Internet

Yesterday, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has approved the new version of Net Neutrality. The result is that now in the USA Internet connections, including mobile ones, are seen as a public utility, such as electricity and water. The new rules, approved by a 3-2 majority, have the purpose of preventing the emergence of a double speed Internet. Internet service providers can’t block or even selectively slow down traffic and web applications to those who don’t pay.

Star Trek Continues cast. From the left: Vic Mignogna, Kim Stinger, Christopher Doohan, Chuck Huber, Michele Specht and Grant Imahara (Photo Eva Rinaldi)

A fundraising campaign was just completed on Kickstarter site for two more episodes of “Star Trek Continues”, the web series that continues the adventures of the classic “Star Trek” series. They needed $100,000 to continue the project, they collected $214.584 and this will also allow to create new sets for the engineering section of the Enterprise and for a planet to be included in one of the episodes.

“Star Trek Continues” is a non-profit production and for this reason authorized by CBS, which owns the rights to the famous saga. The purpose of this web series is to tell the last two years of the Enterprise five-year mission, a continuation of the original series. It was developed by Vic Mignogna, who also plays Captain Kirk.

SpaceX has officially confirmed that it has received an investment for a total of one billion dollars from Google and Fidelity Investments, a multinational financial services corporation. The rumors of Google’s involvement in the aerospace company begun a few days ago, after its founder Elon Musk announced a project to build and launch a constellation of satellites that will provide Internet services around the world and even in space.

OneWeb, Ltd announced plans to launch a series of satellites in low Earth orbit to bring telephone services and especially broadband Internet worldwide. The first investors investors are Qualcomm, an American semiconductor and telecommunications company, and the Virgin Group with its founder, Sir Richard Branson, personally committed.

OneWeb was in talks with Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, for a partnership, but the ideas were different concerning the constellation’s architecture. It’s for this reason that Musk has just announced his own similar project that seems more ambitious considering that he also intends to bring the Internet into space, until Mars to connect future colonies. It’s a project even more expensive since we’re talking about a $10 billion investment.

Samsung CEO Boo-Keun Yoon at CES 2015

In Las Vegas, at CES 2015, among the many new technologies, you can see a remarkable promotion of the so-called Internet of Things. Representatives of some of the most important technology companies made statements concerning the possibility to connect to the Internet your household appliances and other devices. According to their indications, home automation is no longer a niche for fans but will be in all homes.