February 2012

New America's Wireless Future Project and the Wireless Innovation Alliance
Thursday, February 16, 2012
2pm

On the eve of the February 17th deadline for the House and Senate conferees to announce their final provisions for the payroll extension package, Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) will join small business owners to urge Congress to protect public access to unlicensed spectrum and provide the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the flexibility to allow new and innovative technology services the use of unlicensed spectrum. Michael Calabrese, Director of the Wireless Future Program and a Senior Research Fellow with the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, will moderate the event.

Current estimates indicate that unlicensed spectrum generates $50 billion each year for the U.S. economy. This timely event will explore the critical role unlicensed spectrum plays in the innovation economy, and how these policies should be taken very seriously in consideration of including spectrum policy as part of payroll tax relief. A letter today signed by more than 100 companies, start-ups, trade associations and consumer advocacy groups describes the importance to the economy.

In addition to Reps. Eshoo and Issa, speakers will include Peter Stanforth, Chief Technology Officer for Spectrum Bridge, and Dan Bubb, President of Gorge Networks.

Please RSVP to Rebecca Mark at rmark@glenechogroup.com

Read more about Jumpstarting the Unlicensed Internet Economy

PIPA / SOPA and the Online Tsunami: A First Draft of the Future

[Commentary] The unprecedented online revolt against PIPA and SOPA, congressional bills targeting online copyright and trademark infringement, has many Washington insiders scratching their collective heads. Legislation that seemed poised to steamroll the opposition, based on the simple message that "piracy is bad" and the considerable lobbying horsepower of the movie industry and the chamber of commerce, was stopped dead in its tracks by a popular online uprising.

It may be too early to say for sure what this dramatic turn means for the political landscape or for Washington's future forays into Internet policy, but it is not too soon to debunk the spin and suggest a few lessons learned.

First and foremost, the online revolt against SOPA and PIPA was not a command and control operation. Don't believe the claim that Google (or anyone else) orchestrated all these efforts.
The dramatic online mobilization carries lasting implications for Internet policy.
A more cautious approach requires a more open process. Treading cautiously will require, first and foremost, avoiding both the reality and the perception that legislation is the product of backroom dealing by (and for) industry lobbyists.
Ignorance about how the Internet works is no longer an option. Congress needs to engage with the technical community and take its advice seriously.
Overreaching Internet related legislation is no longer a successful strategy.
The Internet community is borderless, and the whole world will be watching.

[Harris is the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology]

Apple was 2011's top-selling electronics brand, NPD Group says

Apple products accounted for 19% of all U.S. spending on consumer electronics during the holiday shopping season last year, helping the technology giant be the country's top-selling electronics brand for all of 2011, according to a new study.

Apple also was the third-largest U.S. electronics retailer in 2011 based on total revenue, research firm NPD Group said. The No. 1 retailer was Wal-Mart, followed by Best Buy. "Staples and Amazon tied for fourth place to round out the top five, a repeat of 2010," NPD said. Overall U.S. spending on consumer electronics fell 0.5% in 2011 to $144 billion.

LightSquared objects to disclosure of records

Wireless startup LightSquared objected to the public disclosure of several of its filings with the Federal Communications Commission.

The Hill, along with several other media and public interest groups, requested the records under the Freedom of Information Act. But LightSquared and its investment firm Harbinger Capital said some of the documents contain confidential business information that is not subject to disclosure. They requested that the FCC either suppress the documents entirely or release only redacted versions.

Cybersecurity Bill in U.S. Senate Calls for Industry Rules

Companies running computer networks essential to U.S. economic and national security would be required to better defend their systems from spies, hackers and terrorists under Senate legislation.

The measure would create rules for identifying vital information networks and establish security requirements for companies and government agencies. Sen Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said he wants to bring the bill to the chamber’s floor for a vote as soon as possible. “We are on the brink of what could be a calamity,” Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said in announcing the bill on the Senate floor. “A widespread cyber attack could potentially be as devastating to this country as the terror attacks that tore apart this country 10 years ago.” The legislation may affect computer security spending at businesses including Southern Co., the largest U.S. utility owner by market value, and AT&T Inc., the nation’s biggest telephone company. Lawmakers and regulators say new rules are needed to fight more sophisticated cyber attacks threatening to disrupt power grids, banks and communications networks.

The bill’s backers include Sen Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen Susan Collins (R-Maine). The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee scheduled a bill hearing for Feb. 16.

The bill abandons proposals that would give the President emergency powers over the nation's networks.

FCC FY 2011 Summary of Performance and Financial Information

This report is intended for a general audience of consumers, businesses, and other stakeholders. The goal in publishing this summary is to increase the Federal Communications Commission’s accountability by making financial and performance information transparent and accessible to all citizens.

Airwaves-Auction Proceeds Drop by $11.6 Billion in Budget

The Obama Administration estimated that auctions of airwaves would raise $16.2 billion under its proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year, $11.6 billion less than the year-earlier projection.

The estimate contained in President Barack Obama’s spending proposal tracks with Congressional Budget Office calculations that airwaves auctions included in legislation passed by the House in December would bring in $16.7 billion. This year’s estimate accounted for spending including helping to set up a nationwide communications network for police, firefighters and other emergency workers, said Meg Reilly, a White House spokesman.

NCTA Backs Incentive Auction Legislation With Unlicensed 'Flexibility'

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has joined, Google, Consumers Union and a hundred other companies and associations in backing incentive auction legislation, specifically legislation that would give the Federal Communications Commission flexibility to set aside more beachfront broadcast spectrum for unlicensed.

That comes as payroll tax conferees try to hammer out a compromise on incentive auction legislation by the end of this week. A Republican-backed incentive auction proposal would not provide that flexibility -- they argue there is already plenty of unlicensed spectrum available and that setting aside more would reduce the auction proceeds needed to pay for the payroll tax break and extending unemployment benefits. But NCTA and company say some of that beachfront needs to be set aside, or at least available, for "driving innovation, promoting rural broadband deployment, and creating new services in the wireless ecosystem."

Sports Fan Coalition: FCC Needs to Throw Flag on Sports Blackouts

The Sports Fan Coalition, joined by Public Knowledge, Media Access Project and others, filed comments in support of its petition to the FCC to scrap its sports blackout rule, which they say is outmoded and fan-unfriendly.

The coalition and its supporters argued that the rule has been rendered obsolete by the changes in the economics of sports and technology. "In the name of maintaining the availability of sports, the Commission ironically perpetuates the practice of restricting the availability of games on various video platforms through the Sports Blackout Rule," they argued. They see the problem as two-fold. The NFL, the main target of the petition, blacks out the local market TV broadcasts of home games that are not sold out 72 hours before kickoff and the FCC's blackout rule prevents cable or satellite operators from filling in that TV void.

FCC Still Hammering Out Mandatory/Voluntary Issues With VoIP Outage Reporting

Apparently, the Federal Communications Commission is still hammering out the details of a proposal to require outage reporting by cable VoIP phone providers.

Benton

Search