FreedomPop to Offer Free Mobile Internet Access

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of Skype announced that his new company FreedonPop, along with partner LightSquared, will be offering free access to mobile broadband internet and phone service. Details are at a minimum at this point other than the service is scheduled to go live nationwide in the second half of 2012. Sound too good to be true? Well, you know what they always say about that. :D

FreedomPop will initially target underserved markets. "The Internet is a right, not a privilege," said Matt Ingrid, COO of FreedomPop.
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People say driving is a right too.

Far, far, far from the truth.

So now they're saying access to the internet for data, information and other usages is a right too? I thought you were supposed to be born with rights and not given them as your life goes on?
 
Internet access certainly isn't a right to all the scammers from Nigeria. :mad:
 
I'll wait and see if Lightsquared has enough bandwidth for this after they have to shift frequencies. Something tells me they're desperate to line up customers to engage in a stare down with the FCC & FAA. Now if it were just the FCC they might win, but the FAA is so risk-averse it's not funny. Toss in the farmer lobby, et al., and they're going to get smacked down hard.

You don't buy into a low power satellite band and then expect to be able to transmit a signal a billion times more powerful from the ground.
 
I think this is a great initiative, one that Obama said he'd like to implement in his second term to families below the poverty line.
 
zpackrat said:
the liberal mindset marches forward.......argh:mad:
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Huh? Did I miss the part where it says this will be publicly funded? If he's found a way to provide even basic free access to voice and data and earn a profit doing it, that's capitalism at it's finest.
 
nicklemarr said:
I think this is a great initiative, one that Obama said he'd like to implement in his second term to families below the poverty line.
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If you're in poverty, why are you spending money on your computer instead of on food for your children? I guess if you redefine "poverty"...
 
zpackrat said:
the liberal mindset marches forward.......argh:mad:
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So you are against a company offering a product?

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I think he was arguing against the concept of the internet being a human right.
 
kirbyrj said:
I think he was arguing against the concept of the internet being a human right.
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Well, I hate to say it, but meh. Considering how many jobs are listed only online it's approaching necessity in the US. We'll end up with a USF for net access yet. Not only that but this is a private company CEO saying this. I thought CEO's were gods and money was speech, blah blah, conserva-logic is as bad (or worse) than progressi-logic.
 
Inglix_the_Mad said:
Well, I hate to say it, but meh. Considering how many jobs are listed only online it's approaching necessity in the US. We'll end up with a USF for net access yet. Not only that but this is a private company CEO saying this. I thought CEO's were gods and money was speech, blah blah, conserva-logic is as bad (or worse) than progressi-logic.
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I, personally, have no problem with a private company offering free internet access. I don't know how they are going to make money, and there aren't enough details to explain how they plan on doing so, hence I would never invest in a company like that.

But I don't agree with the concept of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and access to the internet in your home (God forbid you have go to the library to use the internet for free).
 
Oldie said:
Huh? Did I miss the part where it says this will be publicly funded? If he's found a way to provide even basic free access to voice and data and earn a profit doing it, that's capitalism at it's finest.
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Anyone saying something like internet access is a right is a liberal minded individual, period. It's like saying health care is a right. regardless of the source of funding.
 
Inglix_the_Mad said:
Well, I hate to say it, but meh. Considering how many jobs are listed only online it's approaching necessity in the US. We'll end up with a USF for net access yet. Not only that but this is a private company CEO saying this. I thought CEO's were gods and money was speech, blah blah, conserva-logic is as bad (or worse) than progressi-logic.
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I'm not sure that I agree that jobs are a right either. That being said, if it was that important they could go to dozens of place and get internet access. There are literally dozens of places around here, and a last resort could be the library.

My hope is this is funded through ad-revenue, and popups as the name would suggest.
 
The real question is, why free?

Data mining user habits?

Gotta wonder.... are they going to offer free usage, but offer zero privacy and track user habits intimately? It's the only way I could see them turning a real profit.

Look at FB, same thing it's just data mining...

Just my 2c.
 
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