As the need increases for fast transfers of large amounts of data over the Internet, it is increasingly important to have an accurate estimation of throughput between two sources. This is the primary goal of the Bandwidth Estimation Project, which is part of the US Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing program. It is developing new algorithms and techniques to...

As states struggle with financial difficulties, there continues to be growing concern about the access to broadband service. Many policy makers consider this question of access as a way to encourage economic growth and development in certain rural and urban areas. This 42-page report from the Pew Center on the State was released in June 2010, and it discusses how states are attempting to ramp up...

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), one of the key technologies in the transition to broadband telecommunications, is used to transmit "data, video and voice at ultra high speeds." This home page for the ATM Forum is a good place to learn about the technology and its many applications. For people unfamiliar with ATM, the Beginner's Guide to ATM explains some of the basic principles involved in...

This report is an enjoyably accessible introduction to broadband communications for an era in which the term itself is increasingly pitched as the mark of excellence in high-speed Internet access. Published by the National Academy Press, the publishing house of the National Academy of Science, this work closely follows the history and development of broadband technology from its inception to the...

The Federal Communications Commission offers this informative page "about the issues the FCC oversees." The site is divided into six sections including Wireless, Internet, Radio, Satellite, Telephone, and Television & Cable. At first glance little information is contained in each section -- only a few frequently asked questions and their answers are given. However, a link at the bottom of each...

International long-distance phone bills can be rather costly, and Scout Report readers who haven't given the Skype application a try may wish to do so now. This latest version allows users to conduct conference calls with as many as nine people and it also includes a browser plug-in that turns phone numbers on web pages into links that Skype can automatically dial. This version of Skype is...

Created by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, this report focuses on the nature of broadband --- high speed communication --- use in American homes. The report reveals that nearly 24 million Americans (21% of all Internet users) have high-speed connections at home; as a result, they are able to spend more time online and perform more activities within a shorter period of time than dial-up...