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Federal agencies are making progress not only to make the workplace more flexible for employees but also to continue operations in the event of an emergency.
So what tools and devices are federal employees using for telework? According to a survey of Telework Week participants by Mobile Work Exchange, laptops remain the tool of choice among teleworkers, with more than 90 percent of Telework Week participants saying they use a laptop. Sixty percent of teleworkers said they used a VPN connection for telework, while nearly 30 percent said they used a smartphone. Other tools, like virtual desktops, collaboration tools, video conferencing, desktop PCs and tablets were less popular among Telework Week participants, though collaboration tools, video conferencing and tablets were more popular among participants this year than in 2012.
Keys to Successful Telework May Already be in Feds’ Pockets
[Commentary] I want to tackle the current "Tom Wheeler would have approved the AT&T/T-Mo merger in 2011."
It's easy to say, "oh, all that lobbying for the cable and wireless industry was long ago when they were scrappy upstarts. Why, that was so long ago that the cable industry were battling the broadcasters and the wireless industry were battling the telcos (as opposed to these days when the cable industry battles the telcos and the wireless industry battles the broadcasters)!" But if Wheeler was actually a supporter of AT&T/T-Mobile, then it would seem to prove he still has sympathies to his old industry incumbent comrades. I confess I don't see the same enthusiasm for a combined AT&T/T-Mobile that some have seen. Mind you, perhaps I am unduly charmed by Wheeler's embrace of unlicensed spectrum, Wi-Fi and federal spectrum sharing back in October 2011 – well before his supposed cable masters embraced it and while his supposed wireless masters at AT&T and Verizon still rejected this as a "distraction" from clearing and auctioning. Or perhaps as a fellow who writes long-winded blogs on complex telecom policy I'm unduly sympathetic to complaints that one's blog posts get misinterpreted.
But in any event, it’s worth looking at what Wheeler actually said.
Would the FCC Chair Nominee Really Have Approved the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger?
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is allowing EAGLE-Net Alliance to resume the buildout of a taxpayer-funded high-speed Internet network aiming to connect the majority of Colorado's school districts, many of them in dire need of additional bandwidth.
EAGLE-Net, the much-criticized organization awarded a $100.6 million grant in 2010 as part of the broadband stimulus program, has been suspended since December after altering its rollout plans without first obtaining the required environmental approvals. Initially scheduled for completion by the end of August, EAGLE-Net will now need an additional year and about $10 million to $15 million in private financing to finish its network. "NTIA has been working closely with EAGLE-Net over the past few months to address the environmental requirements needed to get the project back on track, and it has met those requirements," said NTIA Associate Administrator Anthony Wilhelm. "We'll continue to vigorously oversee the project to protect taxpayers' investment." He added that lifting the suspension now "will allow the organization to take advantage of the spring construction season and focus on helping western Colorado school districts get access to high capacity broadband."
NTIA to lift EAGLE-Net suspension, broadband project needs more money
A controversial rural telephone subsidy program that the Colorado Public Utilities Commission wants to phase down is the target of separate battles spearheaded by CenturyLink and state lawmakers. CenturyLink, which receives at least $50 million annually from the rate-payer-funded Colorado High Cost Support Mechanism, is seeking a judicial review of the PUC's plans to cut the subsidy. The PUC's decision last year would also eliminate rate caps on basic phone service in competitive areas.
Regulators plan to start the process of determining those areas soon. Democratic lawmakers are looking to divert some of the money to fund broadband expansion. Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, is floating a bill that would use high-cost funds to subsidize broadband service in unserved and underserved communities. It targets the money that the PUC would determine is no longer needed to subsidize phone service in competitive areas. A preliminary estimate from a year ago pegged that figure at $10 million to $20 million. The measure is facing strong opposition from the telecommunications industry, given the controversy surrounding the federally funded EAGLE-Net Alliance program.
CenturyLink, Colorado lawmakers fight over $54 million phone subsidy program
If you believe that Google, with their Google Fiber initiative, intended to raise awareness about gigabit FTTP networks and persuade other ISPs to move in that direction, it appears to be working. The latest to join the movement is CenturyLink, who announced that they will bring a symmetrical gigabit FTTP network to Omaha.
The network will pass 48K homes in CenturyLink’s Omaha footprint. “CenturyLink is pleased to offer its Omaha customers ultra-fast broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps to help keep pace with growing broadband demands,” said Karen Puckett, CenturyLink chief operating officer in a CenturyLink press release. “This demonstrates our commitment to deliver communications solutions that provide our customers with the technology they need to enhance their quality of life, now and into the future.” CenturyLink reports they will begin rolling out this network as early as next week and expects it to be completed by early October 2013.
Statement (Chairman Genachowski)
The vast majority of parents of minor children — children younger than 18 — feel libraries are very important for their children. That attachment carries over into parents’ own higher-than-average use of a wide range of library services. The ties between parents and libraries start with the importance parents attach to the role of reading in their children’s lives. Half of parents of children under age 12 (50%) read to their child every day and an additional 26% do so a few times a week. Those with children under age 6 are especially keen on daily reading with their child: 58% of these parents read with their child every day and another 26% read multiple times a week with their children.
The importance parents assign to reading and access to knowledge shapes their enthusiasm for libraries and their programs:
- 94% of parents say libraries are important for their children and 79% describe libraries as “very important.” That is especially true of parents of young children (those under 6), some 84% of whom describe libraries as very important.
- 84% of these parents who say libraries are important say a major reason they want their children to have access to libraries is that libraries help inculcate their children’s love of reading and books.
- 81% say a major reason libraries are important is that libraries provide their children with information and resources not available at home.
- 71% also say a major reason libraries are important is that libraries are a safe place for children.
Almost every parent (97%) says it is important for libraries to offer programs and classes for children and teens.
Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading
Celebrating World Press Freedom Day, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine delivered the following remarks.
- The United States of America was built on freedom of expression. It was one of our first breaths of life as a nation – and remains an indispensible and enduring element of who we are. And it is a fundamental freedom for all people, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Media freedom is a key part of that; whether it comes from what we say in public squares or from what we type on our keyboards online – print newspapers, blogs, texts, or tweets.
- Some governments are too weak or unwilling to protect journalists and media outlets. Many others exploit or create criminal libel or defamation or blasphemy laws in their favor. They misuse terrorism laws to prosecute and imprison journalists. They pressure media outlets to shut down by causing crippling financial damage. They buy or nationalize media outlets to suppress different viewpoints. They filter or shut down access to the Internet. They detain and harass – and worse.
- We urge all people – members of news organizations, civil society and think tank institutions; political leaders, scholars, and citizens of every faith and ethnicity – to call for accountability. To demand that governments enforce human rights that protect journalists and this fundamental freedom. To shine a light on long-standing and emerging repressive restrictions on, and threats to, freedom of expression whether they are through traditional media or online.
Pressing for Freedom: The State of Digital and Media Repression Worldwide in 2013
In the face of mounting cable competition and rising DVR usage, Fox believes that running repeats to fill the long summer months and to stretch 22 episodes across a 35-week TV season just won't cut it anymore.
So, the network that lost its No. 1 ranking this season is promising affiliates more original programming, some in the form of 13-15 episode "event series," each with its own complete story arc. Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly has been pitching the strategy, which borrows heavily from cable, to Fox affiliates and he is expected to share more details with the rest of the media world at the network's upfront presentation in New York on May 13.
Fox’s Original Idea: No More Reruns
Comcast told analysts that it will continue to upsell customers into its triple play product bundle of video, data and phone.
First quarter video subscriber losses rose for the first time since the third quarter of 2010 at Comcast to 60,000 from 37,000 in 2012. On a conference call with analysts to discuss quarterly results, Comcast said the increase was due to two factors: a change in the way it accounts for video customers in multiple dwelling units (MDUs) and a price increase across a wider portion of its footprint. Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts noted the increase in video losses, but said the company was still committed to growth. “Our goal is to continue to make progress reducing video customer losses,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said. Comcast vice chairman and chief financial officer Michael Angelakis said on the call that Comcast implemented a rate increase across 72% of its footprint in the quarter, compared to 62% in the same period last year. In addition, it changed the way it counts MDU customers, which accounted for about half of the losses. He added that the rest of the customer losses were less profitable single play subscribers.
Comcast: We’ll Stick With Triple Play
[Commentary] I was wrong. One year ago I left the internet. I thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was "corrupting my soul." It's a been a year now since I "surfed the web" or "checked my email" or "liked" anything with a figurative rather than literal thumbs up. I've managed to stay disconnected, just like I planned. I'm internet free. And now I'm supposed to tell you how it solved all my problems.
I'm supposed to be enlightened. I'm supposed to be more "real," now. More perfect. But instead it's 8PM and I just woke up. I slept all day, woke with eight voicemails on my phone from friends and coworkers. I went to my coffee shop to consume dinner, the Knicks game, my two newspapers, and a copy of The New Yorker. And now I'm watching Toy Story while I glance occasionally at the blinking cursor in this text document, willing it to write itself, willing it to generate the epiphanies my life has failed to produce. I didn't want to meet this Paul at the tail end of my yearlong journey.
I’m still here: back online after a year without the Internet