Broadband For All

The New York Times app is awesome. It’s actually my favorite right now – I use it multiple times a day. It’s well designed and user-friendly – unlike a lot of other newspaper apps currently available – and it’s FREE! It’s obvious that the NYT recognizes the importance of having an outstanding app. Instead of just slapping something together for the sake of saying they have an app, they went ahead and invested a significant amount of time and money into developing an outstanding one.

This makes me wonder why more companies aren’t doing the same. Sure, there are plenty of trendy, fun apps out there. But it seems like a lot of them miss the boat in terms of real functionality, not to mention doing anything to actually enhance the lives of users and other potential consumers.

President Obama signed a memo at the end of June that authorized the government to provide more broadband spectrum. If approved by Congress, this would mean the wireless communications spectrum available for commercial use would nearly DOUBLE over the next decade. This would hopefully ease some of the pressure on wireless networks, and help consumers send and receive video and data on handheld devices. The new spectrum would come from both the private and public sectors.

Sounds like a good thing, right? Well, not for everyone. Television broadcast and cable companies would be asked to give up some of their spectrum for auction. (Keep in mind they would be offered incentives for doing so.) The memo proposes that some of the money raised from the auction be used to “build the public safety network that would allow police and fire departments from different jurisdictions to talk to one another in emergencies.” Who can argue with that?!

iPhones, iPads, Androids and other handheld devices are all the rage right now. All signs point to their increasing popularity and widespread use in the future. Instead of worrying about the demise of traditional media, your company should be investing its time and resources into tapping the potential of this wireless trend. In the future, instead of being an added bonus, people are going to come to rely on getting their news and information on the go as a necessary part of everyday life.

The New York Times is a perfect example. Its app is so seamlessly integrated and convenient to use that it makes buying and reading an actual newspaper seem obsolete. Obviously there are always going to be some people out there that prefer to read an actual newspaper (or magazine or website). But you’d be stupid if you didn’t try to tap BOTH markets! Expanded broadband availability is only going to benefit the wireless technologies you develop now. So jump on it while the getting is good!

LINK:
New York Tines – Broadband Availability to Expand