October 2009

Municipal Fiber to the Home Deployments: Next Generation Broadband as a Municipal Utility

What is the current state of municipal fiber to the home (FTTH) deployments? How are these systems faring, and what is their future? To find out more, the FTTH Council commissioned research firm RVA to survey municipal systems for the purpose of gathering firsthand status information from network operators. RVA found: 1) Municipal FTTH systems are continuing to proliferate where allowed. By definition, municipal FTTH. 2) More, and larger, municipal FTTH systems are under development for 2010. 3) The "success" of municipal FTTH systems is substantiated by high subscriber take rates. 4) The effect of municipal FTTH systems on local economic development is significant. 5) Municipal FTTH systems have a positive impact on overall FTTH and broadband use. 6) Municipal FTTH Systems are an important element of national FTTH deployment and should be encouraged.

ISPs: Broadband a 'Great American Success Story'

Speaking at SuperCOMM on Thursday, Cox Communications President Patrick Esser challenged the audience to imagine their lives without broadband and everything it enables. In his view, broadband adoption has changed the lives of millions of Americans. "Broadband is a great American success story, don't let anyone tell anyone tell you anything different," Esser said. "By the end of this year, approximately 95 percent of U.S. households will have access to broadband. This still-developing marketplace has revolutionized the communications landscape forever and it did in just over a decade." Esser added that over the last decade the cable industry alone as invested more than $145 billion into network infrastructure to help further the promise of broadband. Yet even with the investments made to date and his own company's extensive broadband footprint, Esser said that more needs to be done to ensure that schools and under-privileged families also get access. According to Esser, no one company or government agency can achieve the goal of expanding broadband to all Americans. In his view it will require a public-private partnership with a shared vision and a detailed roadmap.

NTIA awards $1.4 million grant for broadband mapping and planning in West Virginia

The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it has awarded a grant of approximately $1.4 million to fund broadband mapping and planning activities in West Virginia under NTIA's State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning. The data will be displayed in NTIA's national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them. NTIA has awarded the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey (GES) approximately $1.2 million to collect and verify the availability, speed, and location of broadband across the state. This activity is to be conducted on a semi-annual basis between 2009 and 2011, with the data to be presented in a clear and accessible format to the public, government, and the research community. In addition, the GES will receive $185,000 for the cost of broadband planning activities in West Virginia over two years, bringing its grant award total to approximately $1.4 million.

It's Too Early For Cash-For-Spectrum

[Commentary] Broadcasters just aren't ready to give up control of their own distribution and become, in essence, local cable programming services. They point out that millions of homes still rely on getting TV off antennas, and many of them haven't gotten over the trauma of moving from analog to digital in June. The broadcasters also feel that they would be giving up on the potential of digital — multicasting, mobile video and things yet unknown — after having just spent a bundle to upgrade their transmission facilities to digital. Broadcasters are particularly keen on mobile video. And to show the world they are, they made a big deal last Friday of the fact that the ATSC had finally voted out a final standard for it, even though that has been a fait accompli for some time. Universal wireless broadband access is a wonderful idea, but mobile video as envisioned by the broadcasters is too. Jessell looks forward to the day — and it may come within the next year or two — when he can tune into any TV station in New York on his cell phone no matter where he is -- for free. And although the Federal Communications Commission may dangle a spectrum-for-cash deal, it could easily be trumped by Congress. A lot of people, especially those who believe broadcasters have shirked their public service responsibilities, hate the idea of broadcasters being able to cash in on the public airwaves.

How To Get Spectrum Back From TV For More Useful Purposes

If you look at how our radio spectrum is allocated today, you discover that TV broadcasters have a huge chunk of spectrum. This was given to them -- entirely for free -- years ago, when spectrum wasn't used for much. These days, however, spectrum is precious for so many different things, and certainly much of it could be put to better use. Of course, the broadcasters aren't thrilled with giving up any of their windfall. For years, they dragged their feet, kicking and screaming, about switching from analog to digital broadcasting, which was needed to reclaim some spectrum. More recently, they've been fighting attempts to use "white space" spectrum -- which is spectrum that's unused, but close to used spectrum. The broadcasters insist there will be interference, while technologists insist the technology is good enough to block interference. So, it's interesting that, just as we're hearing of the first tests of white space networks, the FCC is also talking to broadcasters about other ways to reclaim some spectrum and put it to use on something more useful and productive.

Wireless Industry Argues Price and Service is Competitive

CTIA, the lobbying arm of the US wireless industry, is saying no to a "cocktail" of data reporting requirements suggested by public interest groups, while calling on the Federal Communications Commission to inventory its spectrum, free more of it for wireless and eliminate tower citing delays. The industry's remarks came in reply comments on the FCC's inquiry into competition in the mobile wireless market. CTIA argues that there is already plenty of data to support the conclusion that price and service in the wireless industry is incredibly competitive. The group argues that criticisms of price, service, investment, and calls for a "new, mandatory data collection regime," can be chalked up to "an irresistible urge to insist that no glass can be anything but half empty."

AT&T weighs higher fees for data hogs

AT&T is finalizing a plan that could impose higher fees on big data users, subject to rules that may come from federal regulators regarding net neutrality, an AT&T executive said today. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said the carrier is considering "pricing options," which could be affected by whatever rules come from the Federal Communications Commission as it weighs net neutrality. The FCC voted Thursday to formally open a rulemaking process and receive comments on creating net neutrality rules. The proposed rules would allow Web users to run legal applications and access legal Web sites of their choice, while prohibiting broadband providers such as AT&T from selectively blocking or slowing content.

Cities need broadband help, Chicago CTO says

Speaking at SuperCOMM on Friday, Chicago CIO Hardik Bhatt said U.S. cities need the aid and cooperation of telecom service providers if they are going to compete globally with Singapore, Seoul, Beijing, Bangalore and others. He cited one city effort to improve technical training and education by creating a high school devoted to IT and telecom skills, only to discover that the most bandwidth available to the new school was two T-1s. "We wanted our students to be able to have interaction with students in other countries," Bhatt said. "Are we going to be able to do that with a 3 Megabit connection? I don't think so. We need every high school, every elementary school in the city to have 100 Megabit per second connections." Bhatt called on telecom service providers to work with cities in public-private partnerships that could benefit both. For example, he said, providing high-speed fiber optic connections to community hubs would enable the city to make the broadband Internet available to the 39% of city residents who don't have broadband, and teach them the advantages of high-speed Internet access.

Content piracy clogging the 'Net, costing jobs

Speaking at SuperCOMM on Friday, NBC Universal Executive Vice President and General Counsel Richard Cotton said Internet service providers have a significant role to play in helping stem the tide of pirated content that is clogging broadband pipes and costing U.S. jobs. "Of course counterfeiting and piracy will never go to zero," Cotton said. "What I believe we need is to send people signals, cues that certain behavior is inacceptable and we haven't started down that path on broadband Internet. We need to do a much better job of educating people that accessing copyrighted content is illegal and that it has consequences." One of those consequences is network congestion, Cotton argued, citing research that showed that 50% of Internet traffic is generated by those illegally access copyrighted material.

FCC Seeks Input on Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape

The Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) asking how children can be served and protected and parents can be further empowered in the new digital media landscape. The NOI comes almost 20 years after enactment of the Children's Television Act and follows the Commission's recently issued Child Safe Viewing Act Report, which examined parental control technologies for video and audio programming. The NOI asks to what extent children are using electronic media today, the benefits and risks this presents, and the ways in which parents, teachers, and children can help reap the benefits while minimizing the risks of using these technologies. The NOI also recognizes that a wealth of academic research and studies exists on these issues and asks commenters to identify additional data and studies, and to indicate where further study is needed. The NOI additionally seeks comment about the effectiveness of media literacy efforts in enabling children to enjoy the benefits of media while minimizing the potential harms. The NOI recognizes that other federal agencies are addressing similar issues, at least with respect to online safety, and asks what the Commission can do to assist with these efforts. The deadline for filing comments is 60 days after publication in the federal register and the deadline for filing reply comments is 90 days after publication in the federal register.

Benton

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