October 2009

The nation's critical infrastructure sectors (e.g., energy, banking) rely extensively on information technology systems. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance in 2006 that instructed lead federal agencies, referred to as sector-specific agencies, to develop plans for protecting the sector's critical cyber and other (physical) infrastructure. These agencies issued plans in 2007, but GAO found that none fully addressed all 30 cyber security-related criteria identified in DHS's guidance and recommended that the plans be updated to address it by September 2008. GAO was asked to determine the extent to which sector plans have been updated to fully address DHS's cyber security requirements and assess whether these plans and related reports provide for effective implementation. To do this, GAO analyzed documentation, interviewed officials, and compared sector plans and reports with DHS cyber criteria. GAO recommends that DHS assess whether existing sector-specific planning processes should continue to be the nation's approach to securing cyber and other critical infrastructure and consider whether other options would provide more effective results. DHS concurred with the recommendation; however, it took exception with certain report facts and conclusions. GAO addressed these comments, but they did not result in substantive report revisions.

Britain is to push ahead with a law to clamp down on illegal file sharing, that would start with a series of warning letters and could result in repeat offenders losing their Internet connection. The proposals, which were set out by Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, have followed a high-profile campaign from artists such as Lily Allen and James Blunt, and follow France's move to ban illegal peer-to-peer sharers for up to a year. The rules could disappoint some of the artists and executives who have campaigned for the law, however, as the government does not plan to introduce the disconnection element of the law for at least a year, once the bill has passed. Under the British proposals, the new law could be passed by April and rights holders such as music companies and Internet service providers would work together for over a year to send letters to those who are uploading illegal content. The government hopes that the warning letters will prompt many to curb their activity but after that time, if the rate of illegal downloading has not significantly declined, the government could then introduce technical measures such as slowing broadband speeds and eventual suspension

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has its eye on television broadcast spectrum. At stake is about 300 MHz of spectrum currently delivering the nation's NBC, CBS, ABC and other broadcast channels over the airwaves. Just months after forcing broadcasters to go through the process of switching spectrum through the digital television transition, the FCC wants to take part of the broadcasters' new home back so carriers can deliver mobile broadband. They should.

As we treat our wireless devices like mobile computers (and even access the web on our laptops via cellular connections) data use is going up exponentially. Cisco estimates a 66-fold growth between 2008 and 2013 on mobile networks. The U.S. would need at least 120 MHz per carrier to fulfill that demand on the current generation wireless networks. Currently most carriers in large markets have about 100 MHz. The U.S. has about 50 MHz in the pipeline and 409.5 MHz of spectrum currently assigned for commercial wireless use. Stifel analysts think any effort to get the spectrum released would require an act of Congress and a considerable legislative fight. The broadcasters have 6 MHz of spectrum to use in order to deliver their programming. An HD stream conservatively requires between 2 MHz and 3 MHz to broadcast, so the FCC is interested in appropriating the other 3 MHz or 4 MHz. Some broadcasters are keen to use the excess to deliver over-the-air mobile television through a standard proposed by the Open Mobile Video Coalition.

In a perfect world, where everyone had fat broadband pipes, this wouldn't even have to be up for much debate, because television, even broadcast TV, could be delivered via home broadband connections, as is the case with services like FiOS TV and U-verse. However, folks have to pay for that service rather than just buy a television capable of receiving digital signals, and since 10 percent of the population don't have a pay TV subscription, that's a lot of people who would be forced to buy a previously free service. The government has bent over backwards for those people before. Plus, even the cable guys and telcos get their broadcast signals over-the-air and then packetize them and send them to subscribers, although this could change. So in a way, the idea of allocating more spectrum for broadband at the expense of TV is an example of an older technology being forced to make way for a newer one. I don't think that's what the FCC plans to do here, since broadcasters do hold more spectrum than they can currently use to deliver shows like "30 Rock" or "CSI," but I expect the broadcast industry to hold onto their megahertz as tightly as they can.

Point Topic's new mapping of broadband geography in the UK shows how deep the digital divide is between the North and the South. Looking more closely at the local authorities with high or low broadband penetration serves to strengthen the North-South distinction. High broadband areas are the prosperous towns, cities and extended suburbs of the four Government Regions which form the south of Britain ­ the South East, the South West, East of England and London. Taken together these four regions have 32.9 broadband lines for every 100 population. The eight more northern and western regions on the other hand have only 26.1% penetration. High broadband areas include the more prosperous London Boroughs, towns such as Norwich, Watford, Bristol or Plymouth, and largely suburban districts such as Elmbridge, Hertsmere or South Gloucestershire. Exceptions on the high broadband list, such as Cardiff and the Shetland Islands, seem to be benefiting from special local factors. Cardiff, with its capital city status, is having considerable success in stretching the London effect a little further west into South Wales. The Shetland Islands seems to be showing something of a Scandinavian effect ­ Internet usage tends to be higher in lands with harsh weather and long winter nights.