December 2012

T-Mobile completes iPhone-friendly Upgrade in 23 cities

T-Mobile officially activated its overhauled HSPA+ systems in five more regions of the country, including the greater Chicago area, bringing it that much closer to fielding a nationwide network that can fully support Apple’s iPhone.

The launch in Chicago; Reno; Fresno and Sacramento; and the region surrounding Los Angeles (though not in LA itself) – coupled with activations on earlier in Atlanta, Seattle and Minneapolis – bring its total upgraded footprint to 23 markets covering more than 100 million people. While T-Mobile doesn’t sell the device yet, customers with unlocked iPhones can use them on the carrier’s network. But only in areas where the upgrade is complete will they get anything beyond a 2G connection.

Democrats watching court on network neutrality rules

If the court throws out net neutrality regulations, House Democrats might counter with new legislation, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) said. “I know that Anna Eshoo in our committee has expressed some interest in maybe developing legislation” Rep Doyle said at a POLITICO Pro’s P2012 Policy and Politics Technology Luncheon. But he hopes that the rules survive a legal challenge by Verizon. A ruling on the case is expected sometime in 2013.

Commissioner Julie Brill defends FTC’s patent policing

Federal Trade Commission member Julie Brill and a top Qualcomm attorney clashed over whether companies who agree to license standards-essential patents to enable others to build off their technology ought to be able to seek injunctions if they have a conflict.

Qualcomm Vice President Fabian Gonell questioned the FTC's place to interfere with such litigation at a POLITICO Pro 2012 Technology luncheon. Commissioner Brill forcefully responded, saying that the FTC has a place "if it has an impact on competition." "When this issue comes up in a competition sense, we will take action because we think there’s been some anti-competitive act," Commissioner Brill said. "It’s one thing to go to court and seek an adjudication based on FRAND-encumbered SEPs. It’s another thing to lock down the technology that was supposed to be licensed based on FRAND rates."

FTC Commissioner Brill: FTC hopes to resolve Google probe soon

Federal Trade Commission member Julie Brill said that the agency still hopes to resolve its antitrust investigation of Google by the end of this year.

“That is still the hope,” Commissioner Brill said at POLITICO Pro’s P2012 Policy and Politics Technology Luncheon. Commissioner Brill acknowledged lawmakers’ concerns about the FTC’s potential use of its Section 5 authority. She noted that the commissioners are hearing plenty from lawmakers and others on the need to clarify the extent of the FTC’s powers under Section 5. Brill said it would be a “great idea” for the agency to develop “contours” on the authority.

What we’ll see in 2013 in mobile

Mobile advances over the last 12 months show no sign of stopping. Improvements in hardware, software, services and networks all add up to more online activities and subscriber growth for network operators. What will the next wave of innovation bring? Rather than reiterate some ideas that haven’t yet taken root — namely widespread NFC use, standardized mobile payments and a third player in the mobile platform space — our mobile experts share thoughts on trends that will more likely affect consumers and enterprises in the coming year.

Stacey Higginbotham: Chip wars intensify as more gain LTE integration.
Kevin Fitchard: The incredibly shrinking network; and The resurgence of the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).
Kevin Tofel: Wi-Fi gets better both in and out of the home; and Digital assistance and contextual smarts improve on smartphones… and beyond.

WCIT-12 Enshrines Environmental Sustainability in Global ICT treaty

Delegates at WCIT-12 have sounded global agreement on the need for the next phase of ICT development to prioritize environmental sustainability, reaching consensus on the inclusion of a provision targeting “energy efficiency and e-waste” in drafts of what will become 2012’s set of International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs). A provision of Article 8 encourages Member States to cooperate in adopting best-practice energy efficiency and e-waste policies, regulations and business practices. In the language of what will soon be an international treaty, “Member States are encouraged to adopt energy efficiency and e-waste best practices taking into account relevant ITU-T Recommendations.”

Sorting out the past 36 hours at the WCIT

[Commentary] Anyone following the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) over the last 36 hours knows this has become a moment of high drama around the International Telecommunications regulations (ITRs) and the role of the ITU for internet-related issues. Unfortunately, that is probably the only thing anyone can say for certain.

Even the member states on the ground have expressed confusion on critical matters, such as whether the widely reported “vote” on a resolution that included express language relating to the internet was really a vote or not. Public Knowledge does not want to pre-judge any final outcomes while everyone remains in negotiation and debate. We are also mindful that the 8 hour time difference between Washington, DC, and the conference in Dubai, and the incredible speed with which events keep unfolding, has made us hesitate to say anything. But at this critical juncture we need to emphasize some important points.

First, we continue to urge the ITU members to reject any version of the ITRs or any resolutions that would expand the scope of the ITU to Internet governance or Internet services.
Second, we want to emphasize that nothing is gained for anyone if the conference resorts to dubious procedures.

Vint Cerf: The Internet doesn't need the ITU's help

Work under way to draft new regulations at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai this week could harm the Internet, warned Internet pioneer and Google executive Vint Cerf.

"The Internet is under threat" from proposals at the WCIT, Cerf said at the Usenix LISA (Large Installation System Administration) conference in San Diego. The Internet is not controlled by any one nation and the best way to deal with issues that arise continues to be through informal agreements among interested parties, he argued. The purpose of the WCIT is to update the agreements guiding the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union (ITU). In keeping these regulations up-to-date, though, it may attempt to extend the reach of ITU over the Internet. "The natural reaction of any institution that wants to preserve its existence is to reach out for new territory," Cerf said of the ITU.

Tech groups sound alarm over U.N. Internet resolution

Technology trade groups that represent Google, Facebook and Microsoft on Dec 12 sounded alarm over a treaty resolution that would let a United Nations agency play a more active role in future Internet policy discussions.

The resolution is being considered at a conference hosted by the U.N. International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Dubai, where the U.S. delegation has battled against efforts to include Internet-related provisions in the treaty. TechNet, TechAmerica, the Computer and Communications Industry Association and the Internet Association argued that the ITU should be excluded from decisions regarding the governance of the Internet. They urged countries to block the resolution from being included in final text of the U.N. treaty. "If the future governance of the Internet were in the hands of a statutory international body, there is no doubt that more autocratic countries would attempt to undermine the multiple underpinnings that ensure Internet freedom," said TechAmerica President Shawn Osbourne. "Allowing the U.N. or any other authority to regulate the Internet makes it subject to the political whims of those actors that may seek to stifle the spread of free speech and clamp down on Internet commerce." Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman called on the Internet community "to join together to stop this imminent threat to Internet freedom."

Should the U.N. Really Be Starting a War on Spam?

The U.S. said it will block new proposals at a United Nations telecommunications conference that would give governments the ability to stop spammers on fears that power would lead to censorship.

"The world agrees that spam is a huge issue," Terry Kramer, the leader of the U.S. delegation, said. "What we do not agree is how you deal with it. We don't want to put it in the body of a global treaty with governments involved." Ambassador Kramer said the U.S. is resisting any attempt to put regulation of the Internet under the rules of the ITU. These types of proposals would endanger free speech on the web and stymie the efforts of independent groups, he said, adding that once governments begin approving or rejecting e-mail, they may decide to prohibit certain kinds of speech, such as political messages.

Benton

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