January 2011

A technology startup backed by Google unveiled the world's first personal base station for international travelers, enabling them to cut roaming fees and make mobile calls like in a home country.

Ubiquisys said the timing of devices reaching consumers depended on telecoms operators and it was in talks with several operators. The telecom network base station, which is plugged into the travelers computer, is slightly larger than a smartphone, and needs an Internet connection. Depending on local regulations, travelers would need to put the phone on base station or it works within a room. The new device, called attocell, is designed for use with Apple's iPhone, but it works also with Google's Android phones, RIM's Blackberry and Nokia's smartphones.

Reps Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) will co-chair the bipartisan congressional High Tech Caucus.

Rep Matsui is currently a member of the House Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Communications and Technology, where she has pushed to make broadband access more affordable for lower-income households. She's also a leading proponent of upgrading the national power grid. She will replace Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA), whose district includes Silicon Valley. Rep Eshoo was recently named ranking member on the House Communications Subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus. In her new role, Rep Matsui will work with Rep McCaul and high-tech leaders to develop policies that address innovation, research and development, broadband access, cybersecurity, online privacy, and small business entrepreneurship, among other topics.

[Commentary] Congressional opponents want to cripple the Federal Communications Commission’s ability to support broadband by using the dubious “government takeover of the Internet” meme. In doing so, members of Congress are only hurting those constituencies which could benefit from the FCC actively working to promote deployment of broadband.

No matter, though. The rhetorical points, even if demonstrably silly, will still gain traction with less informed legislators who care more about preventing non-existent takeovers than helping the economy. The “government takeover of the Internet” nonsense only helps the incumbent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) take control of the Internet, but few in Congress seem concerned about that. President Barack Obama was right on target when he pointed out: “Our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped. South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do.” The incumbent protectors in Congress are doing a great job helping us slip further behind, but are doing nothing to help the US get ahead. According to the latest “State of the Internet” quarterly report from Akamai, the U.S. ranks 12th in broadband speeds, with South Korea leading the way. Of the top cities with highest broadband speeds, South Korea claimed 12 (including the top 11), Japan 8, and the best U.S. city was 57th. The picture isn't pretty, and it gets uglier when one realizes that the slippage comes when the broadband carriers are totally deregulated. There is no excuse for the regulatory structure holding them back. There are no regulatory incentives not to invest, thus proving the point that crimping the FCC, as the Congressional opponents want to do, has nothing to do with broadband performance. It’s all on the companies, large and small, to do as the will. Or won't. If the Obama Administration really wants to improve broadband competitiveness, it should take a more active role, rather than sit back and let the companies which have let us down drive the process to becoming competitive again.

A patent-licensing firm is trying to squeeze cash from the six largest cable operators, alleging they infringe on two patents it owns related to video on demand technology.

A holding company identified as Pragmatus VOD LLC sued Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Charter Communications and Bright House Networks. The suit, filed Jan. 20 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, seeks unspecified damages for "past infringement and any continuing or future infringement." The patents in questions are U.S. Patent Nos. 5,581,479 ("Information service control point, which uses different types of storage devices, which retrieves information as blocks of data, and which uses a trunk processor for transmitting information") and 5,636,139 ("Information service control point which retrieves information as blocks of data").