December 2010

[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski should be applauded for his announcement that he would proceed on open Internet rules and for recognizing that "no central authority, public or private" should be a gatekeeper to the Internet.

If the United States can't preserve open, neutral Internet access, our diplomats and trade representatives will be hard-pressed to object to Internet gate-keeping -- such as censorship and filtering -- by foreign countries. Whether a corporation wants to prioritize favored Internet traffic for commercial reasons, or a government wants to censor unfavorable traffic for political reasons, the same network tools, like deep packet inspection (DPI), are at work to control what gets through to end users, and when. Without lots more competition among access providers, there needs to be a check on their power to discriminate and commercially regulate Internet activity. The battle for open Internet access abroad is growing as a trade and diplomatic priority. We have rightfully asserted that access to information is a human rights issue for the world's citizens and a critical trade issue for companies that drive the information economy. To wage that campaign successfully abroad, we can't undermine the commitment to Internet freedom here. The government has a clear interest and duty to protect public access to the open Internet at home.

[Black is president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.]

A majority of Americans say they ignore Internet ads -- far more than television, radio and newspaper ads. Some 63% of consumers say they tend to ignore or disregard all Internet ads. Among this group, 43% say they don't pay attention to banner ads and 20% ignore search ads. The research was produced by AdweekMedia/Harris Poll, from a recent online survey done by Harris Interactive. Farther down the list was television ads -- only a 14% number. Radio was at 7%; newspapers ads, 6%. Overall, almost all Americans say they ignore some ads -- 91%.

The Federal Communications Commission's Sixth Report and Order (6th R&O) in its Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism proceeding (more commonly known as “the E-rate program”) – first adopted last September – has finally been published in the Federal Register. This means that the revised rules will take effect on January 3, 2011.

The revisions adopted in the 6th R&O fall into three conceptual categories: 1) providing schools and libraries with greater flexibility to select and make available the most cost-effective broadband and other communications services; 2) simplifying the E-rate application process; and 3) improving safeguards against waste, fraud and abuse. The FCC is also seeking proposals for a limited pilot program to establish best practices to support off-campus wireless connectivity for portable learning devices, such as digital textbooks, outside of regular school or library operating hours. The FCC has separately announced that applications for the pilot program must be submitted on or before December 17, 2010.

Speaking at the Phoenix Center 2010 Annual U.S. Telecoms Symposium, Federal Communications Commission member Meredith Baker offered a progress report on spectrum reform. She identified three strengths:

1. The Start of a Plan: The National Broadband Plan provides clear recommendations to shift us towards more efficient and effective use of spectrum. The challenge we face is that we have not built from that foundation a truly comprehensive spectrum policy or framework. We need a concerted effort to provide a more predictable and known approach to spectrum. We cannot address spectrum reform on a proceeding-by-proceeding or auction-by-auction basis. We need closer coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and a renewed and upgraded mandate for the Commercial Spectrum Management Advisory Committee that has the ability to enhance opportunities for both the federal government and commercial spectrum users.
2. More Spectrum Awareness: We have collectively recognized the need for more spectrum for mobile broadband across government. The challenge is that this is all terribly hard. We must provide a pipeline of spectrum in 2011 and for the next 5 years. To do so, we need to dedicate resources and funding to the teams responsible for evaluating the 2200 MHz of spectrum, and we should prioritize those spectrum bands that have the most commercial value and are harmonized for international use.
3. Many Irons in the Fire: The FCC has launched many spectrum-related proceedings, but the challenge now is to complete them.