Facebook Inches Closer To Its Goal of Beaming Internet to World's Remotest Places

Facebook has completed a second test of a solar-powered drone -- called Aquila -- designed to bring internet access to remote parts of the world. From a report: Facebook plans to develop a fleet of drones powered by sunlight that will fly for months at a time, communicating with each other through lasers and extending internet connectivity to the ground below. The company called the first test, in June 2016, a success after it flew above the Arizona desert for 1 hour and 36 minutes, three times longer than planned. It later said the drone had also crashed moments before landing and had suffered a damaged wing.

This is great and all

[Anonymous Coward]

But there are still 1.4 billion people in China they can't reach.

- Angry Hong Konger

Re:

[Maritz]

This slashdot, it's a safe space from all that horrible global warming stuff.

Re:

[plopez]

Because marketing.

Re:

[Maritz]

Like everything Facebook, the self-interest will be painfully obvious. I expect it'll be a 'log into facebook to access the internet' type setup. Creepy as fuck, as ever.

Internet or FacebookNet?

[ukoda]

Are they really plaining to bring the Internet to remote places, or just an internet probably best called FacebookNet? This is a classic case where the flaw change by many media outlet to rename the Internet as just internet matters. The article does not mention if they going to repeat the questionable behavior they had in previous attempts where the internet they were offering was restricted to Facebook and approved partners.

Re:

[Alioth]

As I understand it from previous articles, it's not the internet but Facebook plus a handful of Facebook-approved sites.

nice marketing move, Facebook

[mapkinase]

Now sod off.

How I misread the headline

[K. S. Kyosuke]

"Facebook Inches Closer To Its Goal of Being Internet's Remotest Place"

Super

[kelanos]

Yes, send the brain-washing signals to the corners of the Earth where people are disenfranchised from the benefits the internet enhances for the rest of us.

And it's not even worth the trade off for any us, as you can see by the world-upside-down changes that have come over people in the last 20 years. Most everyone is essentially totally insane. The potential of the masses to be free-minded seems permanently destroyed.

Re:

[Maritz]

I fervently hope you're right. FB and its overt creepy bullshit needs to crash and burn.

How About Beaming to Washington D.C.?

[fullback]

It's about as remote and out of touch as anywhere on Earth?