January 2014

The Problem With TV Everywhere: No One Wants It

[Commentary] “TV Everywhere” is a term used to describe the ability to have a TV-like experience from any device in any location by using one set of credentials (most likely tied to your cable account). While the surge of connected mobile devices in recent years has provided consumers with any number of TV and video viewing possibilities, TV Everywhere has struggled.

Part of the problem is that people don’t know where, when or how they can access it, much less remember what their account login and password is for their home cable account -- do you? Instead, if you asked people what they really want, it would be content (news, entertainment, etc.) -- everywhere and on-demand. Viewing TV and video content is now something that happens at any time throughout the day. Consumers in today’s world take their content with them around the house -- and beyond. That doesn’t mean we want to port the remote + set-top-box experience everywhere as well.

Study: 0.1% of LTE users consume more than 50% of LTE data

A small sliver of LTE users worldwide, just the top 0.1 percent, are consuming more than half of all LTE downlink data, according to a new research report from network technology firm Arieso.

The study, taken together with past trends from previous reports, indicates that a small slice of high-bandwidth consumers are hogging most of the world's data usage, even more than in the past. This is the fourth year Arieso has reported on data usage trends. In March 2013, network test and performance assurance company JDSU paid $85 million in cash to acquire Arieso and gain its expertise in location-aware software solutions, small cell siting and network optimization. Arieso's study found that LTE users are 10 times more data hungry than 3G users, of whom 1 percent still consume half of the 3G downlink data. That was the figure Arieso cited in 2011 for 3G data consumption, or hogging. In 2012, Arieso reported that the hungriest 1 percent of all 3G subscribers consumed 40 percent of the 3G downlink data volume.

Cable group disputes Globalstar's arguments against freeing 5.1 GHz band for Wi-Fi

Efforts to open up the 5.1 GHz band for use by high-power, outdoor Wi-Fi equipment has garnered widespread support, but faces staunch opposition from one company using the band: mobile satellite service (MSS) operator Globalstar.

However, the cable industry contends that new research from CableLabs and experts at the University of Colorado refutes arguments Globalstar has made to keep the frequencies from being opened up. The research was submitted to the Federal Communications Commission by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), which called for swift action to free up the 5150-5250 MHz portion of the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band to enable its use for higher power (up to one watt) and outdoor Wi-Fi transmissions. Unlicensed operations in the band are currently restricted to lower wattage and indoor operations. The proposed relaxation of regulations for the 5.1 GHz band are part a broader FCC move to release more 5 GHz frequencies for gigabit Wi-Fi use.

AT&T and T-Mobile: the battle heats up

AT&T’s aggressive attempt to poach current and potential T-Mobile customers appears well targeted. T-Mobile has either passed AT&T or closed the gap on several of YouGov BrandIndex’s key consumer perception or sales measurements, including Buzz, Value, Purchase Consideration and Customer Satisfaction.

The latest T-Mobile’s product announcement may make AT&T’s task even tougher: T-Mobile just launched Mobile Money, a free checking account service available to anyone with a T-Mobile phone number. Even though in early January 2014, AT&T offered T-Mobile customers money to switch to AT&T, so far it does not seem to have impacted T-Mobile’s momentum.

World’s First Breakthrough Achieved for Long-Range Broadband Communications in TV White Space

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Hitachi Kokusai Electric recently succeeded in the world’s first field trial where long-range broadband communications in the TV white space was confirmed by using IEEE 802.22-based and IEEE 802.11af-based systems.

In this trial, NICT and Hitachi Kokusai observed successful downstream and upstream data transmission at 12.7 km distance between IEEE 802.22-based base station and customer premises equipment, at a speed of 5.2 Mbps and 4.5Mbps, respectively. In addition, NICT and Hitachi Kokusai constructed a multi-hop network by using IEEE 802.22 as a backbone link and IEEE 802.11af, which is connected to it, to expand its connection area. In this trial, they demonstrated some applications such as video monitoring of roads and cliffs and video telephone in mountain areas where there are no wired/wireless Internet connections available. These achievements showed feasibility of providing broadband services in rural areas and supporting radio communications during disasters relief activities.

Microsoft, in midst of CEO search, needs a plan for the mobile future

Microsoft needs someone at the wheel to tell itself and the world how the company can take its individual brands -- Windows, Office, Xbox and now Nokia -- and channel them into something greater. Because, despite some promising starts, things don’t look so good. Its efforts to crack the mobile market haven’t quite done the job.

Comcast to Relaunch EveryBlock in Chicago

Comcast is relaunching EveryBlock in Chicago.

EveryBlock is an interactive hyperlocal Website that features information about what’s happening on a specific block, in a specific neighborhood or in a specific community. Designed to enhance neighborhood life, the kinds of information users can view and share on EveryBlock range from news feeds from local government entities and schools and messages from businesses and civic groups about events happening in their neighborhoods, to business license, restaurant inspection, building permit and crime data. In addition, EveryBlock allows users to post comments and respond to one another. To add to EveryBlock’s functionality, Comcast is reaching out to technology experts and the open government and open data communities to encourage them to consider and suggest enhancements that could bring additional data and information to EveryBlock and its users.

CNN lays off more than 40 journalists

CNN has laid off more than 40 senior journalists in its newsgathering operation as part of a reorganization of the business under Jeff Zucker.

The cutting of production and editorial staff at the Time Warner-owned group comes as Zucker tries to re-establish CNN as the dominant force in 24 hour cable news, a crown it lost several years ago to Fox News Channel. The lay-offs coincide with changes to the network’s programming. Zucker has hired new presenters and diversified CNN’s output, adding documentary and reality series to its traditional live news coverage. A CNN spokesperson said it would add about 100 people to its headcount in 2014, adding that the network was investing in journalism. “We’re expanding the definition of news,” she said. “We’re not abandoning news by any stretch of the imagination … there will be more people working at CNN today than last year.”

US and UK working to strengthen use of health IT for better patient care

As the use of health information technology (health IT) grows in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and UK Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt signed a bi-lateral agreement for the use and sharing of health IT information and tools. The agreement strengthens efforts to cultivate and increase the use of health IT tools and information designed to help improve the quality and efficiency of the delivery of health care in both countries.

Originally identified at the June 5, 2013, bilateral summit meeting between the United States and United Kingdom, the collaboration focuses on four key areas for health IT and innovation.

Sharing Quality Indicators -- The collaboration reviewed existing quality indicators and selected Depression symptom screening and knee/hip quality indicators, and is now identifying alignments across existing British and American repositories to identify best practices in the design and use of quality indicators. Future work will include mutually leveraging technical experts and data, and working on a standardized approach to quality indicator development;
Liberating Data and Putting It to Work -- HHS and the National Health Service will discuss and find areas of collaboration around open data and safe and secure data transparency of secondary stored data, with the consent of patients to allow for the two countries to further assess the quality of preventive interventions and health care delivery; and Interoperability standards for improvement of data sharing and clinical care respectively, with a focus on consumer/patients accessing and sharing their data.
Adopting Digital Health Record Systems -- Both organizations will work to maximize successful adoption of digital records across the health care spectrum and support the development of a robust health IT workforce; and
Priming the Health IT Market -- Both organizations will work to support the Health IT Marketplace by identifying barriers to innovation, sharing individual certification approaches for patients and clinician-facing applications, and strategies to support small and medium enterprises/start-ups.

Black Twitter: A virtual community ready to hashtag out a response to cultural issues

Black Twitter is part cultural force, cudgel, entertainment and refuge. It is its own society within Twitter, replete with inside jokes, slang and rules, centered on the interests of young blacks online -- almost a quarter of all black Internet users are on Twitter.

There’s no password. The only entry fee is knowledge. If you’ve spent time steeped in black culture, whether at a historically black college or university or in the company of friends or family, you will probably understand the references on Black Twitter. You can observe its power and impact in the witty, sharply worded rebukes that haunt public figures when they do or say something stupid, especially if it’s racially insensitive.

Benton

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