September 2010

DSL, Now Offering Speeds of 700 Mbps

[Commentary] Huawei, the telecom gear maker, today said it has achieved speeds of 700 Mbps over DSL using a prototype shown in Hong Kong: the fastest DSL we've seen. Earlier this year, Alcatel-Lucent showed off 300 Mbps over DSL that could travel for 400 meters, because with copper, it's not just speed, but how far an ISP could deliver those speeds. Huawei has managed its top speed for 400 meters as well. The race for faster copper may fly in the face of my own personal desire for a fiber-to-the-home connection, but is necessary because of both the prevalence of existing copper networks around the world and the cost of upgrading all of those networks to fiber. Verizon has spent up to $19 billion transitioning to fiber-to-the-home, but it too has halted further expansion to wait for customer demand to keep up. Contrast that with AT&T strategy of upgrading its copper networks with fiber-to-the node, (where it brings fiber to the equipment in the neighborhood, then uses the existing copper to connect to the home.) I've called it the slow road to fast broadband, but it's certainly less risky and much, much cheaper.

Portland commissioners support developing new broadband strategy

A few years after learning that a city-owned fiber network serving Portland households could cost an eye-popping $500 million, the Portland City Council is poised to etch a new path for broadband. What that will be, city leaders aren't sure.

City Commissioners say they'll approve a resolution to jumpstart a Broadband Strategic Plan that probably will pinpoint specific goals, outline expenses and suggest ways to pay for high-speed infrastructure. The plan, to be prepared by city's Office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management, will be due by June 30, 2011. Mary Beth Henry, deputy director for the office, said the plan likely will contain a collection of policy and initiatives aimed at affordable high-speed Internet access and job creation. It also could make recommendations on leveraging existing city resources or potential public-private partnerships.

Why No Second Internet Bubble?

A new analysis by Shane Greenstein, an economist at Northwestern University who has studied adoption of broadband Internet, sheds some light on why - aside from investor wariness - the rapid global adoption of the Internet since 2001 hasn't succeeded in re-inflating the economy.

Greenstein asserts in an essay originally published in IEEE Spectrum that, despite the speculative bubble, the first wave of Internet companies did in fact create a great deal of never-before-seen value. Greenstein notes that, for every Pets.com, there was also an Amazon or eBay--tech giants that have fundamentally re-shaped commerce into the present day. Keep in mind that the first bubble was over before more than 10% of Americans even had broadband Internet. Given that it's ten years later and broadband Internet now reaches six times as many U.S. households, where is the growth that we would have expected from both the furious pace of IT R&D and such widespread deployment? Greenstein's answer is simple: the second wave of Internet businesses haven't led to overall growth because, unlike the first wave, they are simply cannibalizing the business of off-line retailers.

Wireless networks, apps gaining ground in unlikely places

Mobile and wireless applications are already profoundly affecting underdeveloped areas of the world. In countries such as Haiti, the Boston-based non-profit group Partners in Health is now using cell phones and wireless networks to notify residents when their medications are available at a nearby clinic, said panelist Emily Green, CEO of Yankee Group. "Once we have [wireless] connectivity in places like Haiti, people are connectable...giving them continuity in health," Green said The residents of some countries don't even have an address, so a cell phone can specifically find a person to impart vital medical care information. "It's life-changing...," Green said.

Musicians and Writers Urge FCC to Protect the Open Internet

Some of the biggest names in music have joined the Writers Guild of America, East in urging the White House and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to act immediately to preserve the open Internet for the benefit of musicians and other creative entrepreneurs.

The diverse list of musicians include Jackson Browne, R.E.M. the Roots, Rosanne Cash, OK Go, Moby, Bonnie Raitt and Jamie Kitman, (manager, OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Doughty and Mike Viola). Net neutrality — the principle that preserves an open Internet — lets musicians and independent labels compete in a legitimate digital music marketplace alongside the biggest companies. These musicians and writers support clear rules to preserve the Internet as a platform for creativity, commerce and free expression. "That's why we support efforts to preserve Net Neutrality for the benefit of innovation and free expression — and urge the FCC to act immediately to ensure that the Internet is kept free and open," the letter states. With the FCC set to meet tomorrow in Washington, the musicians and writers have aligned to send a message to the Commission: "The future of the Internet depends on decisions made today, as does the future of music. We believe that Net Neutrality is the best and only way to ensure that both futures remain bright."

HIT Policy Committee's Information Exchange Workgroup Seeks Comments

The Information Exchange Working Group (IE WG) of the Health IT Policy Committee has been charged with identifying and recommending solutions to barriers standing in the way of rapid nationwide adoption of health information exchange.

The focus is both on barriers that prevent individual health care providers from efficiently and effectively conducting health information exchange transactions, as well as on obstacles that impede States and/or State Designated Entities from being effective enablers of health information exchange. Provider Directories will be a key enabler of nationwide health information exchange. The IE WG has been asked to investigate and make recommendations to facilitate creation of provider directories that enable universal health information exchange across the country. As part of its fact-gathering process, the IE WG will host a public hearing on September 30, 2010, in Washington DC, to hear testimony from a variety of prospective users and industry experts on: 1) obstacles to health information exchange; 2) the role that provider directories could play in addressing such obstacles; 3) the types of directories that exist in the market today; and 4) options for building a directory approach that meets the emerging health information exchange needs of health care providers.

The FACA Blog is open for comments until October 4th. Comments can be submitted online on the blog website or emailed to: judy.sparrow@hhs.gov (use "Information Exchange Workgroup" in the header and identify the question to which you are responding). Comments on the questions below will inform the continuing deliberations of the Information Exchange Workgroup as it moves toward final recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator, Health and Human Services, on provider directories.

News goes on vacation at CBS-owned stations

[Commentary] When Chicago's Steve Baskerville cheerfully delivered the weather forecast for Honolulu during WBBM-Channel 2's 5 p.m. newscast Sept 20, he wasn't just shilling for the premiere of "Hawaii Five-O" that night. He was taking part in a well-coordinated plan to prostitute the newscasts of CBS-owned stations nationwide.

From New York to Los Angeles, CBS stations transformed their local newscasts into shameless infomercials for the prime-time drama series. News anchors at KCBS-TV in L.A. even wore leis on the air, according to a published report. "This was beyond embarrassing," wrote Scott Jones, editor of the industry website FTVLive.com. "Hijacking a large market newscast and turning it into [one] long promo should be a crime." Nowhere was the mandate carried out with more gusto than in Chicago, where Channel 2 ran commercials for weeks featuring its top news talent pimping for "Hawaii Five-O." In one, they were seen sitting around pretending to conspire to find ways to tie themselves in to the hot new series.

Online Comments as Evidence

As readers increasingly turn to the Internet for their news, media companies have labored to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape. But recent testimony appears to be the first time in Montana that anonymous comments made on a newspaper's website progressed to a real-world, courtroom interaction for the authors. In August, defense attorney Davis Stufft subpoenaed the Daily Inter Lake website for the registration information of the people who comment on its site. This is not the first time a newspaper in Montana has received such a subpoena; newspapers in Billings and Bozeman have faced similar requests in the past two years.

2nd auction of newspapers likely to bring same result

For Philadelphia's daily newspapers and their readers, the ongoing federal bankruptcy case is beginning to resemble "Groundhog Day," the 1993 movie in which actor Bill Murray, playing a TV weatherman, is forced to relive the same events, day after day, every time his clock radio jolts him awake.

The federal judge in charge of the bankruptcy case has scheduled an auction - the second one in five months - to sell the Daily News, the Inquirer and their website, Philly.com, to the highest bidder. Although anything's possible, those closest to the action expect the same result that the last auction produced in April: The new owner of the newspapers is likely to be a group of the company's biggest creditors, a coalition of hedge funds and other investment firms holding more than $200 million of the newspaper's bad debt.

Journal Register Company Launching Hyperlocal Portal to Serve Philadelphia

Journal Register Company, a local news and information company, is launching a hyperlocal news and advertising portal serving the Philadelphia area. Powered by Outside.in, Inc., the yet-to-be-named portal will provide locally relevant news based on the users' location and interests. The site will feature content from Journal Register Company newsrooms, as well as the Company's growing number of community publishing partners -- all of whom will receive additional exposure and traffic. The Company serves 299 communities in Greater Philadelphia through 134 multi-platform products and earlier this month expanded its Digital First advertising initiative by expanding its partnership with Yahoo! into Philadelphia -- the nation's fourth largest DMA.

Benton

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