Internet Health Test aims to tell you if your ISP is violating net neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission surprised us all earlier this year when it put forth new net neutrality guidelines that were hugely pro-consumer. Yes, there may be a loophole or two. And yes, some internet service providers are already looking for different ways to hurt subscribers that don’t violate net neutrality. In the current climate, however, we’re not sure a more favorable set of rules could have been crafted by the FCC and its former cable lobbyist boss, Tom Wheeler.

Of course, creating better net neutrality guidelines is one thing — but policing ISPs and ensuring they adhere to the new rules is an entirely different can of worms.

BattlefortheNet.com is a website supported by three well-known open internet groups: Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and the Free Press Action Fund. This week, the site announced the launch of its new “Internet Health Test,” a free test it urges all users to perform regularly in order to help ensure that their ISPs are not violating net neutrality.

“After repeatedly watching Internet service providers slow down people’s Internet connections we’re not going to just sit back and trust Comcast, Verizon and AT&T to follow the new open Internet rules,” Fight for the Future campaign manager Charlie Furman said. “The Internet Health Test is our way of sending a message to ISPs everywhere that we’re watching and we won’t let anyone throttle the Internet.”

Performing the test is simple. Just visit http://battleforthenet.com/internethealthtest/ from your computer and click the “Start the test” link. A new window will open and perform a series of speed tests, searching for any signs of degradation in the process.

“Large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have degraded the performance of their customer’s traffic as a tactic to convince content and application providers to pay added ‘tolls’ to deliver content that Internet users have already requested and paid for,” BattleForThenet.com says on its new Internet Health Test website. “The battleground — where this degradation takes place — is at ISP interconnection points. These are the places where traffic requested by ISP customers crosses between the ISP’s network and another network on which content and application providers host their services.”

The site continues, “This test measures whether interconnection points are experiencing problems. It runs speed measurements from your (the test user’s) ISP, across multiple interconnection points, thus detecting degraded performance.”

According to the site — and to logic — the test becomes more and more effective in policing ISPs as more people use it.

Ads in your Browser?.....Thanks Firefox!

Mozilla today announced an expansion and rebranding of its in-browser advertisements, now dubbed "Suggested Tiles," that will by default show in the new tab page of all Firefox users.

Those who don't want to see the ads can select an option to make then go away.

The change to in-Firefox ads will hit the beta of the browser "soon," said Darren Herman, Mozilla's vice president of content service, in a Thursday blog post. Suggested Tiles will reach the stable branch of Firefox this summer.

"Suggested Tiles represents an important step for us to improve the state of digital advertising for the Web, and to deliver greater user agency," argued Herman. "We want to show the world that it is possible to do relevant advertising and content recommendations while still respecting users' privacy and giving them control over their data."

The move is an expansion of an advertising strategy that Mozilla first announced in February 2014, then brought to the browser in November on Firefox's 10th anniversary.

That initial work centered on what Mozilla called "Directory Tiles," which were to place ads on the new tab page of only some Firefox users. At the time, Mozilla said that new Firefox users would see the ads, a way to fill some of the thumbnail spots in the new tab page, which for rookies would not yet be populated with websites. Long-time Firefox users were to see no ads, just their most-frequently-visited sites.

Last fall, that changed. "Enhanced Tiles will improve upon the existing new tab page experience for users who already have a history in their browser," said Herman in November.

Today's Suggested Tiles appear to have replaced both Directory Tiles and Enhanced Tiles. The amalgamated term will apply to ads that every Firefox user will see on the new tab page.

Initially, said Herman, users will see advertisements for "Mozilla causes and Firefox products," then later, the slots will be filled by advertisers' wares. Firefox U.S. users will see the ads first; other markets will get them later.

The ad push is an attempt by Mozilla to diversify its revenue sources. Currently, Mozilla books the majority of its income from deals with several search engines, previously Google's worldwide, but since late last year, Yahoo in the U.S.

However, Herman said nothing of the benefit to Mozilla today. Instead, he touted the benefits to marketers. "Suggested Tiles will help advertisers and content owners connect with millions of Firefox users, and do so at a time when the user is receptive to hearing from them, making it a much more valuable connection," he asserted.

In another blog post today, Kevin Ghim, a Mozilla senior product manager, confirmed that the Suggested Tiles ads would debut in Firefox 39's beta next week. The more polished Central build of Firefox 39 is slated to ship June 30.

Ghim also confirmed that every Firefox owner would be subject to the ads by default. "The next step [of Suggested Tiles] is to scale these advances to the entire Firefox population," Ghim wrote.

Comcast Will Credit You $20 if Technician Is Late...we'll see....

How annoying is it when you have to stay home from work to wait for the cable guy, only to have them show up late?

Comcast knows it's an issue, and wants to make it better. The cable giant is taking a cue from the pizza delivery industry with a new promise to pay you back if your technician shows up late. If the cable tech is even a minute late to your house for the appointment, Comcast will credit you $20 for your troubles.

The move, expected to start in the third quarter, is part of an effort to reform the company's customer service woes, which have been well-documented as of late. Comcast said it plans to create more than 5,500 customer service jobs over the next few years as part of a goal to always be on time for appointments by the third quarter.

Comcast is also planning to make "major investments" in technology and training, simplify billing, and renovate hundreds of stores across the country to improve customer service. All employees will be required to attend additional customer service training, and the company is rolling out a new internal platform that will give employees a more "holistic view" of your account history so they can help you faster.

"This transformation is about shifting our mindset to be completely focused on the customer," Neil Smit, president and CEO, said in a statement. "It's about respecting their time, being more proactive, doing what's right, and never being satisfied with good enough. We're on a mission and everyone is committed to making this happen."

Report: Comcast plans YouTube-like online video service

Comcast is planning a nationwide online video service with short-form content to compete against YouTube, The Information reported yesterday.

Comcast has so far not offered online video services outside of its cable territory.

"The proposed video service would mark a brand new chapter for Comcast, which would be able to play in a loosely regulated market, reach a national audience, and possibly even make its service available outside the US," the report said. "It also may be necessary move, given that younger viewers have been gravitating toward Web videos made by a new generation of artists. One purpose of the service is to add new types of shows to Comcast’s cable package, allowing people to watch them on TV screens."

Comcast has been working on the project "for at least a year and a half" but decided not to move forward until after the government finished reviewing its proposed Time Warner Cable (TWC) merger, the report said.

US government officials ultimately prevented Comcast from buying TWC because they believed greater size would give Comcast power to stifle competition from online video. Comcast argued that it had no incentive to harm online competition because its own online video service was only available within its cable territory and only for Comcast's Internet and cable TV customers. Comcast's Streampix online video service launched in 2012 but has not been successful.

From a technical standpoint, Comcast would probably have little trouble operating a nationwide video service. Besides providing Internet access to homes, Comcast uses its extensive fiber and cable infrastructure to sell transit and content delivery network services to businesses.

By making the service more like YouTube than Netflix, Comcast could avoid the problem of securing nationwide programming rights from the biggest content owners. Last year, Comcast said that cable companies have not found a viable business model for launching online video outside their cable territories, partly because of "the difficulty of obtaining national programming rights."

But Comcast could have a difficult time making a YouTube-like service popular with consumers and artists. Comcast would have to appeal to the kinds of video creators who upload video to YouTube in order to create demand. Videos could be free and supported by ads or delivered via subscriptions by content owners.

Comcast has not set a launch date, and there's even "an outside chance" that the company could scrap the project "because of shifting priorities or new acquisitions," The Information report said. "But the company has specifically hired employees from YouTube to help with the video effort, according to a person familiar with the moves."

We contacted Comcast about the report today but haven't heard back.

Should AT&T and Verizon Fear Google's Project Fi Wireless Phone Service?

Google is nothing if not ambitious. Of course, not everything Google touches turns to gold the way search and Gmail did -- we're looking at you Google Plus. So, we'll have to wait and see what impact Google's newest venture, Project Fi, has on the industry it's competing in (wireless phone service). In the meantime, let's have a look at what Project Fi is and what it could be.

Project Fi is Google's way of turning itself into an MVNO, or Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Breaking it down even further, Project Fi is a new phone service, one that's currently an invite-only affair, as many of Google's initiatives start out. Should you request an invite and receive one, you'll be eligible for a custom plan that's unlike anything else out there.

Let's talk pricing. There's one simple plan at one price with 24/7 support. It costs $20 pre month and includes unlimited talk, text, Wi-Fi tethering, and international coverage in over 120 countries. What about data? You'll pay a flat $10 per gigabyte for cellular data in the U.S. and abroad.

The cool thing about Project Fi's pricing is you only pay for what you use. If you sign up for 3GB per month and only use 1GB, you'll receive a credit on your next bill for the unused portion. And by that same token, if you sign up for 1GB and end up using 3GB of cellular data, you'll owe for the extra data you used -- there's no arbitrary penalty.

Keep in mind that's only for cellular data. That's important because depending on where you are, you may not be connected to a cellular network. Project Fi seamlessly connects your phone to one of the more than 1 million free public Wi-Fi hotspots that Google has approved of, and does it in the background so you don't lose a connection while you're on a call or surfing the net.

Google's also teamed with T-Mobile and Sprint to tap into their cellular networks, so if you're within range of Wi-Fi but are in a covered cellular area, your phone will hop on cellular.

Speaking of phones, there's one the catches. At this stage, Project Fi is only available on the Nexus 6. If you don't have one and you're selected to participate, you can purchase one outright for $649 (32GB) or $699 (64GB) plus taxes, or break up the payments over 24 months. The other catch is there's no family plan.

This could be bad news for Verizon and AT&T, though their networks are generally considered better and more widespread than either T-Mobile or Sprint. The question is, will Wi-Fi hotspots make up the difference? Stay tuned, the wireless wars are about to get interesting.

Oh, and if you want to put your name on the list for an invite, go here.

Solitaire is coming back to Windows 10!

Awesome news for bored people everywhere: Solitaire is about to make a huge comeback on Windows 10.

The much-loved card game will once again be just a few clicks away when Microsoft's next OS launches this summer. As The Verge first reported, Redmond is planning to — once again — make Solitaire a built-in game on Windows 10.

This means you'll no longer have to go through the trouble of separately downloading it like you need to do on Windows 8. Microsoft previously admitted that Solitaire, along with Minesweeper and Hearts, have a "devoted following," but decided not to pre-install them on Windows 8.

Windows 10 also marks the return of the beloved Start menu, so it looks like Microsoft is really embracing its roots with this OS. Here's hoping Microsoft decides to bring back Minesweeper and Hearts as well. At this point, it looks like you'll still have to search for them online and install them separately.

Meanwhile, Microsoft this week released another version of the Windows 10 technical preview that adds new Mail and Calendar apps. The new build also includes improvements to the Start, Taskbar, and Action Center, Continuum, Task View, and Virtual Desktop.

Windows traditionalists will also be happy to hear that the power button has been moved from the top-right of the screen back to the bottom left.

Microsoft has yet to announce an official launch date for its next-gen OS, but its partner AMD may have let the cat out of the bag earlier this week. During a first-quarter earnings call, AMD CEO Lisa Su let slip that the OS is slated for an "end of July" debut.

More details are expected during Microsoft's Build 2015 conference in San Francisco, which kicks off April 29.