FreedomPop to Bring Free Mobile Broadband to Poorest Americans

Alex Fitzpatrick2013-03-25 17:04:40 -0400

FreedomPop, a company offering free and reduced-price wireless broadband Internet connections and equipment, has announced a new partnership with non-profit Connect2Compete to offer up to 1GB of free data to low-income families in cities across the country.

Anyone who lives in a zip code where average income is $35,000 or less is welcome to apply for the service, which requires the purchase of a discounted mobile or home connectivity device, ranging in price from $20 to $59. Connect2Compete previously offered reduced Internet plans only to families with students that qualify for free or reduced-cost school lunches.

"FreedomPop was founded on the belief that the Internet is a right, not a privilege and we have a shared objective with Connect2Compete to ensure more Americans have free access to it,” said Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop CEO, in a statement. "We’re excited to partner with Connect2Compete to leverage our disruptive free model to help bridge the digital divide for low-income communities."

Approximately 19 million Americans still lack access to broadband Internet per the Federal Communications Commission's data, making it difficult for them to keep up in an increasingly connected global marketplace. The problem comes in two primary categories: Low-income city residents who can't afford access and rural citizens who exist outside the reach of broadband infrastructure. Stokols told Mashable the FreedomPop/Connect2Compete partnership will be focused on the former.

One GB of data a month won't sustain heavy use, but it may compliment connection-seeking trips to schools, libraries or restaurants for those who apply for the service. Families in more than 30 markets will get access to the FreedomPop/Connect2Compete Internet package over the next four weeks. FreedomPop has also announced a commitment to get 1 million disconnected families online by the end of the year.

FreedomPop's main business model takes a freemium approach by offering cheap equipment and a free 500MB per month plan to any customer within its city-focused coverage map. Customers who require more bandwidth can up the plan to $17.99 per month for 1GB or choose from other payment structures. Given those rates, it's more suited for sporadic Internet users or use as a backup connectivity plan than as a primary means of connection.

For now, FreedomPop operates on Clearwire's 4G network, but the company is planning on switching over to Sprint later this year, given the regulatory hurdles facing Clearwire. Can FreedomPop help get lower-income Americans connected to the Internet at broadband speeds? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image via iStockphoto, Nikada

Topics: digital divide, freedompop, U.S., US & World if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"us-world","content_type":"article","top_channel":"us-world","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","age":"0","pub_day":25,"pub_month":3,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"03/25/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"Default"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/freedompop/"],["image_src","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzAwL2ZyZWVkb21wb3AuYzAxMjUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/b3c72cdb/238/freedompop.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/freedompop/"],["og:title","FreedomPop to Bring Free Mobile Broadband to Poorest Americans"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzAwL2ZyZWVkb21wb3AuYzAxMjUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNzIweDcyMCMKZQlqcGc/b3c72cdb/238/freedompop.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-03-25T17:04:40-04:00"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-03-25T17:04:56-04:00"]],"meta_name":[["description","FreedomPop, which calls itself \"the free Internet company,\" is offering free Internet services to lower-income Americans across the country."],["keywords",["us","uncategorized","digital-divide","us-world","freedompop"]],["twitter:title","FreedomPop to Bring Free Mobile Broadband to Poorest Americans"],["twitter:description","FreedomPop, a company offering free and reduced-price wireless broadband Internet connections and equipment, has announced a new partnership with non-profit Connect2Compete to offer up to 1GB of free ..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzAwL2ZyZWVkb21wb3AuYzAxMjUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJNTYweDc1MAplCWpwZw/4bca72c6/238/freedompop.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/freedompop/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"]]};

View the original article here

Kids Share Their Wise Thoughts on Grumpy Cat

Neha Prakash2013-03-25 17:03:38 UTC

There's no doubt about it — the Internet has crowned Grumpy Cat the queen of memes, the mother of all kitty videos, the viral star to end all viral stars.

But kids don't really care what the Internet says.

So TheFineBros sat down with some shrewd little people to get the expert opinion on all things grumpy and feline. Turns out, kids also find the cat adorbs, but think Tardar Sauce is a dumb name for a pet.

Other astute questions include, "He's so pissed off; but at what, though?" and, "Why is the Internet so judgmental at cats?"

Leave it to kids to really drill down to the important issues about the web's obsession over a grouchy kitty. We all need to reconsider some things now.

Topics: cute kids, grumpy cat, YouTube, Share as Post, Videos, viral video, Watercooler, YouTube Video Lead if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"watercooler","content_type":"article","top_channel":"watercooler","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Neha Prakash","age":"0","pub_day":25,"pub_month":3,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"03/25/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"YouTube Video Lead"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/kids-react-to-grumpy-cat/"],["image_src","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzliL2tpZHNyZWFjdC5mYTI0ZS5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgk3MjB4NzIwIwplCWpwZw/0af5b8f2/0bc/kidsreact.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/kids-react-to-grumpy-cat/"],["og:title","Kids Share Their Wise Thoughts on Grumpy Cat [VIDEO]"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzliL2tpZHNyZWFjdC5mYTI0ZS5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgk3MjB4NzIwIwplCWpwZw/0af5b8f2/0bc/kidsreact.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-03-25T17:03:38Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-03-25T18:01:41Z"]],"meta_name":[["description","We know the Internet has a love affair with Grumpy Cat, but kid's are more shrewd with their appreciation of the cat. "],["keywords",["viral-videos","meme","uncategorized","cute-kids","share-as-post","watercooler","videos","grumpy-cat","youtube-video-lead"]],["twitter:title","Kids Share Their Wise Thoughts on Grumpy Cat"],["twitter:description","There's no doubt about it -- the Internet has crowned Grumpy Cat the queen of memes, the mother of all kitty videos, the viral star to end all viral stars. But kids don't really care what the Internet..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzliL2tpZHNyZWFjdC5mYTI0ZS5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgk1NjB4NzUwCmUJanBn/36fa5b61/0bc/kidsreact.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/kids-react-to-grumpy-cat/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","player"],["twitter:player","https://www.youtube.com/embed/dIQTNhZyWGE"],["twitter:player:width","435"],["twitter:player:height","245"]]};

View the original article here

LinkedIn Improves Its Search

Todd Wasserman2013-03-25 15:06:20 UTC

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, which recently overhauled its search, LinkedIn on Monday announced a revamped search with auto-complete, suggested searches and other enhancements.

The search is now streamlined as well, so you no longer need to search for companies, people and jobs separately. "Now, all you need to do is type what you’re looking for into the search box and you’ll see a comprehensive page of results that pulls content from all across LinkedIn including people, jobs, groups and companies," LinkedIn's blog explained.

Among the new features:

Auto-complete: LinkedIn will suggest options for what you're searching for. Suggestions will improve the more you search thanks to a smarter query intent algorithm.

Suggested searches: As LinkedIn explains, "now when you type in a search term such as 'product manager' you’ll see example search queries for people or jobs related to product manager as well as a preview of top results to help you find what you’re looking for in one click."

Enhanced advanced search: Now you can use filters like location, company and school, among others.

Automated alerts: LinkedIn will save your searches and alert you when the results change.

The move comes two months after Facebook introduced Graph Search, which similarly helps users better search the network via variables like location and interest. In both cases, the intent appears to increase engagement, serve up more relevant ads and dissuade users from searching on Google instead.

Image courtesy of LinkedIn

Topics: Business, Graph Search, linkedin if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"business","content_type":"article","top_channel":"business","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Todd Wasserman","age":"0","pub_day":25,"pub_month":3,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"03/25/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"Default"}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/linkedin-improves-its-search/"],["image_src","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzBlL0xpbmtlZElubWFnLjJkNDYwLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTcyMHg3MjAjCmUJanBn/af7d4f94/024/LinkedIn-magnified.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/linkedin-improves-its-search/"],["og:title","LinkedIn Improves Its Search"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzBlL0xpbmtlZElubWFnLjJkNDYwLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTcyMHg3MjAjCmUJanBn/af7d4f94/024/LinkedIn-magnified.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-03-25T15:06:20Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-03-25T16:27:47Z"]],"meta_name":[["description","Following in the footsteps of Facebook, which recently overhauled its search, LinkedIn on Monday announced a revamped search with auto-complete, suggested searches and other enh..."],["keywords",["linkedin","uncategorized","business","graph-search"]],["twitter:title","LinkedIn Improves Its Search"],["twitter:description","Following in the footsteps of Facebook, which recently overhauled its search, LinkedIn on Monday announced a revamped search with auto-complete, suggested searches and other enhancements. The search i..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzI1LzBlL0xpbmtlZElubWFnLjJkNDYwLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTU2MHg3NTAKZQlqcGc/d7f793be/024/LinkedIn-magnified.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/linkedin-improves-its-search/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"]]};

View the original article here