1. Monthly archive
  2. June 2016

June 2016

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Thursday, June 30, 2016
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
https://itif.org/events/2016/06/30/5g-whats-next-wireless?mc_cid=0eb6d6f...

4G wireless networks have been a bright spot in the innovation ecosystem. U.S. leadership in their deployment and use has facilitated tremendous growth in mobile and adjacent platforms. But while there is still plenty of gas in the 4G tank, unique new demands for data and technological breakthroughs are creating pressure to deploy the next generation of wireless networks.

5G advances, if the excitement is to be believed, will dramatically expand wireless capabilities, providing extreme increases in capacity as well as new efficiencies through tailored “Internet of Things” connections. The vision is there, but a number of questions remain: What will a transition to 5G look like? What impact will 5G have on the competitive landscape for broadband Internet service? What are the policy hurdles to make 5G a reality? And what does this new wave of wireless innovation mean for international competitiveness?

Please join ITIF as it convenes a panel of experts to discuss a new ITIF report addressing these and other issues.

The event is free and open to the public. The event will be live-streamed and a recording will be available following the event. Follow @ITIFdc during the event, and join the conversation using #5G.


:
Government and Civil Society Perspectives

New America
Thursday, July 7, 2016
12:15 PM – 1:45 PM EST
https://newamerica.cvent.com/events/fighting-isis-in-the-information-spa...

Many ISIS fighters, sympathizers, recruits, recruiters, and “lone-wolf” attackers often have something in common: they have been radicalized online or have been exposed to extremist content via online channels. Whether it’s through Twitter accounts, YouTube, or other platforms, potential ISIS sympathizers have easy access to radicalized interpretations of Muslim ideology, ISIS propaganda (Dabiq magazine), and other influential materials at their fingertips via mobile phones or computer screens. What can be done by the government and nonprofit and private sectors to counter this information flow? What is being done by the government and could be done in the information space writ large to help undermine the hateful, violent, messages coming from extremist groups around the globe?

In March 2016, President Obama signed an executive order establishing the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an interagency entity housed at the State Department that is charged with coordinating, integrating and synchronizing U.S. counterterrorism messaging to foreign audiences. The Center is led by former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Michael D. Lumpkin. The Obama administration recognizes that to successfully defeat ISIS, it, along with its partners, needs to discredit the ISIS ideology in the eyes of potential recruits and sympathizers. The Center is coordinating whole-of-government efforts to do just that. The Center is also focused on cultivating and supporting a global network of partners—governments, NGOs, and other organizations—who can serve as credible messengers against ISIS and provide positive alternatives.

Participants:

Meagen LaGraffe
Chief of Staff, Global Engagement Center
@TheGEC

Dr. Tara Maller
New America International Security program research fellow and Spokesperson and Senior Policy Advisor for the Counter Extremism Project
@TaraMaller

Moderator:

Peter Bergen
New America Vice President and Director, International Security program

Follow the discussion online using #FightingISISOnline and following @NewAmericaISP.

The event will be viewable via livestream on the event’s webpage.


Donald Trump flexes new digital muscle

Donald Trump is beefing up his digital strategy as he enters the general election campaign against Hillary Clinton. The presumptive Republican nominee has rolled out a website highlighting what he says are lies told by Clinton and, for the first time, is e-mailing fundraising pitches to supporters, one of the key elements of a national campaign. “I think the early signs we’ve seen, from them activating a small dollar online plan coupled with the rollout of the microsite, tells me that the Donald Trump campaign is getting its footing,” said Michael Duncan, a partner at Cavalry, LLC, a political consultancy, who directed digital strategy for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) 2014 reelection bid. “I’m hopeful that it’s the first of many steps towards building out a more sophisticated digital operation," he said.

Trump’s campaign has taken a few steps in recent days to expand its digital footprint beyond the businessman’s Twitter account, which already has more than 9 million followers. It launched a website dedicated solely to making the case that Clinton is dishonest, a frequent line of attack for Trump. The site, what is known among digital operatives as a “microsite,” has its overall message embedded in the URL: LyingCrookedHillary.com. The creation of the site followed Trump’s first-ever fundraising e-mail in which he promised to make it “the most successful introductory fundraising e-mail in modern political history."

FCC Changes Direction on 5G License Areas

The Federal Communications Commission released additional details on proposed plans to open up an unprecedented amount of spectrum for 5G wireless networks. The commission expects to vote in July on the plans, which are quite similar to what was proposed late in 2015, except with regard to the size of spectrum blocks to be auctioned and with regard to 5G license areas. 2015’s proposal called for three different high-frequency spectrum bands in the millimeter wave range to be auctioned on a county-by-county basis, but current plans call for county-size licenses for only one of the bands. If the proposed plan is adopted, licenses for the other two spectrum bands will be based on partial economic areas (PEAs). While there are more than 3,000 counties in the US, there are just over 400 PEAs – and PEA license areas are larger than some smaller network operators will be willing or able to bid on.

It is not clear why the FCC moved away from this direction for two of the three 5G spectrum bands, but it likely was at the urging of larger national carriers, who generally favor larger license areas. Perhaps the topic will be discussed at July’s FCC meeting, at which the commission is expected to vote on the 5G spectrum proposal. It’s important to note, though, that although the current plan is different from what was originally anticipated, it still calls for a large amount of spectrum – two 425 MHz blocks — to be licensed on a county basis.

Net neutrality: Wireless should be looked at through a different lens

[Commentary] With the US Federal Appeals Court ruling earlier in June, it looks like network neutrality is here to stay, at least for now. Much ink has been spilled on both sides of this debate, but I’d like to weigh in on the wireless angle. Part of what was affirmed in the ruling is that wireless broadband fits under the same rules as fixed broadband, and wireless users "don’t see the difference." In fact, the practice of "zero rating" is coming under fire, and might end up being the first test case of the Federal Communications Commission applying net neutrality rules to wireless. This tells me that, as net neutrality heads toward even more appeals and potentially to the Supreme Court, we need to urge that wireless be looked at through a different lens.

What has changed since the net neutrality discussions started in earnest in 2009 is that wireless network performance is broadband-esque. A good LTE connection with all cylinders firing — wide channel, carrier aggregation, advanced MIMO — offers an experience comparable to middle-of-the-road fixed broadband service. But the economics are fundamentally different. If network neutrality heads to further appeals, as appears likely, I believe the idea of treating wireless differently should be rekindled.

[Mark Lowenstein is the managing director of Mobile Ecosystem and recently a member of the senior leadership team at Verizon Wireless]

Wireless networks boost capacity for political conventions

Verizon followed rival AT&T in saying it had improved the capacity of its wireless network in Cleveland (OH) and Philadelphia (PA) in time for the Republican and Democratic national conventions. Verizon said it had increased capacity twofold in and around the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, site of the Republican National Convention in late July. It has increased its network capacity six times over in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers basketball team and venue for the Democratic nominating convention. A mobile cellular array will provide additional capacity in downtown Philadelphia, the carrier said. AT&T said it would triple the capacity of its network in downtown Cleveland and double its network capacity in Philadelphia. Both companies are also increasing capacity in some of the hotels that will house the roughly 50,000 attendees expected at both conventions.

FTC Alerts Telemarketers that TSR Prohibits Certain Payment Methods; Warns Consumers that Use of the Payment Methods Is Illegal

The Federal Trade Commission wants businesses to know about important Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) amendments that are now in effect. These changes make it unlawful for telemarketers to use three types of payment methods exploited by con artists and scammers.

As of June, it is illegal for telemarketers to ask consumers to pay for goods or services using cash-to-cash money transfers, such as MoneyGram and Western Union provide, or by providing PIN numbers from cash reload cards such as MoneyPak, Vanilla Reload or Reloadit packs. It also is illegal for telemarketers to use unsigned checks called “remotely created payment orders” to withdraw money directly from consumers’ bank accounts. As detailed in a press release issued in November 2015, the FTC finalized the payment method bans amendments to the TSR late last year. Business guidance about the new bans is available. New guidance warns consumers that any telemarketer requesting payment using these methods is a scammer because the payment method is illegal.

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