadband to American homes and businesses.

Better yet, the cost of broadband service—including Internet access and cable service—will be dramatically reduced, creating a wider consumer base and more spending power for people who already have broadband service. Meanwhile, the initial cost of the project still acts as its own economic stimulus, as the money placed into the hands of blue and white collar workers will itself eventually be used for consumer spending and to prop up housing values.

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The Bigger the Hole, the Higher the Mountain
Common sense tells us that when we dig a hole, the discarded dirt forms a mound of the same size as the hole. In economics, the mound may become two, three, or four times as big. This is another way of illustrating the multiplier effect. In terms of digging holes, what exactly we lay in the ditches we dig will determine how much this investment might payoff in the end. A single fiber optic strand will also reduce competition. In Switzerland, the government required the leading telecom company to install several fiber optic strands and auction the additional lines to other companies.

Another suggestion might be to give homeowners the option, wherever possible, to install geothermal heating and cooling systems with the fiber optic cable. All but eliminating energy use associated with heating and cooling, the most expensive part of the installing these systems is digging the ditches for the underground piping. By giving homeowners the option of installing geothermal systems when fiber optic crews roll through their neighborhood, the government could dramatically reduce its cost, enticing many homeowners to install geothermal systems. This, in turn, would make for good economic sense and instantly reduce energy loads during the summer and winter, when energy is in the greatest demand.

Home Improvement and Broadband Statistics
ServiceMagic, a contractor referral service that tracks consumer demand in every area of home improvement, has seen demand for geothermal heating and cooling systems triple in the last year. This increase becomes even more dramatic when the numbers from the beginning of this year's heating season, where requests for geothermal systems (8,506) more than quadrupled the same quarter for last season. In all likelihood, the rising demand and nearly 100 percent consumer satisfaction rating indicates the large installation cost is the only thing holding back wide-scale geothermal implementation.

In terms of broadband capabilities and affordability, this year's Information Technology and Innovation Foundation—using prevalence, speed, and price of broadband service—ranked the United States 15th, and below the international average. More disturbing, the United States has dropped in the rankings every year since 2001. Between upgrading the information superhighway and modernizing the heating and cooling systems of our nation's housing stock, the U.S. economy is only the most immediate beneficiary of this program. The quality of our education, the degree of energy independence, and the health of our environment, the very salvation of our country and planet lies in the dirt beneath our feet.



Read more: http://www.servicemagic.com/ar.....9.html#ixzz2Auvk6gyb

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Guantanamo upgrade: US to spend $40 mil on renovation
Get short URL email story to a friend print version
Published: 06 July, 2012, 04:49
TAGS:
Military, Human rights, Terrorism, Law, Cuba, USA

Camp X-Ray of Naval Base Guantanamo Bay (Reuters / Stringer)

(34.4Mb)embed video
Despite promises to close Guantanamo Bay, Washington is now preparing to invest tens of millions into renovating the controversial facility's infrastructure.
The Pentagon is planning to install a $40-million fiber optic cable at Guantanamo, and the base's commanders say such a long term investment in infrastructure makes sense only if the US intends to continue operating the base.
"It only makes sense to do if we're going to be here for any period of time," Navy Capt. Kirk Hibbert told the Miami Herald.
The goal of the project is to bring the infrastructure of the naval base up to par with other government agencies, said Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the Guantanamo military commissions. The base currently relies on a single satellite, which is prone to interference during bad weather, for its communications.
An infrastructure project like this one may well suggest that the US military is preparing for long-term operations at Guantanamo. Breasseale, however, refuted these allegations, saying that the project is meant to serve the Guantanamo naval station and not the detention camp, which Washington still “has plans” to close.
The project will require congressional approval and has been included into the fiscal 2013 budget, but the survey ship USNS Zeus is expected to arrive at the naval base in upcoming weeks.
Cuban authorities have been notified about the project, but they apparently do not have any say on it. The US maintains that it is a lawful tenant of the base under a 1934 treaty that makes the lease permanent unless both governments agree to break it or if the US abandons the base property.
The US' approach to the law in this situation should raise eyebrows, American lawyer Eric Montalvo told RT.
“If you look at the lease or you look at the terms of how the negotiation occurred, Cuba has requested that the US leave on a number of occasions,” he said. “And if you look at the terms of the agreement, they do not conform to real estate law because there is this rule against perpetuities. You just can’t have something that goes on forever in a lease, there has to be a defined beginning and a defined end.”
The US sends an annual rent check for $4,085 to Havana. But Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in 2007 that Cuba never cashed a single check except for one occasion in 1959 when it was done due to "confusion." Castro said that Cuba refused to cash the checks to protest the US occupation of the illegally usurped land, which he said was used for "dirty work."
When President Obama was first running for office, he pledged in very strong terms to shut down Guantanamo. But not only did he not shut it down, the US is now renovating the facility.
In 2009, Obama signed an executive order to close Guantanamo. But a decision on the specifics of such a plan was postponed, and in 2011, he issued an executive order permitting the indefinite detention of Guantanamo detainees.
With indefinite detentions and documented use of torture, Guantanamo has put a black mark on America’s already spotty human rights record. Within the last decade of the War on Terror, about 800 people have passed through the camp. The majority of them had nothing to do with 9/11, according to the facility's former chief prosecutor.
At the moment the prison houses 169 detainees, about half of whom were cleared for release but have few prospects of obtaining freedom due to a ban on transfers from Guantanamo. As for the rest of the captives, some of them have a shot at a military hearing, but most of them do not have even that chance because the government says they cannot be tried for one reason or another, while the US Supreme Court keeps refusing to take up Guantanamo detainees’ petitions.

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Optical Cable Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend
Published: Tuesday, 16 Oct 2012 | 8:00 AM ET Text Size
ROANOKE, Va., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Optical Cable Corporation (Nasdaq GM: OCC) ("OCC" or the "Company") today announced the declaration of a regular quarterly cash dividend to OCC's shareholders.

OCC's Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.015 per share on the Company's common stock effective October 15, 2012. The dividend will be paid on or about November 15, 2012 to shareholders of record on October 29, 2012.

The dividend announced today implies an annual cash dividend of $0.06 per common share.

Company Information Optical Cable Corporation ("OCC") is a leading manufacturer of a broad range of fiber optic and copper data communications cabling and connectivity solutions primarily for the enterprise market, offering an integrated suite of high quality, warranted products which operate as a system solution or seamlessly integrate with other providers' offerings. OCC's product offerings include designs for uses ranging from commercial, enterprise network, datacenter, residential and campus installations to customized products for specialty applications and harsh environments, including military, industrial, mining and broadcast applications. OCC products include fiber optic and copper cabling, fiber optic and copper connectors, specialty fiber optic and copper connectors, fiber optic and copper patch cords, pre-terminated fiber optic and copper cable assemblies, racks, cabinets, datacom enclosures, patch panels, face plates, multi-media boxes and other cable and connectivity management accessories, and are designed to meet the most demanding needs of end-users, delivering a high degree of reliability and outstanding performance characteristics.

OCC is internationally recognized for pioneering the design and production of fiber optic cables for the most demanding military field applications, as well as of fiber optic cables suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and creating a broad product offering built on the evolution of these fundamental technologies. OCC also is internationally recognized for its role in establishing copper connectivity data communications standards, through its innovative and patented technologies.

Founded in 1983, OCC is headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia with offices, manufacturing and warehouse facilities located in each of Roanoke, Virginia, near Asheville, North Carolina and near Dallas, Texas. OCC primarily manufactures its fiber optic cables at its Roanoke facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered and MIL-STD-790F certified, its enterprise connectivity products at its Asheville facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered, and its military and harsh environment connectivity products and systems at its Dallas facility which is ISO 9001:2008 registered and MIL-STD-790F certified.

Optical Cable Corporation, OCC, Superior Modular Products, SMP Data Communications, Applied Optical Systems, and associated logos are trademarks of Optical Cable Corporation.

Further information about OCC is available on the Internet at

.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release by Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company" or "OCC") may contain certain forward-looking information within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The forward-looking information may include, among other information, (i) statements concerning our outlook for the future, (ii) statements of belief, anticipation or expectation, (iii) future plans, strategies or anticipated events, and (iv) similar information and statements concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from our expectations, and such known and unknown variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks may also adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries, the Company's future results of operations and future financial condition, and/or the future equity value of the Company. A partial list of such variables, uncertainties, contingencies and risks that could cause or contribute to such differences from our expectations or could otherwise adversely affect Optical Cable Corporation and its subsidiaries is set forth in Optical Cable Corporation's quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") under the heading "Forward-Looking Information." OCC's quarterly and annual reports are available to the public on the SEC's website at

. In providing forward-looking information, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update this information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by applicable laws and regulations.

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Class action suits over latest Time Warner fee

Updated: Wednesday, 14 Nov 2012, 6:51 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 14 Nov 2012, 6:51 PM EST
Al Vaughters
Posted by: Eli George



BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Class action lawsuits are challenging Time Warner Cable's new rental fees for cable modems.

Mark Lands is furious over his latest cable bill. Time Warner Cable has tacked on a new $3.95 charge to lease his cable modem, even though he's had the modem since February. And Lands said Time Warner guaranteed no price hikes for two years when he signed his contract.

RELATED | Time Warner just recently announced the new fee

Lands said, "And they told me, no, if you bundle and you've got an agreed price, your price will stay the same. But then I got my bill three days later, and it went up $3.95."

Now several outraged Time Warner Cable customers have class action lawsuits against the cable giant in New York and New Jersey state courts.

Steve Wittels, a lead attorney in the lawsuits, said, "What the company has failed to do is read its own customer agreements. Essentially the customer agreement says, if you are going to have to replace your modem, the company will do it at no charge - that is an exact quote. Time Warner is engaged in a hi-tech fraud with very low-tech methods. They have sent out wholly inadequate notice on a paltry little postcard that most people threw out in the mail."

And while Time Warner Cable officials tell customers they can avoid the monthly modem fee by buying their own modem, Wittels says that won't work for customers who have bundled digital phone service in with their cable and internet.

"And what the company didn't tell you is that if you've got digital phone service, which is what a lot of people have with 'Triple Play,' you can't even use their modem. The companies are not making modems that support the Time Warner service," Wittels said.

Attorneys say when you add up those $3.95 modem charges for all of Time Warner's customers, it amounts to about $500 million a year.

A Time Warner Cable spokesman declined comment on the lawsuits.


Copyright WIVB.com

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The Broadband Gap: Why Do They Have More Fiber?
By SAUL HANSELL
This is the third in a series looking at the lessons for the United States from broadband deployment in other countries. Read the first and second posts.


In the paradises of broadband — Japan, South Korea and Sweden — nearly everyone can surf far faster and far cheaper than anyone in the United States. What is their secret sauce and how can we get some?

The short answer is that broadband deployment in those countries was spurred by a combination of heavy government involvement, subsidies and lower corporate profits that may be tough for the economic and political system in the United States to accept. Those countries have also tried to encourage demand for broadband by paying schools, hospitals and other institutions to use high-speed Internet services.

Sweden has built one of the fastest and most widely deployed broadband networks in Europe because its government granted tax breaks for infrastructure investments, directly subsidized rural deployment, and, perhaps most significantly, required state-owned municipal utilities to create local backbone networks, reducing the cost for the local telephone company to provide service.

Japan let telecommunications companies write down about one-third of their investment in broadband the first year, rather than the usual policy, which requires them to spread the deductions over 22 years. The Japanese government also subsidized low-cost loans for broadband construction and paid for part of the wiring of rural areas.

“The return to fiber takes time,” said Dave Burstein, the editor of the DSL Prime newsletter, in an e-mail message. “Governments can invest thinking 10 and 20 years, but few companies can. So putting the expensive part (ditch-digging) under the government in some form has good logic. Then you have the companies compete at an upper layer where the investment required is not so intimidating.”

In many countries, especially in Asia, government assistance has gone hand in hand with an expectation that private companies will accept lower profit margins in order to assist in achieving the national broadband goals.

“The South Korean government expects its private companies to drive the investment in broadband infrastructure with government support in the form of loans and tax subsidies as their incentive,” wrote the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in a report last year.

There are only a handful of major projects worldwide to build fiber lines to homes that don’t involve significant government aid of some sort, Mr. Burstein said, including Verizon’s FiOS and Iliad’s fiber network in some large French cities.

Don’t count out “national pride” as a partial explanation for the creation of high-speed networks in Asia, Mr. Burstein wrote me:

Japan then got serious about fiber because they couldn’t accept Korea being ahead, and similarly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and now Malaysia. Singapore wants to pull ahead again, so they decided to go to 1 gigabit (shared) fiber with really intense regulation.
What lessons are there in all this for the United States, which historically has had an aversion to Asian-style industrial policy?

Finding a way to bring broadband to remote and rural locations where it is simply uneconomic for commercial companies to string wires is one clear option. Much of the $7 billion for broadband in the stimulus bill is allocated to this, but more will likely be needed to get the sort of universal coverage that Sweden and some other countries have.

The government also could help the people who don’t use the Internet because they don’t have the skills or even have a computer. The stimulus bill has some money for this. There are also some proposals to redirect some of the Universal Service Fund money now used to pay the operating costs of rural phone companies to rural broadband providers.

And of course if regulators can find a way to increase competition and lower the price of broadband, more people would no doubt sign up. Studies have shown that people in the United States with incomes under $50,000 are far less likely to have broadband service than those who earn more. Some argue that devoting more spectrum to wireless data services may also create more competition, but there is quite a debate about whether wireless service can match the speed and cost of cable or fiber.

But the biggest question is whether the country needs to actually provide subsidies or tax breaks to the telephone and cable companies to increase the speeds of their existing broadband service, other than in rural areas. Many people served by Verizon and Comcast are likely to have the option to get super-fast service very soon. But people whose cable and phone companies are in more financial trouble, such as Qwest Communications and Charter Communications, may well be in the slow lane to fast surfing. Still, it’s a good bet that all the cable companies will eventually get around to upgrading to the faster Docsis 3 standard and the phone companies will be forced to upgrade their networks to compete.

The lesson from the rest of the world is that if the Obama administration really wants to bring very-high-speed Internet access to most people faster than the leisurely pace of the market, it will most likely have to bring out the taxpayers’ checkbook.

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For Immediate Release February 10, 2011
President Obama Details Plan to Win the Future through Expanded Wireless Access

Initiative expands wireless coverage to 98% of Americans, reduces deficit by nearly $10 billion, invests in nationwide public safety network

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will today detail his plan to win the future by catalyzing the buildout of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a National Wireless Initiative to make available high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of Americans. The Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative laid out today will make it possible for businesses to achieve that goal, while freeing up spectrum through incentive auctions, spurring innovation, and creating a nationwide, interoperable wireless network for public safety.  It will also reduce the national deficit by approximately $10 billion.

The President will announce the new initiative at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, a city where local businesses have been able to grow as a result of broadband access, with particular benefit in exporting goods to new markets around the world.  He will also see a demonstration of how the university’s WiMAX network has enabled distance learning for university and community students.

For more details on the President’s Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative, please see the fact sheet below:

The White House

FACT SHEET: President Obama’s Plan to Win the Future through the Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative

In his State of the Union address, President Obama set the goal of enabling businesses to provide high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of all Americans within five years.  The rollout of the next generation of high-speed wireless—the “4G” technology now being deployed in the United States by leading carriers—promises considerable benefits to our economy and society.  More than 10 times faster than current high speed wireless services, this technology promises to benefit all Americans, bolster public safety, and spur innovation in wireless services, equipment, and applications.  By catalyzing private investment and innovation and reducing the deficit by $9.6 billion, this initiative will help the United States win the future and compete in the 21st century economy.

Nearly Double Wireless Spectrum Available for Mobile Broadband:  The President has set the goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum for everything from smartphones to wireless broadband connectivity for laptops to new forms of machine-to-machine communication within a decade.  Critical to realizing this goal are “voluntary incentive auctions” and more efficient use of government spectrum, estimated to raise $27.8 billion over the next decade.
Provide At Least 98% of Americans with Access to 4G High-Speed Wireless:  Private investments are extending 4G to most of the Nation, but leaving some rural areas behind.  The President’s initiative would support a one-time investment of $5 billion and reform of the “Universal Service Fund” to ensure millions more Americans will be able to use this technology.
Catalyze Innovation Through a Wireless Innovation (WIN):  To spur innovation, $3 billion of the spectrum proceeds will go to research and development of emerging wireless technologies and applications.
Develop and Deploy a Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network for Public Safety: The President’s Budget calls for a $10.7 billion commitment to support the development and deployment of a nationwide wireless broadband network to afford public safety agencies with far greater levels of effectiveness and interoperability.  An important element of this plan is the reallocation of the D Block for public safety and $500 million within the WIN Fund.
Cut the Deficit By $9.6 Billion Over the Next Decade:  Nearly $10 billion of spectrum auction revenue will be devoted to deficit reduction.
Details of the President’s Initiative



Nearly Double Wireless Spectrum Available for Mobile Broadband.  The number of “Smartphones” will soon pass both conventional mobile phones and computers around the world, promising lower costs for such devices, more functionality, and greater demand for bandwidth (speed).  4G deployment is rising to meet this demand, but it relies on access to the “airwaves” that is currently constrained by a spectrum crunch that will hinder future innovation.  To address this challenge, the President’s initiative has set the goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum.  Specifically, the plan provides:
Win-win incentives for government holders.  New financial-compensation tools and a commitment to using advanced technologies more effectively will enable government agencies to use spectrum more efficiently.
Win-win incentives for commercial holders.  As recommended in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, legislation is needed to allow the FCC to conduct “voluntary incentive auctions” that enable current spectrum holders to realize a portion of auction revenues if they choose to participate.
The majority of the freed up spectrum would be auctioned for licensed mobile broadband, raising a projected $27.8 billion over the next decade, and a remainder would be for unlicensed use.
A Goal of 98% of Americans with Access to 4G High-Speed Wireless. America’s businesses are building out 4G networks to much of the nation, with some major companies crediting the President’s recent tax incentives for accelerating their efforts. Nevertheless, absent additional government investment, millions of Americans will not be able to participate in the 4G revolution.  To that end, the President’s Budget supports the 4G buildout in rural areas through a one-time $5 billion investment.  This investment, to be managed by the FCC, will help catalyze universal service reform to provide access to higher-speed wireless and wired broadband, dovetail with the need for public safety to have a wireless network available in rural areas, and extend access from the almost 95% of Americans who have 3G wireless services today to at least 98% of all Americans gaining access to state-of-the-art 4G high-speed wireless services within five years.  Extending access to high-speed wireless not only provides a valuable service to Americans living in those areas—access to medical tests, online courses, and applications that have not yet been invented—but also catalyzes economic growth by enabling consumers and businesses living in those areas to participate in the 21st century economy.
A Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund to Help Drive Innovation. This $3 billion fund will advance our economic growth and competitiveness goals, supporting key technological developments that will enable and take advantage of the 4G rollout and pave the way for new technologies.  The WIN Fund will support basic research, experimentation and testbeds, and applied development in a number of areas, including public safety, education, energy, health, transportation, and economic development.
Develop and Deploy A Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network For Public Safety. The 9/11 Commission noted that our homeland security is vulnerable, in part, due to the lack of interoperable wireless communication among first responders.  The rollout of 4G high speed wireless services provides a unique opportunity to deploy such a system in conjunction with the commercial infrastructure already being developed and deployed.  To seize that opportunity, President Obama is calling for an investment of $10.7 billion to ensure that our public safety benefits from these new technologies: $3.2 billion to reallocate the “D Block” (which is a band of spectrum that would be reserved and prioritized for public safety and not auctioned as called for under existing law); $7 billion to support the deployment of this network; and $500 million from the WIN Fund for R&D and technological development to tailor the network to meet public safety requirements.  This investment, in coordination with the investment in rural buildout, will ensure that the rollout of 4G in rural areas serves the needs of public safety and the broader community.
Cut the deficit by $9.6 billion over the next decade. The President’s proposals to auction off spectrum freed up from the government and voluntarily relinquished by current commercial users, is estimated to raise $27.8 billion. This total is above-and-beyond the auction proceeds that are used to provide an incentive for private and government users as well as the auction proceeds that are expected even absent the President’s proposal. After the cost of the investments proposed by the President, the initiative would reduce the deficit by $9.6 billion over the next decade.
Building on Progress

The Administration has already made progress on its decade-long spectrum goal and on expanding broadband access.

A 115 MHz downpayment on the President’s 500 MHz goal. Last June, President Obama issued a Memorandum calling for action by the Federal government and Congress to enable large swaths of spectrum to be used more efficiently.  The NTIA has already taken steps to make good on that commitment.  In particular, the agency has identified 115 Megahertz of Federal spectrum that can be freed up as part of a “fast track” process for exclusive or shared use, selected another 95 MHz of valuable spectrum for immediate evaluation, and has a workplan for evaluating other Federal spectrum bands that can be used more efficiently.
Recovery Act investments by the Commerce and Agriculture Departments have boosted deployment and adoption of broadband technology.  The Recovery Act provided around $7 billion to expand broadband access and adoption, with more than $2.5 billion going to the Rural Utility Service at Agriculture for rural areas and $4.4 billion going to National Telecommunications and Information Administration at Commerce to support a number of broadband initiatives.  In particular, NTIA provided around $400 million in grants to jurisdictions using wireless broadband for public safety.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

We never had any problems with our Time Warner connection or reception -- and the longest we have had to wait when calling them has been less than 5 minutes.