1. Monthly archive
  2. January 2015

January 2015

Google received more than 345 million link takedown requests last year

In 2014, Google was asked to remove more than 345 million allegedly infringing links.

This is a 75 percent increase on requests from 2013 and shows how copyright holders have been leaning on Google more than ever to tackle the problem of piracy using brute force. Google now receives more than 1 million takedown requests each day and honors the majority of them. By comparison, in 2007 the company received just 177 takedown requests -- a figure that actually dipped to just 62 requests in 2008 before beginning its rapid ascent to current heights. BPI -- the UK’s music industry group -- was the top copyright enforcer for 2014 and reported more than 60 million links to Google.

Why is the FCC considering a new system for phone number portability? No good reason

[Commentary] With only six months remaining on the contract with its longtime supplier, the Federal Communications Commission seems on the verge of repeating past mistakes by choosing a new vendor to manage the mission-critical system that lets consumers take their existing phone numbers with them when switching services.

The Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC) is a common database that US and Canadian carriers, including VoIP providers, can query when routing calls. Since its inception in 1998, NPAC has been operated by Neustar, whose current contract expires in June. Why switch to a new system that has yet to be built from a new vendor? Insiders believe the carriers' main complaint about Neustar is cost. Roughly half of Neustar's 2013 revenue, or about $450 million, came from fees approved by the FCC and paid by telephone companies to use the system. A general risk assessment for a new NPAC system was performed in January by the Standish Group, an IT analysis firm that studies large-scale systems development projects. Based on comparisons with similarly complex projects, the report found that replacing the current system in one "big bang" conversion, as the FCC requires, had only a 6 percent chance of succeeding on time and within budget. If the FCC is seriously considering replacing a complex and fully functioning system with software that has yet to be designed, coded or tested, the agency should first prove wrong the alarming projections of the Standish Group and others.

[Larry Downes is an author and project director at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy]

Ericsson pushes plan to send wireless apps over unlicensed 5GHz spectrum

Ericsson announced wireless technology that's designed to improve coverage and speed for bandwidth-hungry smartphone applications such as streaming video.

Ericsson is creating a small cellular device that will cost about $2,000 when available later in 2015 that relies on software called Licensed Assisted Access. LAA allows wireless network traffic to work over both licensed and unlicensed spectrum, thereby giving carriers greater flexibility in improving application performance for smartphone users. The 5GHz spectrum is often used by Wi-Fi networks inside of buildings, but the LAA technology will automatically share traffic being switched from the cellular network with users already on the Wi-Fi network.

Comcast says it will sell gigabit cable service this year

Broadcom Corporation announced a chip for cable modems that can power gigabit-per-second Internet service, and Comcast said it will use the chips to boost speeds in 2015. Broadcom's cable modem system-on-a-chip relies on DOCSIS 3.1, a faster version of the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification.

The Killer App for Local Fiber Networks

Nearly every US community that has developed a fiber optic broadband network or partnered with the private sector to acquire one has put economic development at the top of its list of reasons for doing so. Communities increasingly recognize that fiber networks also provide critical benefits for education, public safety, health care, transportation, energy, environmental protection, urban revitalization, government service and much more. But only in revitalizing and modernizing local economies and creating meaningful, well-paying jobs do community leaders, businesses, institutions and residents consistently find common ground.

In short, economic development and job creation can fairly be called the “killer app” for local fiber networks. Many projects across the country use advanced communications capabilities to support economic development and at the same time use the benefits of economic development to fund their network and make them sustainable. Over time, the path from broadband investments to economic development should be faster, more efficient and less costly to navigate.

[Jim Baller, Joanne Hovis, and Ashley Stelfox are co-founders of the Coalition for Local Internet Choice. Masha Zager is the editor for Broadband Communities]

[Joanne Hovis sits on the Board of Directors for the Benton Foundation]

What Should the 114th Congress Do About Cybersecurity in 2015?

[Commentary] After years of maintaining a hands-off approach toward cybersecurity, the Republican-led 114th Congress is poised to jump all over this issue.

The few consistent cybersecurity themes coming from Congress have been: blame the President, declare a cyberwar against North Korea, and push for public/private security intelligence sharing. Note to the 114th Congress: We don’t need reactionary legislation or finger-pointing, we need a national cybersecurity strategy. We need someone who actually owns the creation and oversight of a national cybersecurity strategy. Such a strategy should include tax breaks for cybersecurity spending in the private sector, support for industry, a national strategy for cybersecurity education, federal cybersecurity program oversight, and an international multi-lateral cybersecurity agreement.

[Jon Oltsik is a principal analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group ESG]

Welcome to 21st century warfare

[Commentary] As the scale and sovereign culprit behind the attack on Sony were revealed, the world awakens to the specter of an uncomfortable new normal emerging in warfare -- cyberterrorism.

Until Sony’s cyberterror attack, cyber risk remained an insidious drag on the world’s economy, with most losses manifesting themselves in ID theft, denial of service attacks and silent phishing scams. The attack on Sony, on the other hand, raises not only the economic but reputational costs of cyber risk and shows the ease with which a company’s entire business model can be held for ransom. As new rules of engagement are being drawn up in corporate war rooms and by policy makers in response to Sony’s attack, the nascent cyber insurance market can provide some peace of mind and financial protection in the face of new threats. Although underwriting appetite for large cyber insurance policies is sure to wane as the full scale of Sony’s case continues to unfold, this class of insurance is a must-have for firms of all sizes operating in the global economy.

[Dante Disparte is the founder and CEO of Risk Cooperative]

Building Partnerships and a Dedicated Team, Driven by our Mission

Partnerships. Plans. People. These are the essential components for success in both public and private sector organizations. At the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), we realize this, and continue to focus on these key areas as part of our mission to ensure the deployment of a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. Further, we have also established the following set of strategic goals for the organization that accents the importance of partnerships, plans, and people:

  • Ensure the acquisition, building, deployment, and operation of a reliable, interoperable nation-wide Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband network for public safety as required by the act.
  • Explore and build strong partnerships with local, state, tribal and federal public safety agencies by leveraging consultation and communication opportunities.
  • Establish an entrepreneurial culture of innovation by recruiting, hiring and retaining high performance employees motivated to accomplish FirstNet’s mission while meeting public safety’s needs.
  • Utilize financial best practices and measures to ensure fiscal responsibility while accomplishing FirstNet’s mission.

[TJ Kennedy is the Acting Executive Director of FirstNet]

National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Department of Commerce
February 18, 2015
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-01-06/pdf/2014-30872.pdf

The Committee will receive reports on the progress of the following subcommittees established to help NTIA develop new or revised strategies for responding more efficiently and effectively to fundamental technological, operational, and other trends to continue advancement of delivering spectrum products, services, and solutions that will support the ever-increasing demand for spectrum:

  1. Enforcement
  2. Transitional Sharing
  3. General Occupancy Measurements and Quantification of Federal Spectrum Use
  4. Spectrum Management via Databases
  5. Federal Access to Non-federal Bands (Bi-Directional Sharing)
  6. Spectrum Sharing Cost Recovery Alternatives
  7. Industry and Government Collaboration

Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth
Northwestern University School of Law
March 13, 2015 - March 14, 2015

The Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, in conjunction with the Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth, presents The , a two-day conference for academics, practitioners, and students to discuss current intellectual property and technology law topics.


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