1. Monthly archive
  2. December 2014

December 2014

Modernizing E-Rate Brings US One Step Closer to Digital Equity

[Commentary] On Dec. 11th, the Federal Communications Commission voted to move forward with much needed and long awaited reforms to our nation’s E-rate program.

For the 68% of all districts, and 73% of rural districts claiming to lack a single school with a high-speed connection, the vote to modernize is long overdue. Public Knowledge is supportive of the vote to modernize the E-rate program to bring 21st technologies to the nation’s most underserved institutions. These reforms are just one step of a larger process to achieve true digital equity for all that includes meaningful broadband deployment and universal access.

[Dec 23]

Lack of home Internet access hinders students with school-provided iPads

Replacing some Hamilton County (TN) students' textbooks with iPads was a move intended to boost faltering public education performance. But school officials say there is one big problem. Many of the students, once home with their brand-new devices, don't have Internet access and likely won't get it.

Roughly 3,380 tablets and laptop computers have been assigned to county school students, covering about 8 percent of the total student population. The devices, funded through grants and foundations, are being tested to assess the value of their broader use. But school officials are finding that low-income students in particular can't connect at home. Motivated kids find Wi-Fi access by visiting a neighbor's house, business or recreation center, but many do not.

[Dec 23]

Gigabit Services: Who Has the Inside Track -- Google, Telecommunications Companies, Municipalities, or Cable?

Consumer research indicates a competitive field for offering Gigabit services, but with an edge for incumbent broadband providers.

Conventional wisdom would suggest Google as a leader, but results indicate respondents preferred the local telecommunications or local cable company as a Gigabit provider over Google by a strong margin. Another key finding found relatively low preference for a local municipally-owned entity to offer Gigabit services, at least when other competitive options were available. Although cable companies are moving slowly with the Gigabit movement, research results indicate subscribers would select a cable company as their preferred provider of Gigabit over any other service provider type, by a wide margin. Overall, survey respondents clearly selected incumbent providers, both cable and telecommunications, as preferred over new entrants.

[Dec 23]

Telecom 2014: The top 12 Stories Are All "To Be Continued"

If there is any single common thread among the top 12 telecom 2014 stories, it’s this: From open regulatory issues such as Network Neutrality and the Connect America Fund to ongoing trends like gigabit networks, nearly all of these stories are “to be continued.”

The twelve featured stories of 2014 are: Gigabit networks see strong growth, major pay TV mergers pending, Net Neutrality is a highly volatile topic, Windstream plans ground breaking REIT spinoff, TDM-to-IP transition is top of mind, Connect America Fund implementation creeps along, E-rate reforms, wireless price wars, spectrum value skyrockets, over-the-top providers as cable companies, municipal broadband networks, and Sprint seeks rural partners. Clearly 2015 already is shaping up to be an exciting year in telecom. [Dec 23]

NTIA Grant Program Ensuring States are Planning for FirstNet

[Commentary] When Congress called for the creation of a nationwide broadband network for public safety in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, lawmakers knew it was important that states play a key role in ensuring that the network meets the needs of local first responders. To implement this goal, the law directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to establish the State and Local Implementation Grant Program to support states as they prepare for the launch of the network.

Since awarding grants to 54 states and territories in 2013, NTIA staff has been busy working with our SLIGP grantees on how to make the most of this opportunity. The $116 million in grants are helping states as they conduct outreach with public safety and state and local officials to determine their needs, gaps and priorities for public safety wireless broadband and to prepare for formal consultations with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), which is developing the public safety broadband network. NTIA program officers will continue to conduct site visits to offer support, assistance and oversight of our SLIGP awards. We expect grantees to continue their education and outreach to stakeholders within their state as FirstNet continues its efforts to help give first responders a broadband network that will help them save lives.

[Mike Dame is the Program Director, State and Local Implementation Grant Program]

[Dec 23]

Parents Television Council debate: We ask TV's biggest protest group all our longtime questions

A Q&A with Parents Television Council President Tim Winters.

PTC is the best known protest organization against graphic TV sex and violence. Even if you don’t know their name, you’ve seen the results of their efforts. Those headlines about that long Sons of Anarchy sex montage? The furor over ABC’s Charlie Brown repeat leading into a Scandal sex scene? The content protests against Fox’s Family Guy, VH-1’s Dating Naked and CBS’ Stalker? All the work of the Parents Television Council, a 19-year-old oft-outraged Los Angeles-based organization that’s probably the best known remaining anti-indecency group around.

[Dec 23]

Judge calls a time-out in fight between Google and Mississippi attorney general

A judge for the Southern District Court of Mississippi has called a time-out on a dispute between Google and Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood (D-MS). Judge Henry Wingate did not immediately grant Google's request for a temporary restraining order to stop Hood's investigation. Instead, the court stayed the case until early 2015. According to AG Hood, the parties will meet again at a hearing on Feb. 13 to discuss how to move forward.

[Dec 23]

Why Hollywood is going after Google over prescription drugs

Why, exactly, does the Motion Picture Association of America care what happens on, say, Silk Road? It doesn't particularly, any more than anyone else does. The MPAA's focus is enforcing copyright online and cracking down on illegally traded movies. Its efforts on drugs are a back door way into forcing Google to change how it works.

[Dec 23]

DirecTV, Disney Sign Expansive Agreement

The Walt Disney and DirecTV announced a wide-ranging, multi-year distribution agreement that will provide DirecTV customers with access to Disney’s lineup of sports, news, kids and entertainment content across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and other connected devices.

DirecTV customers will be able to access the live linear feeds and video-on-demand content from all ESPN and Disney cable networks and ABC owned and operated TV stations in and out of the home on the authenticated Watch services -- including WatchESPN, WATCH Disney Channel, Watch Disney XD, Watch Disney Junior, Watch ABC Family and Watch ABC -- using Internet-enabled devices in early 2015 and soon via the DirecTV Everywhere app on iOS and Android phones and tablets.

[Dec 23]

Does Comcast Really Reach Out to Poor People?

Comcast is dangling the promise of expanding their cut-rate broadband service for poor families-- and helping to close the digital divide -- as US regulators decide whether to allow the acquisition of Time warner Cable. Yet programs by Comcast and other cable companies offering cheap Internet aren’t benefiting enough low-income families, critics say.

Comcast’s Internet Essentials, the biggest, has reached 350,000 households -- or about 13 percent of those eligible, according to one estimate. “Everybody would like to pretend they’re doing something,” said Harold Feld, senior vice president with Public Knowledge. “Cable has not done anything real in this space.” Critics such as Feld say cable companies use the programs as bargaining chips when they want something from government. In Washington, Comcast told the Federal Communications Commission that claims the signup process is cumbersome or that call-center workers don’t know about Internet Essentials are untrue and that it’s inaccurate to say the program isn’t publicized. The company has distributed some 37 million brochures and broadcast almost 4 million announcements.

[Dec 23]

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