May 2010

Report highlights ed-tech lessons from abroad

Scotland and the Netherlands both invest significantly more federal money per student in information and communications technologies (ICT) than the United States, and they both view ICT as essential to classroom teaching and learning and in developing 21st-century skills, a delegation of education technology advocates discovered during a recent visit to the two countries.

The results of that visit, led by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), appear in a report issued May 12, called "Real Investment, Real Innovation." "Scotland and the Netherlands approach ICT in the classroom as an absolute necessity—not as a luxury—for improving learning and teaching, as well as developing workforce skills," the report noted. "We found this attitude inspirational, particularly in view of the continuing debate in the U.S. about the unproven and uncertain value of technology."

Student Researchers Advance Emergency Alert Technology

A group of Northeastern University student researchers have developed an automated emergency alert system to help elderly people in sudden need of medical attention. Under the direction of Charles DiMarzio, an associate professor in the departments of electrical and computer engineering and mechanical and industrial engineering, the students created the technology for a wireless wrist device that automatically alerts emergency responders should the gadget detect a sudden change in the user's vital signs or speed of movement, as from a fall. The innovative technology was developed for the team's engineering senior capstone project.

House panel to consider cybersecurity overhaul

A House committee as early as next week plans to vote on legislation that would overhaul federal cybersecurity by creating permanent cyber czar and White House chief technology officer positions, as well as possibly tying security performance to pay, Democratic aides said.

Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are negotiating with minority members on changes to a bill (H.R. 4900) that the Government Management, Organization and Procurement Subcommittee approved on May 5. The full committee intends to send a bipartisan bill to the House floor by Memorial Day, at the latest. Members also are examining the feasibility of adding pay-for-performance language contained in a separate bill introduced on May 6 by Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who is not a member of the committee. The Democrats' bill, sponsored by subcommittee chairwoman Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) would codify the White House cybersecurity coordinator and CTO posts currently filled by Howard Schmidt and Aneesh Chopra, respectively, and make them subject to Senate confirmation.

Subcommittees approve funds for cybersecurity

The House Armed Services Terrorism Subcommittee approved its share of the fiscal 2011 defense authorization measure, adding funds and program initiatives to bolster cybersecurity. The subcommittee added more than $20 million to cybersecurity programs, most of which went into research for near-term and far-out solutions to the use of the Internet and other "new media" to spread radical messages and recruit potential terrorists.

Bloggers Look to Score Partisan Political Points off of Disasters

In many weeks, there are stark differences between the social and mainstream media news agendas. But last week, the same two stories that dominated the traditional press—the attempted bombing in New York's Times Square and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico -- also drew the most attention in the blogosphere.

And in both storylines, much of the commentary from bloggers was overtly partisan and polarizing as they searched for political villains. For the week of May 3-7, 16% of the news links on blogs were about the failed car bomb attempt according to the New Media Index from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. That was followed closely by discussion of the Gulf Coast disaster, which received 15%. (In the mainstream press last week, the terror attempt accounted for 25% of the newshole and the oil leak was 20% according to PEJ's News Coverage Index.)

FCC Allows Comments on Tribune License Transfers

On April 28, 2010, the Tribune Company filed sixteen Applications for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station License (FCC Form 314) jointly with applications seeking consent to assign certain broadcast auxiliary, satellite earth station, private land mobile, private fixed microwave, and CARS licenses.

Tribune is seeking the Commission's consent to implement its "Joint Plan of Reorganization for Tribune Company and its Subsidiaries." In connection with the Applications for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station License (FCC Form 314), Tribune seeks waivers, to the extent necessary, of the Commission's newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership rule, Section 73.3555(d), and the local television multiple ownership rule, Section 73.3555(b), Note 5 (satellite exemption) and Note 7 (failing station waiver). Tribune's counsel has requested that this proceeding be made permit-but-disclose for ex parte purposes. In view of this and in order to assure the staff's ability to discuss and obtain information needed to resolve the issues presented expeditiously, adoption of modified ex parte procedures is appropriate. Accordingly, the FCC announced that the ex parte procedures applicable to permit-but-disclose proceedings will govern its consideration of the instant proceeding

The Big Lie About The FCC's Third Way To An Open Internet

[Commentary] The Big Lie isn't called the Big Lie for nothing. It's put before the public by organizations with comfy-sounding names, repeated endlessly in ads and columns and blog posts and tweets by groups and politicians - many of whom receive support from those the Big Lie favors. Here's the current case in point.

The government wants to takeover/control/regulate the Internet. Let's see what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's Third Way really does. First, it gives the FCC back the jurisdiction it once had over Internet access (aka broadband) services. Second, without that authority, universal service disappears, as do lots of other broadband-related programs. Third, without that authority there would be no authority to examine and remedy consumer complaints. Finally, the FCC could keep the telephone and cable companies from playing favorites, from making deals to slow down one Web site or service at the expense of another. Where in there is anything about government taking over the Internet? Nowhere. Where in there is anything about regulating the Internet? Nowhere. Where in there is anything about government control over the Internet? Nowhere. But wait. There's more. Not content with one false pretense, the phone and cable companies and their front groups want to compound the confusion by saying that if the FCC regulates/takeover/controls the Internet, then there will be "reduced broadband investment, less economic stimulation, and fewer jobs." In other words, do it our way and nobody gets hurt.

Recap of House Oversight Hearing on Promoting Broadband Adoption and the National Broadband Plan

The House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet held the fourth in a series of hearings addressing issues raised in the National Broadband Plan on Thursday, May 13, 2010. The hearing examined recommendations in the National Broadband Plan for increasing broadband adoption, including ways to ensure that all Americans are able to subscribe to broadband and ways to educate consumers about broadband's benefits.

Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D-VA) said that he would prefer legislation establishing targeted network openness principles to the FCC's proposal of applying Title II regulations to the transmission component of broadband. He noted that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski's proposed "third way" is a light, and limited approach, but that "another path exists." He recommended a fourth way: if broadband providers want to try something else, "our door is open." He said he would be happy to talk with stakeholders both industry and network neutrality backers, about "the creation of a targeted set of principles to assure network openness" that Congress could enact into legislation. Chairman Boucher invited broadband providers and other stakeholders unhappy with the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to reclassify some aspects of broadband as a telecommunications service to work with Congress to seek a legislative fix.

Rep Joe Barton (R-TX) said that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski's proposal to put the transmission component of broadband access under Title II common carrier regulations is "truly troubling" and a "'solution in search of a problem." Rep Barton said that Genachowski and President Obama are pushing Internet regulation as part of a broadband deployment plan when there is already a broadband-deployment mechanism in place and working: "the free enterprise system." Rep Barton expressed his frustration with the criticisms of the country's ranking in broadband, which has been invoked by the chairman and primarily Democratic legislators as one of the reasons the plan is necessary and overdue. "I'm sick and tired of being compared to Malta and to Liechtenstein. We can all look at a map. We ain't Liechtenstein. Bottom line: The FCC has now said that 95 percent of the country has broadband access and two-thirds have signed up. All without our beloved bureaucrats or the beleaguered Congress getting in the way. Chairman Genachowski, and all of us, should stay on that course."

Witnesses at the hearing (they get to talk, too) testified that the rising cost of high-speed Internet access and its uneven availability are the largest barriers to increased adoption of the broadband. Carol Mattey, deputy chief of the wireline competition bureau at the Federal Communication Commission said only 65 percent of American homes currently use broadband Internet access, but her agency hopes to increase that to over 90 percent by 2020. "This is an important and ambitious goal -- for instance, it took 30 years to get from roughly 60% to 90% adoption for telephone," Mattey said. "We are proposing to over just as much ground in a third of the time."

Rivkah Sass, director of the Sacramento Public Library System said visits have increased by 50 percent over the last year as more individuals use library computers to try to find work amidst a regional unemployment rate in excess of 13 percent. She said the library system does not have enough computers or bandwidth to accommodate the rapid increase in demand.

Both Mattey and Sass agreed when asked if the subsidies from the Lifeline program would help spur broadband adoption. However, ranking member Cliff Stearns (R-FL) disagreed that the program is necessary, noting in his opening statement that broadband is available to 95 percent of American households and that 65 percent of the population is using broadband at home. He argued that non-profit groups like One Economy would help boost education and adoption without government involvement.

FCC's Genachowski: We're At The 'Pre-Beginning' With Third Way

Facing a tough, cable industry crowd, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski tried to convince the audience his week-old "third way" proposal shouldn't freak them out.

Responding to questions from the National Cable and Telecommunications Administration's Kyle McSlarrow, Chairman Genachowski said this is just the "pre-beginning" of finding the best way to deal with the fallout from the recent court decision overturning the FCC's legal reasoning for broadband regulation. Nothing that's happened in the past few weeks "changes one iota" of our policies, goals and outcomes, he said. But, "that court decision in the Comcast case damaged the legal foundation underneath the policies." The goal, he explained, is to put up "barriers against regulatory creep, regulatory overreach" but put the FCC back to where it was before the Comcast decision. He promised no rate regulation, wholesale unbundling or reselling but McSlarrow zeroed in on the problems the cable companies have relying on the word of the FCC, especially given how tough Genachowski's predecessor Kevin Martin was on the industry. Chairman Genachowski stressed that transparency would limit the need for government regulation and noted that the FCC has never gone back on forbearance decisions. McSlarrow also sought some reassurance that regulating broadband as a utility wouldn't create an uneven playing field at a time of convergence, where companies like Google might have more freedom than the broadband ISPs.

Carriers Hate Network Neutrality Because They Want to Double-Dip Revenue

Why don't telephone and cable companies like network neutrality? Is it the lack of control over networks? Not a chance. This is a fight all about money and how many times the industry can charge for what is essentially the same service.

Telecommunications is a great bastion of financial double-dipping. When carriers say that they need control over their networks, they really mean they want the freedom to charge companies fees for access to their networks. When a company like Google transmits a lot of data into a network, it's because users on that network have requested the data. Those users pay their telecommunications carriers for both the traffic they send and what they receive. So a large traffic creator either pays a carrier on its end or, like Google, essentially pays for its own connections into the infrastructure. The user's carrier charges the user for the traffic received and, presumably, structures rates to pay for its operations, support, and to have enough money left over for profit. Trying to charge a company on the far end is simply trying to get paid twice for the same traffic: double-dipping.

Benton

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