Technology Futures

Google's rumored GDrive would allow you to access your computer files from any Internet connection, and would be tightly coupled with Google's online applications. Users should be aware of potential content ownership issues. The user agreement for such a service would likely mirror other Google terms of use, which basically gives the company complete and full access to every bit of information stored in the Google "cloud computing" environment.

The Web 2.0 trend has spawned hundreds of online data services, but taking advantage of them can quickly become a major headache, as each service strives to tether you to their online service. Each one has a userid and password which you have to set and remember, each one often installs a desktop and smartphone helper applications, and each one takes a chunk of your data (e.g. calendar, to do list, contacts, email, documents, spreadsheets, etc.) and stores it out in the "cloud" somewhere, well beyond your control.

For all the supposed problems that these applications and service avoid (mostly blaming your local hard drive), if everything is on your hard drive, it is also in your complete control and can be easily backed up. There is no free lunch here, and many of these Web 2.0 services are going to fail because there are too many services chasing customers, and when they close their doors, your data may be gone forever. Customers of the these services should make sure to keep backups of important documents, in case there are problems.

FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has been named Acting Chairman of the FCC. This is good news for communities; Copps supports competition and is likely to help communities do more by shifting FCC attention away from favoring incumbent carriers and more towards creating a level playing field for all public and private networks.

Duke University researchers have developed a cloaking device that is actually, um, a cloak. They have designed a nanotechnology-based material that has the property of bending electromagnetic radiation, including visible and infrared light. The picture accompanying this article shows someone in a cloak with the background behind them clearly visible.

This article will probably give you a headache if you read it all the way to the end. It discusses the proposed delay in the transition to DTV (Digital TV). Somehow, the Federal government underfunded the converter box coupon program, and now there is a large backlog of requests for coupons that can't be filled.

The situation is complicated because last year, the FCC auctioned off parts of the analog TV spectrum to wireless broadband providers, who want to the newly purchased spectrum to deliver wireless broadband services.

But wait, it gets worse, because some advisors to the new administration appear to have potential conflicts of interest. Verizon paid billions for 700 Mhz licenses, and is eager to start deploying new wireless services. But competitor Clearwire, which has invested heavily in WiMax, which uses existing spectrum, not the new 700 Mhz, would benefit from a delay in the DTV transition, as it would keep Verizon at bay for a while longer.

Who loses? Communities waiting for more broadband services and better pricing because of competition. And it underscores the need for communities to take control of their economic future by making their own telecom and broadband investments that can be managed independently of lobbyists and telecom firms jockeying for control at the national level.