Today Ford announced the second generation of its Sync in-car connectivity system. The biggest feature of the new version: an in-car WiFi system, powered by customer's USB mobile broadband modem. Using any mobile modem (often known as an "aircard"), the new Sync system will broadcast a WiFi signal throughout the vehicle, giving WiFi-enabled computers and other mobile devices access to the Internet wherever the broadband modem gets a signal.

Inserting a USB mobile broadband modem into Sync's USB port provides passengers with a secure wireless Internet connection broadcast throughout the car. Courtesy: Ford Motor

The Sync system will provide secure wireless connections, using the WiFi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) protocol. It will require users to enter a randomly chosen password before they can connect to the Internet. When SYNC sees a WiFi device for the first time, the driver has to specifically allow it to connect, preventing unauthorized users from using the signal.

Ford isn't the first car company to announce in-car WiFi; last year, for example, Chrysler teamed up with Autonet Mobile to offer an built-in WiFi router in most of its 2009 vehicles. That system, however, requires a monthly service fee. The Sync system will rely on customers' existing mobile broadband services.

As have other car companies, Ford emphasizes that the WiFi system is for use only by passengers ... but I've already seen drivers in Austin playing with aircard-equipped laptops at stoplights. How long until we're wondering if the guy weaving in front of us is drunk, on the phone ... or surfing the Web?

To what extent can information-technology investments spur economic growth? In a joint letter to Congressional leaders, 116 infotech CEOs and business leaders today said that if Congress spent $40 billion on smart electric-grid upgrades, broadband infrastructure, and health-care IT systems, the result would be 949,000 new U.S. jobs. "Information and communications-enabled technologies improve energy efficiency, help doctors save lives and money in health care, catalyze new business models and entrepreneurs, enable educational improvements and empower individuals to take more control over their lives," the group wrote. "Those nations with the most advanced digital infrastructure will reap the largest benefits and lead in next generation jobs, services and companies."

The House has put forward an $825 billion stimulus package; it explicitly includes $11 billion for smart-grid upgrades and research, $20 billion for health-care information technology, and $6 billion for wireless and broadband infrastructure grants. With the package working its way through Congress, the letter went to House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, and House Republican leader John Boehner. Such investments will "provide our nation with a near-term stimulus and long-term comparative advantage," the group wrote.

On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve the use of unlicensed radio frequencies between television transmissions, often called white spaces. This is good news for device manufacturers such as Motorola and Phillips, who'd like to make gadgets that take advantage of these airwaves. But the ruling, which was unanimous, frustrated television broadcasters and other groups who fear that new devices will create interference affecting television signals and wireless microphones.

Google, which has been pushing for the ruling, lauded the FCC decision. Cofounder Larry Page wrote in a blog post that "we think that this spectrum will help put better and faster Internet connections in the hands of the public." Bloggers at Make magazine, a popular resource for hackers and people who fiddle with hardware, wrote about the prospects for home-brewed white-space gadgets due to the ready availability of components that can be found in televisions.

Still, building devices for a better and faster Internet that also satisfy the FCC will be a complex technology project. In October, the commission released a report detailing the technology requirements for the new airwaves. The main provision is that a gadget needs to accurately locate television signals, thus ensuring that it is using a free frequency. In some cases, the device could do this by wirelessly accessing a database that provides frequencies of nearby television stations and guidelines for the amount of power that the device can use before it interferes with these stations. According to Ars Technica, in October, five major technology companies tested their prototypes, with varying degrees of success.