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October 2016

FTTH Satisfaction: Only Safe Streets Beats Out Quality Broadband for Choosing Where to Live

High-speed, reliable broadband is an important factor in deciding where to live, according to a new fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) satisfaction survey conducted by research and consulting firm RVA LLC for the Fiber to the Home Council. Ninety-one percent of respondents said quality broadband was “very important” in choosing a community in which to live — second only to “safe streets,” which was cited by 98 percent of respondents.

Other highlights of the RVA/ FTTH Council research:

  • North America has experienced record growth in fiber to homes for the last 3 years of which Google, according to analyst reports, makes up a relatively small piece.
  • During 2004-2013, large telcos (Verizon, AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier) accounted for about 83 percent of the FTTH build, while other providers added just 17 percent of the annual additions.
  • But in the last three years, the large telcos only accounted for about 52% of the build while the “other 1000” FTTH providers added 48 percent in aggregate. And Google’s only one of those.
  • In addition, Internet users with FTTH connections are clearly more satisfied than those who don’t have them, according to FTTH Council’s report. More than 7 in 10 survey respondents with gigabit FTTH connectivity (73%) and 57% of those with standard FTTH connections said they were ¨very satisfied¨ with reliability (service up-time). That compares to 37 percent of those with cable Internet and 38 percent with telco DSL connections.
  • Similarly, 7 in 10 of those with gigabit FTTH and 51% of standard FTTH were ¨very satisfied¨ with the download and upload speeds. That compares to 38 percent of those with cable and 30 percent of those with DSL connections when it comes to download speed, and 32 percent and 29 percent, respectively, regarding upload speed.

FBI to take new ‘investigative steps’ on Clinton e-mails

Newly discovered emails found on a computer seized during an investigation of disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner thrust the controversy over Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server back into the presidential campaign less than two weeks before the election. Officials said the discovery prompted a surprise announcement by FBI Director James B. Comey that the agency would once again be examining emails related to Clinton’s time as secretary of state. In a letter to lawmakers, Comey said the FBI would take “appropriate investigative steps” to determine whether the newly discovered emails contain classified information and to assess whether they are relevant to the Clinton server probe.

The emails, numbering more than 1,000, were found on a computer used by both Weiner and his wife, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The correspondence included emails between Abedin and Clinton. “I’m confident whatever [the emails] are will not change the conclusion reached in July,” said Clinton. “Therefore, it’s imperative that the bureau explain this issue in question, whatever it is, without any delay.” Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta called it “extraordinary that we would see something like this just 11 days out from a presidential election.” Officials familiar with the inquiry said it was too early to assess the significance of the newly discovered emails. It is possible, they said, that some or all of the correspondence is duplicative of the emails that were already turned over and examined by the FBI.

RNC: New FBI review of Clinton emails 'stunning development'

The FBI’s announcement that it may have found new evidence related to Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server is a “stunning development” that “raises serious questions” about the Democratic presidential nominee, the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) said. "The FBI’s decision to reopen their criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s secret email server just 11 days before the election shows how serious this discovery must be,” said Chairman Reince Priebus in a statement shortly after news broke about the FBI’s action. “This stunning development raises serious questions about what records may not have been turned over and why, and whether they show intent to violate the law." "What’s indisputable is that Hillary Clinton jeopardized classified information on thousands of occasions in her reckless attempt to hide pay-to-play corruption at her State Department,” Priebus continued. “This alone should be disqualifying for anyone seeking the presidency, a job that is supposed to begin each morning with a top secret intelligence briefing.”

Facebook launches guide for voters

Facebook rolled out a ballot guide aimed at preparing people for the voting booth, the company’s latest effort at civic engagement. The feature allows users to scroll through and get more information about the candidates and ballot issues they’ll see when they go to vote. What users see on the guide is what they'll see on their ballot, according to Facebook. “We’re interested in offering people a space that’s separate from News Feed where they can prepare for that they’re going to do in the ballot box,” said Jeremy Galen, a product marketing manager with the company.

A user can scroll through to see all the candidates for a given office and choose to see their position on the issue, assuming the candidate has uploaded that information to their Facebook page. They can also see other users who have endorsed the candidate. The website serves information on the presidential race first, followed by down-ballot races and ballot questions. The order in which candidates are presented on the page is randomized. The information comes from the Center for Technology and Civic Life, a nonprofit group. Users can favorite a candidate they plan to support, an action they can either keep to themselves or share with friends. That data will be discarded 60 days after Election Day, the company said, and will not be used for any advertising purposes.

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