BT creates Wi-Fi community

BT and Fon have finally confirmed their long-expected partnership, thus creating the largest Wi-Fi community in the world.

Fon was founded in Spain in early 2006. Broadband users who sign up to Fon's community agree to share their Wi-Fi connectivity through a separate, secure channel. They do this either for a 50 percent cut of the fees charged to their visitors or for the privilege of being able to surf other users' connections for free, though the community has since changed its rules to allow its members to do both.

One of the biggest hindrances to Fon's expansion has been resistance from Internet service providers, whose terms and conditions have tended to prohibit sharing of broadband connections.

Now BT, the largest ISP in the United Kingdom, has given its approval. By doing so, the telecommunications company has effectively extended its Openzone Wi-Fi network across the 3 million BT Home Hubs--or at least those Home Hubs whose users agree to share their broadband connection.

It is not yet clear whether BT users who share their connection will get remuneration for doing so, though it is likely that they will gain access to BT's new nationwide wireless network, plus Fon's global network of almost 200,000 hot spots. It is currently unclear whether BT's business customers will be offered the same deal.

BT has also invested an undisclosed amount in Fon and gained a seat on its board.

"This is the start of something very exciting for BT," Gavin Patterson, the managing director of BT Group, said Thursday. "Today we are launching a people's network of Wi-Fi, which could one day cover every street in Britain. We are giving our millions of Total Broadband customers a choice and an opportunity. If they are prepared to securely share a little of their broadband, they can share the broadband at hundreds of thousands of Fon and BT Openzone hot spots today, without paying a penny."

Patterson continued. "We have built a public Wi-Fi network and 12 wireless cities already, but today, we are saying to customers: let's build a Wi-Fi community together, which covers everywhere and serves everyone."

Martin Varsavsky, Fon's founder and chief executive, said, "From the beginning, Fon users believed in the concept of sharing and in the people's ability to participate in building something important that would benefit everyone," he said. "With BT Fon, those beliefs have proved to be well-founded."

Rumors that BT and Fon were in talks about the deal have been circulating for over six months, but Thursday's announcement is the first official confirmation of the tie-in. The collaboration between the two companies also raises the possibility of a comprehensive global network of Wi-Fi sharers--with the blessing of ISPs.

Fon has inked similar deals with Time Warner Cable in the United States--though that service is yet to be rolled out--and Neuf Cegetel in France, so BT broadband customers who agree to share their connectivity will soon gain free access to their counterparts' broadband in those countries.

Robert Lang, Fon's European chief, told CNET News.com sister site ZDNet UK on Thursday that Fon had compromised, in that its users will have to pay, albeit at a discounted rate, to use BT's Openzone hot spots and Wireless Cities hot zones, rather than gaining access for free.

The deal means that users of BT Fusion dual-mode handsets will be able to use those devices in far more locations around the world than had previously been possible. Fon also has a software client that can be used on Nokia's Wi-Fi-enabled N series handsets.

source : www.news.com

Technorati : Wi-Fi

For Global Warming Remedies

Nearly three-quarters of Americans are willing to pay more taxes to support local government efforts aimed at mitigating global warming, according to the findings of two recent national surveys conducted by Yale University.
Americans were willing to pay more money in property taxes, home costs and utility fees to support initiatives that would encourage people to use less energy and get that energy from alternative sources, the surveys showed. They follow other polls that have found concern for the environment is growing among Americans and bolder action is desired.
A poll conducted by the Associated Press and Stanford University last month found that Americans are pessimistic about the current state of the environment and disapprove of how the government has been handling environmental issues.
Another national Yale poll conducted in July found that a majority of Americans believe that society must take action to reduce the effects of global warming, partly by enacting a new national treaty that would require much more drastic reductions in carbon dioxide than those required by the Kyoto Protocol (which the United States never ratified). This earlier poll also showed that about 50 percent of Americans say they are personally worried about global warming.
"Nearly half of Americans now believe that global warming is either already having dangerous impacts on people around the world or will in the next 10 years-a 20 percentage-point increase since 2004. These results indicate a sea change in public opinion," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of Yale Project on Climate Change, in response to the findings of the earlier poll.
The results of the new surveys found that this worry has seemed to translate into willingness to take action:
74 percent of those surveyed would support local regulations requiring all newly constructed homes to be more energy efficient, even if it would increase the initial cost of the new home.
72 percent of respondents said they would support local subsidies aimed at encouraging homeowners to install solar panels on their homes, even if it would increase property taxes, because of potential savings in energy and utility bills.
71 percent would pay higher property taxes to support local subsidies aimed at replacing old furnaces, water heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs and insulation.
69 percent would pay higher taxes to require utilities to produce 20 percent of electricity through renewable energy sources.
68 percent would approve changing local zoning rules to decrease sprawl.
and 53 percent would support fees on electricity bills aimed at encouraging people to use less electricity.
"City and local leaders are critical players in the effort to reduce global warming, and it's clear that their constituents want action," Leiserowitz said. "The public is on board and willing to help foot the bill. All that's left to do now is act."
On the other hand, the results, culled from two national telephone surveys conducted in September, showed that most of those surveyed were unwilling to change zoning rules to encourage apartment buildings over single-family homes or support local fees on gas to promote less fuel consumption. (However, the earlier Yale study found that people were willing to pay more to require auto manufacturers to make more fuel efficient cars, trucks and SUVs.)
The results of these latest surveys stand in stark contrast to some conducted just a year ago. A 2006 poll conducted by ABC News, Time, Stanford University and Ohio State University found that only 3 in 10 Americans thought that global warming is caused by humans and less than 40 percent thought it was an immediate threat.

TIPS: Green Your Home

Trees, in a word, rock. They absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide, hold soil together to prevent landslides, and provide a rich habitat for diverse plants and animals. Choose furniture made from eco-friendly sources such as sustainably managed forests, bamboo, and reclaimed wood. Buying vintage wherever possible, rather than adding something new into the waste stream, is always in style. Also, look for furniture that is durable and likely long-lived-you'll save money on replacements in the future and prevent more wasted materials from winding up in the landfill. And, if for some reason, that dresser or dining table no longer suits your needs, something in fine shape will always have takers via Craig's List, eBay, or Freecycle.

Technorati : Global Warming