June 2010

INTERNET/BROADBAND

US NOT IN BROADBAND ELITE
[SOURCE: Bloomberg, AUTHOR: Todd Shields, Matthew Campbell]
After ranking third in the world a decade ago, the U.S. has dropped to 15th in the proportion of citizens receiving fast Web service, or broadband, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. South Korea, Iceland and Germany are among the countries that ranked higher in 2009, the Paris-based group says. Connections were both faster and cheaper in 12 countries, including Hungary and Denmark. "We are not on the Olympic podium when it comes to broadband," said Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. "Other countries are not standing still and neither should we." Countries that rank higher than the U.S. are densely populated, use subsidies, and promote computer use, said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, which studies innovation policy. "The U.S. is behind because we're a big, spread-out country with lots of people who don't own computers," Atkinson said in an interview. In France and elsewhere in Europe, "pretty intense competition" has led to lower prices, innovative services and fast connections, Taylor Reynolds, a Paris-based economist with the OECD, said in an interview.
benton.org/node/36550 | Bloomberg
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PELOSI AGAIN SUPPORTS NETWORK NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: The Seminal, AUTHOR: Jason Rosenbaum]
Over the last few weeks, dozens of House members from both sides of the aisle have signed on to a lobbyist-driven letter advocating to give control of the Internet to Comcast and AT&T by preventing the FCC from protecting the Internet, broadband expansion efforts, and net neutrality. The misleading pack-of-lies letter has prompted some in Congress, Democrats and Republicans, to talk about revamping the 1996 Telecommunications Act with an eye towards giving the telecom companies and their lobbyists what they want. On June 1, Speaker Pelosi threw cold water on those plans. Describing herself as a "big net neutrality advocate," she said that she has a hard time seeing how any legislation that guts net neutrality, the national broadband plan, or other Internet-focused priorities would get through Congress. The Speaker said, "I don't know how many options they have unless they choose to work with Republicans, but it's not going to be a Democratic initiative." She added that making sure the Internet is open, free, and vibrant is a big priority for House Democrats, "Part of the innovation agenda I advocated for when I became Leader was universal broadband. We had hoped to get it done within five years. We just got the bill passed three years ago under President Bush, but we had no funding. Now we want to have the resources to take us to that place so we don't have a disparity between urban and rural populations. Reclassification, net neutrality, universal access for every American, these are priorities for us. And we see it not in isolation but as part of a new prosperity, as a job creator, to make America healthier, smarter and an international leader."
benton.org/node/36549 | Seminal, The
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CLYBURN ON RECLASSIFICATION
[SOURCE: The Hill, AUTHOR: Sara Jerome]
Citing "calluses" that have prepared her to speak out on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski's controversial plan to boost agency authority over phone and cable companies, fellow FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn tried to quash fears that the proposal could have harmful and far-reaching repercussions during a speech at the Media Institute on June 3. "While some may consider [speaking out on] this topic unsafe, even perilous, I figure that if I can survive a meeting with 30-plus Wall Streeters on the subject a couple of weeks ago, then I have developed the calluses necessary for a friendly lunch on the subject," she said. Addressing a claim issued by scores of GOP congressional members over the last week, Clyburn said legislative action to streamline how broadband is regulated would not be incongruous with the FCC's plan. In fact, congressional action would be "wise," Commissioner Clyburn said, and could be "complimentary" to FCC action.
benton.org/node/36574 | Hill, The | B&C
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STIMULUS GENERATING JOBS
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
Nearly six months after the first broadband stimulus awards for infrastructure projects were announced, many award winners have not yet been able to break ground on their projects, although they expect to soon. A key concern is securing the availability of funds, which are administered by either the Rural Utilities Services or the National Telecommunications and Information Agency — and those agencies have been struggling with unprecedented workloads as a result of the stimulus program. In the mean time, award winners seem to be doing their best to accomplish as much as they can prior to securing funding — including making network engineering plans and, for some companies, undertaking the process of selecting outside construction firms. Some have even hired a few new people, a sign that the stimulus program is already making progress on achieving one of its key goals: job creation.
benton.org/node/36526 | Connected Planet
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ARE CUSTOMERS SATISFIED?
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: Jenny Hou]
Consumers are fairly well satisfied with the speed of the broadband they get at home. Having 50 percent say they are "very satisfied" is a strong showing, although it still leaves room for improvement. Even if people are satisfied with their home broadband speed, however, they may be paying hundreds of dollars a year more than they need to. Consumers still need better information to know what speed they need for the applications they run. And given the split between "very" and "somewhat" satisfied customers, more information on broadband speed would also help consumers choose between different providers. For mobile broadband, the lower numbers show that this service still has a way to go to improve customer satisfaction - which is especially important as more people turn to mobile for their primary Internet connection. It's technologically harder to deliver high speeds by mobile, so the satisfaction gap between fixed and mobile broadband is understandable. But consider that satisfaction with mobile service overall - not broadband speed specifically - is quite high, with 59 percent very satisfied and 33 percent somewhat so. A decade ago, that satisfaction rate might have been hard to imagine. The wireless industry has made tremendous strides in innovation and service quality overall, and we can expect improvements in mobile broadband speed as well. Accurate measurements of mobile broadband speed can be a boost to innovation. These measures can help wireless carriers learn more about where their networks function best and where they may fall short. Most consumers now have a choice of mobile broadband providers, and will be able to use these new measures to choose the providers who will serve them best. Consumer choice, in turn, can increase competition, innovation, and ultimately help lead to better broadband service for all.
benton.org/node/36548 | Federal Communications Commission
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SPEED LABELING MISGUIDED
[SOURCE: Connected Planet, AUTHOR: Joan Engebretson]
[Commentary] Your cereal box tells you what its contents contains in the way of calories, vitamins, minerals, fats and protein. A sticker on your new car tells you how many miles per gallon it's expected to get. And, according to statements made by the Federal Communications Commission this week, your broadband service eventually may come with some sort of speed rating akin to what the cereal and auto manufacturers provide. The idea is troublesome in a number of ways. A big one is cost. Although this kind of information could certainly be useful to a consumer who has a choice of broadband providers, I'm not at all convinced taxpayers should pay for a program to provide that information in perpetuity. Sounds more like something a private sector organization such as Consumer Reports ought to be undertaking. There's also an issue of priorities. The FCC already faces a huge workload in implementing the National Broadband Plan, yet it continues to create more work for itself. As if its "third way" and Net neutrality initiatives weren't enough of a distraction, the commission once again seems to be devoting precious resources to creating a solution in search of a problem.
benton.org/node/36567 | Connected Planet
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NEW BROADBAND TASK FORCE
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission, AUTHOR: ]
The Federal Communications Commission seeks applications for membership on the FCC-Native Nations Broadband Task Force. The Task Force will assist the FCC in fulfilling its commitment to increasing broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands. The Task Force will be responsible for, among other things, assisting in developing and executing a FCC consultation policy, eliciting input from Native American governments, ensuring that Native American concerns are considered in all Commission proceedings related to broadband, developing additional recommendations for promoting broadband deployment and adoption on Tribal lands, and coordinating with external entities, including other Federal departments and agencies. The Task Force will be comprised of senior FCC staff and elected leaders from Federally-recognized Native American governments or governmental entities (or their designated employees). As with other FCC advisory committees and joint boards, the Chairman of the FCC will appoint the members and designate a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman for the Task Force. In addition, the Chairman may appoint members to fill vacancies and may replace a member at his discretion. The Chairman will designate either himself or another Commissioner to oversee the activities of the Task Force and serve as a liaison between the Task Force and the FCC. Applicants should be willing to commit to a two-year term of service, which requires participation, either in person or by teleconference, in the meetings of the Task Force. It is anticipated that most meetings will take place in Washington, D.C. Attendance in person will be at the applicant's own expense. Members will also have an initial and continuing obligation to disclose any interests in, or connections to, persons or entities who are or will be regulated by, or who have interests before, the Commission.
benton.org/node/36547 | Federal Communications Commission
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DISPUTES WEIGH ON PROPOSED PUBLIC SAFETY NETWORK
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Cecilia Kang]
There's much disagreement over how an interoperable broadband wireless network for emergency workers should be developed. At issue is the so-called D Block, a segment of the 700 megahertz band of airwaves that the Federal Communications Commission wants to auction to commercial carriers next year. Delaying the auction, the FCC said, could greatly raise the cost of the build-out, which is expected to run about $6.5 billion if the project gets off the ground next year. The FCC said the 10 megahertz already allotted to public safety groups would be enough to handle communications needs. Emergency responders would be able to use roaming agreements with other networks during times of disaster for extra capacity, according to the FCC plan. However, the public safety community also wants the FCC to make the D block's 10 megahertz available to them, giving them a total of 20 megahertz for a more robust network. AT&T supports the public safety community's proposal, saying that reallocating that spectrum to emergency workers is the most cost effective path to building an network for first responders. Analysts, however, speculate that AT&T's position comes from a desire to keep the 10 megahertz of spectrum out of the hands of a competitor such as T-Mobile. A recent wireless competition report from the FCC showed that Verizon Wireless and AT&T enjoyed a growing concentration of market power.
benton.org/node/36573 | Washington Post
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MOBILE BROADBAND
[SOURCE: InformationWeek, AUTHOR: Antone Gonsalves]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski says one way to help change the nation's status as a broadband laggard among industrialized nations is to deploy 4G wireless networks as quickly as possible. During an on-stage interview June 2 at The Wall Street Journal's D8 tech conference, Chairman Genachowski acknowledged that Americans pay too much for broadband service that is slower than what exists in other advanced nations. Worst of all, a recent survey of 40 industrialized nations ranks the U.S. at the bottom in terms of the speed in which it is moving to improve the situation. "That's the canary in the coal mine," Genachowski told WSJ tech reporter Walt Mossberg. To help fix the problem, Genachowski said the nation had to continue to focus on deploying 4G wireless networks as quickly as possible. The U.S. was one of the first nations to start deploying the successor to today's 3G networks.
benton.org/node/36564 | InformationWeek
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SPECTRUM/WIRELESS

SPECTRUM INVENTORY FACING HURDLES
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
National Telecommunications and Information Administration head Larry Strickling said June 3 that the Obama administration is facing challenges conducting an inventory of government-controlled spectrum designed to free up airwaves for commercial mobile use. He said the cost of clearing some bands occupied by federal agencies, and the technical complexities involved, have emerged as potential impediments. Asked if the administration would meet the FCC's goal of identifying an additional 500 megahertz of wireless spectrum over the next decade to meet skyrocketing demand, Strickling said: "It's not going to be accomplished by clearing bands and reallocating for exclusive use by other providers."
benton.org/node/36571 | CongressDaily
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NEW PK SPECTRUM RESEARCH
[SOURCE: Public Knowledge, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Federal government should alter its spectrum-allocation policies and procedures so that both the government and the private sector can operate more efficiently, two papers presented today at a Public Knowledge-sponsored conference suggested. The papers, by PK Legal Director Harold Feld and economist Gregory Rose, were presented at the conference, Toward a Sustainable Spectrum Policy: Rethinking Federal Spectrum.
One paper, Breaking the Logjam: Creating Sustainable Spectrum Access Through Federal Secondary Markets, suggested the government consider real-time leasing rather than simply clearing bands entirely for auction.
The second paper, Breaking the Logjam: Some Modest Proposals For Enhancing Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation In Public Spectrum Management, proposed ways to allocate spectrum within the current statutory structure, treating it more like budgeting and purchasing.
benton.org/node/36546 | Public Knowledge | Creating Sustainable Spectrum Access | Some Modest Proposals For Public Spectrum Management
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AT&T'S WIRELESS DATA PLAN
[SOURCE: GigaOm, AUTHOR: Stacey Higginbotham]
Carriers keep discovering that if you give people access to fat pipes, they're going to use them. That's good for innovation, but on the wireless side, it can cause problems for the carriers' bottom lines. The answer to that problem would be usage-based broadband. What's key to understand here is that few folks in the industry believe it's possible to offer the level of mobile broadband that people want on current wireless networks — even after carriers switch to more efficient technologies like LTE. An exception might be Clearwire, which has deep spectrum resources when compared with the other major carriers. Indeed, Clearwire's Mike Seivert said that currently its mobile customers consume an average of 7GB each month, a feat that would cost $75 a month on AT&T's new pricing plans (on Clearwire it could cost $40-$55). AT&T's pricing has taken current usage into consideration, with the carrier claiming that 98 percent of its users consume less than 2 GB per month, while 65 percent consume less than 200 MB. But in the long term, it isn't a great option for consumers, and when it comes to the tethering fee, is downright punitive. It's also inconsistent with managing user demand for broadband given that one reason for the shift is to manage scarce spectrum resources and prevent network congestion. Instead what it does is push more subscribers into a higher tier of service by creating an extremely low-usage tier with high overage fees, and a higher-usage tier with fees that, comparatively speaking, are much more reasonable. For example, using 201 MB on the lower-usage, DataPlus plan costs $30 whereas $25 on the DataPro plan will yield up to 2 GB. If you're anywhere in that broad middle (or worried about landing there), you're going to select the 2GB tier, even though most iPhone users use an average of 500 MB. That's not ideal, and the $20 fee for tethering is simply paying AT&T for the privilege of using your phone to connect your laptop to the web. Basically that fee is a $20 "Keep Your Laptop Off the Network" sign.
benton.org/node/36532 | GigaOm | Q&A AT&T's Mark Collins | Colin Gibbs | App-Rising
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OWNERSHIP

GOOGLE ABUSES SEARCH ROLE
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: James Temple]
Consumer Watchdog continues to push its case that Google's behavior necessitates antitrust scrutiny, releasing a report Wednesday that alleges that the company is abusing its dominance in online search to direct users to its own services. The study, which will be sent to U.S. and European antitrust regulators, cites online traffic data that the Santa Monica group claims shows the Mountain View Internet giant seized large portions of market share in areas like online maps, video and comparison shopping after its search engine began highlighting links to its products in results. Google called the report's methodology and premise flawed and said its practices are designed to benefit users.
benton.org/node/36537 | San Francisco Chronicle | Consumer Watchdog
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APPLE VS THE REGULATORS
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial staff]
[Commentary] Mobile computers like Apple's iPhone and iPad are among the most transformative information devices since the personal computer. So it makes sense for the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to review Apple's policies governing programmers' access to its devices to see if they violate antitrust laws. Apple now wants developers to write apps specifically for its gadgets, using approved computer languages. The company also changed its terms of agreement with developers to prohibit them from using software from third parties to "send Device Data to a third party for processing or analysis." Apple argues that these changes are legitimate efforts to offer consumers a flawless experience on its devices. This week, Apple's Steve Jobs declared that Adobe's widely used Flash platform "has had its day." Apple said the ban on sharing data with other programs was a way to protect the privacy of iPhone and iPad users. Yet regulators are concerned about Apple's pattern of behavior. The Justice Department is also investigating whether Apple is abusing its dominance in the digital music market to punish labels that do business deals with rivals like Amazon. The question is whether Apple's policies lock rivals out of fast-growing new markets.
benton.org/node/36545 | New York Times
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PRIVACY

GOOGLE SUIT
[SOURCE: ComputerWorld, AUTHOR: Gregg Keizer]
Google's secret Wi-Fi snooping was powered by new sniffing technology that the company wants to patent, court documents filed June 2 allege. A just-amended complaint in a class-action lawsuit first submitted two weeks ago claims that a patent Google submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November 2008 shows that the search giant purposefully created technology to gather, analyze, and use data sent by users over their wireless networks. According to the modified complaint, Google's technology can collect the make and model of wireless routers, the street address of that router and even the "approximate location of the wireless AP [access point] within the user's residence or business." In its patent application , Google noted that multiple antennas could be mounted on vehicles, which would be able to obtain a more accurate estimate of the router's location based on a "stereo" effect.
benton.org/node/36565 | ComputerWorld
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UPDATING COPPA
[SOURCE: CongressDaily, AUTHOR: Juliana Gruenwald]
Children's advocates, technology and legal experts, Web site operators and others struggled Wednesday to determine how best to adapt a 2000 rule implementing a law aimed at protecting children's privacy to the growing list of devices people are using to get online. Among the issues experts at the FTC's first workshop on updating its rule implementing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act grappled with was whether the rule should be expanded to include new types of devices that people use to get online such as mobile phones and interactive gaming systems and whether the definition of personally identifiable information should be expanded. The law requires Web sites aimed at children under 13 or those with "actual knowledge" that they are collecting personally identifiable information from children under 13 to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from them. During the panel's first session, wireless and gaming industry representatives, legal and technology experts and a children's advocate debated what constitutes being online and what types of devices are children now using to get online. One area where there was some disagreement over was the use of gaming devices to get online.
benton.org/node/36530 | CongressDaily
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COPPA AND ONLINE ADVERTISING
[SOURCE: MediaPost, AUTHOR: Wendy Davis]
Does the Children's Online Privacy and protection Act limit marketers' ability to send behaviorally targeted ads to users under 13? Some advocates want the Federal Trade Commission to say the answer is yes. Speaking today at an FTC workshop, American University professor and COPPA architect Kathryn Montgomery reiterated her argument that the law should be interpreted to prohibit behavioral targeting of minors under 13, at least absent parental consent. The statute itself bans marketers from collecting "personal information" from children under 13 without parental consent. Problem is, no one can agree on the type of data that should be considered personal information. The statute itself says the term includes obvious types of data -- names, addresses and telephone numbers -- but also any "identifier" the FTC determines will permit "the physical or online contacting of a specific individual." Whether cookies fall into that category appears to be an open question. On one hand, marketers certainly seem to hope they're reaching specific individuals when they pay a premium for behavioral targeting. On the other hand, if a computer is used by more than one person in a household, there's no guarantee that the cookies associated with that computer can be matched to particular individuals.
benton.org/node/36529 | MediaPost
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HEALTH

PUBLIC HEALTH DATA
[SOURCE: Department of Health and Human Services, AUTHOR: Press release]
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Institute of Medicine President Harvey Fineberg today launched a national initiative to share a wealth of new community health data that will drive innovation and lead to the creation of new applications and tools to improve the health of Americans. To help citizens, clinicians and local leaders use data to improve health and value of health care, the Community Health Data Initiative (CHDI) is turning to Web application developers, mobile phone applications, social media, and other cutting-edge information technologies to "put our public health data to work." [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/36524 | Department of Health and Human Services | ModernHealthcare.com
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HIT GRANTS FROM HHS
[SOURCE: Department of Health and Human Services, AUTHOR: Press release]
The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $83.9 million in grants to help networks of health centers adopt electronic health records (EHR) and other health information technology (HIT) systems. The funds are part of the $2 billion allotted to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to expand health care services to low-income and uninsured individuals through its health center program. Forty-five grants will support new and enhanced EHR implementation projects as well as HIT innovation projects. Funds will allow grantees to use EHR technology to improve health care quality, efficiency, and patient safety. Eligible professionals practicing within health centers who are able to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology may be eligible for incentive payments provided under Medicaid and Medicare. Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs) improve the operational effectiveness and clinical quality in health centers by providing management, financial, technology and clinical support services. The networks, comprised of at least three collaborating organizations, are community-based groups that support HRSA-funded health centers that provide primary health care to nearly 19 million patients a number expected to double over the next five years as health reform is implemented.
benton.org/node/36523 | Department of Health and Human Services
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REPOR(t)
[SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation, AUTHOR: Dr Drew Altman]
[Commentary] What was the impact of shows like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report on the health reform debate? In our May tracking poll, 12% of the American people said they got information on health reform from shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (or their websites). [more at the URL below]
benton.org/node/36522 | Kaiser Family Foundation
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Analysis

June 2010

June 3, 2010 (US not in Broadband Elite)

Clyburn: FCC plan not incongruous with telecom overhaul

Disputes weigh on proposed public safety network

John Perry Barlow: Internet has broken political system

Spectrum Inventory Facing Hurdles

Senate Panel To Hold Antitrust Hearing

The New Reality of the Twitter Ecosystem

Tech Drives Online News Agenda

FCC's broadband speed labeling idea is misguided

Comcast, NBC, GE Answer FCC, Congress