Excuse me, my paranoia is inflamed again.

According to Fox News, you know, an absolutely reliable source of information, there is some unrest in Internet town. WiMAX, what is occasionally praised as a strong signaled answer to WiFi, is rumored to again be considered a contender in the long distance connection game. While not exactly new technology, it is being groomed to take the place of its, as Fox claims, soon-to-be predecessor.

What’s the Big Deal?

Coming hot on the heels of Starbucks announcing that it cannot handle the free Wi-Fi capacity that it had originally offered, the debate concerning whether Wi-Fi is, indeed, outdated has begun again.

Robert Morrow, a retired Air Force Academy electrical engineering professor, recently published an article in Science claiming that WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) could be the predominant telecommuncations source in the next five years. Currently, Pakistan harbors one of the world’s only fully-functional WiMAX networks, which spans miles utilizing Motorola brand technology.

That, my friends, is the big deal. Morrow’s claims, while perhaps speculation, hold an element of truth; how can businesses capitalize on Internet hot spots? Simple, they charge service fees.

WiMAX will work much like a cell phone. Users pay monthly fees, and in turn get wide-range signals that they can enjoy without being tied to a Starbucks. I suppose that could be a good thing. In 2006, Sprint, Nextel, Clearwire, Google, Intel, Comcast, and Time Warner announced that they would combine their efforts to create a vast, and hopefully stable, WiMAX infastructure which they planned to call Clearwire. They pooled their services and finances in order to beat out competitors and offer powerful wireless alternatives to Broadband or DSL for consumers. Yes, because extremely large conglomerations always have consumers in mind.

So What’s My Problem?

I like change. I’m not afraid of technology. I suppose I simply have a problem with technological advances that take the place of what was once a free service. When television companies announced that everyone would have to switch to digital by 2009, my heart sank; how could I ever hope to enjoy Dateline and prune juice without succumbing to their whims? It was then that I predicted an abundance of television shows being uploaded to YouTube, which continues to remain free of cost…for now.

Not to mention that these plans have been brewing since 2001. After all of the money, time, and endless effort being pumped into WiMAX, wouldn’t one think that a successful network would have already been established? If 3GB is considered ‘successful’ nowadays, then maybe. I think I’ll stick to my Broadband for the moment, and lurk in public libraries until the time comes to accept that nothing can be free. However, I will be patient and wait to see how this pans out.

Now, about those microwave signals…
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,362462,00.html