October 2014

GM warns against Internet rules

General Motors is warning the Federal Communications Commission that tough rules on Internet service providers could hurt the auto industry.

“The coming years will see rapid innovation at the intersection of cars and mobile communications,” Harry Lightsey, executive director of GM’s Global Connected Consumer initiative. “By needlessly constraining the latitude our mobile network operator suppliers have in delivering their connectivity to owners of our vehicles, you would also constrain the innovations we are seeking to provide to our customers,” Lightsey wrote. GM’s opposition could give critics extra ammunition in their push to prevent the FCC from including the wireless industry.

Pandora: We want to be the FM radio of the connected car

If your car is capable of getting an internet connection, then chances are it can stream Pandora. That’s not just some happy coincidence for the music streaming company.

Pandora has made the automotive industry a big priority, and the results of the effort are obvious. Since 2009, Pandora has partnered with 26 automotive brands, and 145 vehicle models have Pandora software loaded into their dashboards, including the top 10 bestselling passenger cars in the US, according to the company. Pandora certainly isn’t in every connected vehicle out there, but no other third-party developer can claim that kind of presence in the automobile.

CTIA: Strict Platform Parity Endangers Wireless Growth

CTIA: The Wireless Association President Meredith Attwell Baker delivered the opening remarks at a network neutrality event at the University of Pennsylvania entitled: "Should Wireless Technologies Be Regulated Differently?" Not surprisingly, her answer was an unqualified yes.

The Federal Communications Commission in 2010 did not apply the same Open Internet rules to wireless discrimination that it did to wired, citing different network management challenges, though it promised to monitor the space and revisit that call if necessary. In the new rules, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has signaled that the call is being revisited, saying that extending the rules to the burgeoning wireless broadband space is on the table. Baker suggests the idea should instead be tabled.

Harmful Consumer Wireless Behavior and Practices

[Commentary] Increased mobility has led to troubling behavior by some users that deserve everyone’s attention. During my recent trips across our great nation, I was infuriated to hear of continued wireless device misuse. For many reasons, some consumers have yet to see or understand that their risky wireless practices and habits can harm themselves and other people.

Distracted Driving -- The number of people that are killed and injured by distracted driving is staggering.
Pocket Dialing 911 -- Dedicated and hard-working public safety officials who answer and respond to Americans in times of need are being inundated by accidental wireless calls to 911.
Non-Service-Initiated Wireless Phones and 911 -- Current FCC rules require that all wireless devices are capable of reaching 911 emergency services even if the devices are no longer associated with a wireless service plan or a wireless provider.

Secretary Pritzker Meets With Gaming Industry CEOs in Silicon Valley

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker met with various gaming industry CEOs at Electronic Arts in Silicon Valley to learn more about the creative job skills and talent required to maintain American competitiveness, as well as the gaming industry’s overall contribution to the economy.

“It’s a terrible company”: Comcast not welcome in city, council says

The City Council in Worcester (MA) does not want Comcast coming anywhere near its residents. The cable company is seeking a license transfer from Charter as part of a customer swap that's tied to its purchase of Time Warner Cable, but the council is trying to block it.

NAB: FCC Lowballed Population Losses in Repacking

National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith and other NAB execs met with Federal Communications Commission staff and Commissioners to argue that the post-incentive auction population coverage losses TV stations would experience according to FCC scenarios "does not represent the true impact of repacking on broadcasters and their millions of viewers." Specifically, the item is a Second Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking "to address aggregate broadcaster-to-broadcaster interference and the methodology for predicting interference between broadcast and wireless operations in the same or adjacent channels in nearby markets during and following the Incentive Auction."

CenturyLink, Frontier say CAF-II should support 10/1 Mbps in all high-cost areas

CenturyLink and Frontier Communications say in a joint filing that the second phase of the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund (CAF-II) should support the regulator's 10/1 proposed broadband definition in all rural areas they serve today.

"If 10/1 is the new standard then all high-cost areas lacking 10/1 service today should be eligible for support," CenturyLink and Frontier wrote in their joint filing. By ensuring support for 10/1 Mbps in rural areas, the FCC would be able through CAF-II to serve another 500,000 customer locations and all rural areas would be "treated equally." The two service providers said that "ignoring high cost areas that lack 10/1 service would mean stranding these customers with substandard broadband at a time when FCC is calling for higher speeds across the nation." Both service providers point out that they have continually expanded the reach and speeds of their broadband networks.

The FCC's Proposal To Expand Wi-Fi Spectrum Is A Good Start

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has proposed to free up and allow satellite spectrum to be used for Wi-Fi services.

Initially raised by Globalstar, the FCC proposal would increase Wi-Fi capacity by one-third in the very popular 2.4 GHz band, thereby helping to relieve the coming Wi-Fi crunch. The spectrum being proposed is adjacent to other Wi-Fi spectrum, meaning it would make the spectrum readily available for chipsets in existing consumer Wi-Fi equipment. Aside from the obvious benefit of expanding Wi-Fi capacity, there are many economic and consumer benefits that are predicted to follow. By increasing capacity by one-third in the 2.4 GHz band, as the FCC proposes, the plan could generate an additional $11 billion to the GDP -- which, in turn, is estimated to lead to the creation of 90,000 new and permanent jobs.

The FCC needs to free up spectrum as quickly as possible -- licensed and unlicensed, thereby allowing for providers to offer reliable services and in order to provide financial benefits for consumers across the board. Their proposal is one important step in that direction.

[Christenson writes on digital tech issues for the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research]

Online ads are attacking you

An especially sneaky type of hack is on the rise. Hackers can infect your computer by piggybacking on Web ads -- even on trusted websites. Hackers are slipping malware into legitimate-looking online advertisements. When you visit sites that serve those ads, you're automatically and unknowingly downloading computer viruses.

Benton

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