Artist's Rendering of Edmonton Freezeway Artist's Rendering of Edmonton Freezeway Edmonton Freezeway It's an idea after Ben Wyatt's heart. The BBC reports that the Canadian city of Edmonton is thinking about taking advantage of the cold, dark nature of its winters and creating an 11-kilometer-long (almost 7 miles) 'Freezeway.' The Freezeway would function as a bike path and greenway in the summer, then, once the weather started getting cold, flooded and frozen, creating an icy surface that residents could use to skate to work. The idea was presented at the 2015 Winter Cities Shake-Up a conference for urban planners and others based in chilly cities. Having outdoor skating paths isn't a totally new idea in Canada--Ottawa's Rideau Canal is approaching a record number of consecutive days of skating this winter. While the idea seems to have gained enthusiastic support from some people in Edmonton, others, including City Council member Mike Nickel are skeptical. Nickel told the BBC the Freezeway was "the stupidest idea I've heard."
Net neutrality appears to be coming soon to a broadband pipe near you! Several months after President Obama first laid out his plan to keep the Internet playing field level and just weeks after FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced his intent to follow the White House's lead, the path for new rules governing Internet providers appears to be clear.
According to the New York Times, Republicans such as Senate Commerce Committee chairman Senator John Thune of South Dakota had looked to block the rule change and instead find a legislative option, but Democrats had largely sided with the president and Chairman Wheeler's plan, stymieing any hope of a bill. With no alternative in sight, those objections have now been dropped.
The proposed rule change would reclassify broadband Internet services under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, giving the FCC the authority to enforce rules preventing Internet providers from providing favorable treatment—such as faster speeds—to companies in exchange for money. In other words, Netflix or Hulu can't pay to have their video delivered more quickly than a competing but smaller company. Perhaps more importantly, these rules also apply to mobile broadband, meaning that cell phone companies can't decide to throttle or block data coming from certain services. The hope is to give all Internet companies, regardless of the size of their wallets, a fair shake at competing, and make sure that consumers have access to the content they want, without interference from providers.
But the politicking isn't quite over yet. The official vote of the FCC is scheduled for Thursday, and though the vote is expected to pass, at least one of the agency's commissioners has raised strident objections. Stay tuned.