Small - But Ambitious - Wireless ISP
Posted on November 22, 2011
Today’s Inside Digital Media podcast is a 32-minute audio interview with Nathan Stooke who is the owner of WisperISP, The company was launched eight years ago with a single business subscriber and now has about 3,500, mostly on the Illinois side of St. Louis. Earlier 35-year-old Nathan owned a company that did computer programming for the Coast Guard.
There are two reasons for interviewing Nathan. First, I wanted to learn whether the traditionally rural Wireless ISP industry can compete in important city markets like St. Louis. Second, after meeting Nathan at a recent industry conference I felt that he had the ambition and ability to make WisperISP a much bigger company and I wanted to learn more about his plans.
Download audio interview to iPod, iPhone, and iPad
Since WisperISP has only 3,500 subscribers it has not yet demonstrated it can compete in the densely populated confines of St. Louis and its bedroom communities. However, Nathan’s growth has been entirely organic. He has yet to spend any money on advertising or marketing. Traditionally customers “discovered” WisperISP when they couldn’t get reliable broadband Internet access any other way. The satellite option has never been truly competitive in terms of reliability and latency minimization, and subscribers distant from a telephone exchange cannot get satisfactory DSL speeds. Read more…
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Future Internet Access
Posted on July 12, 2011
Two major changes in the way we get to the Internet are pending.
First, conventional ISPs such as CATV and telecom companies shall attempt to abandon fixed monthly rates and replace them with metered fees based upon bandwidth consumption. The probability the change will remain permanent is about fifty-fifty. Second, a steadily growing percentage of our Internet access will be via wireless networks including both cellular and unlicensed bands such as Wi-Fi and White Spaces. The likelihood of the second prediction is about as certain as fleas on a yard dog.
Download six minute audio narration to iPod, iPhone and iPad
Fixed-Wire Metered Fees
At the annual National Cable Television Association conference last month there was an important shift in informal discussions about metered rates. Previously, such conversations centered on whether the rates should be attempted at all, but this time discussion gravitated toward when and how. Competition from Netflix and other methods of getting Internet video to television screens is simply proving to be too competitive for traditional pay TV services. Read more…
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Metered Pricing for Internet Access
Posted on April 16, 2009
Timothy Karr, Campaign Director, FreePress.net
If you would like to learn about efforts by Time Warner Cable and other broadband ISPs to test metered-use pricing of Internet service in selected markets, this interview is for you.
Our guest today is Timothy Karr who is the Campaign Director at FreePress.net. His organization is about six years old and is focused on policy issues relating to media. It is funded by various private foundations and individuals and does not take donations from corporations. Read more…
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Municipal Wireless Networks (Part 2 of 2)
Posted on September 8, 2007
If you would like to learn about the trend that some cities may have started toward municipal wireless (WiFi) networks, this interview is for you. (Part 2 of 2).
Our guest today is Craig Settles who is the founder of Successful.com which is a consulting firm that advises organizations on the adoption of new computer and communications technologies. For the past couple of years Craig has been particularly active in advising municipalities on the merits of setting-up city-wide wireless data (WiFi) networks. Read more…
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Municipal Wireless Networks (Part 1 of 2)
Posted on September 6, 2007
If you would like to learn about the trend that some cities may have started toward municipal wireless (WiFi) networks, this interview is for you. (Part 1 of 2).
Our guest today is Craig Settles who is the founder of Successful.com which is a consulting firm that advises organizations on the adoption of new computer and communications technologies. For the past couple of years Craig has been particularly active in advising municipalities on the merits of setting-up city-wide wireless data (WiFi) networks. Read more…
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Generating Ad Revenue For Your WiFi Hot Spot
Posted on August 21, 2007
If you operate a WiFi network and would like to learn how you can generate advertising revenue, this interview is for you.
Our guest today is Kevin McKenzie who is the CEO of JiWire. His company gives users of your WiFi network the option of either (1) paying or (2) watching commercials, in order to gain access and remain connected on your network. Read more…
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