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While cellphone customers in the United States tend to pay more every month than consumers in other developed countries, they get more for their money in terms of voice and data use. For example, Americans pay an average of 4 cents for a minute of talk time, while Canadians and the British pay more than twice that, according to recent data from Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. In Japan, where the top three wireless carriers control 97 percent of the market, locals pay 22 cents a minute.
The question for regulators in Washington is how AT&T’s $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile might change that. Analysts and industry experts worry that the deal could hurt consumers, in particular by eliminating T-Mobile’s low-cost phone plans. Some are urging regulators to block the acquisition, which would leave two major companies, AT&T and Verizon, with nearly 80 percent of the wireless market, followed by the much smaller Sprint. AT&T has said the merger will benefit consumers, in part by improving network quality and reach. As they consider the deal, regulators may look abroad to see how competition affects wireless markets. With only three major network operators, the market in the United States would function similarly to some European markets, like France, which also has three operators, said J. Scott Marcus, the former chief technology officer at the telecommunications company GTE and former Internet policy adviser at the Federal Communications Commission. Of course, using other countries as a guide to how consolidation may play out is tricky, because every market is shaped by local cultural and business factors.
As Regulators Weigh AT&T Bid, a Look at Wireless Markets Abroad
Several state attorneys general raised concerns about AT&T's planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he will put AT&T's proposed deal under a "thorough review" for any potential impact on the state's wireless competition. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen also weighed in, saying the proposed merger "clearly raises concerns." Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson said she would also review the deal. Based on past telecommunications deals, other state attorneys general are likely to weigh in and influence the outcome.
AT&T Deal Troubles States
Silicon Valley companies are swooping in and scooping up potential employees in a frenzy of hiring not seen since the Internet bubble of a decade ago. The tech industry is beginning to resemble an economic Nirvana as established companies and start-ups alike hire aggressively and court prospective recruits. The competition is so fierce, many employers are dangling goodies such as iPads, nifty cubicles, shuttle service and meals to harvest top talent in engineering, social media, website and product design, data crunching and analysis, and management. A surge in tech hires in California could portend an upturn for the larger U.S. economy, says Jesse Harriott, chief knowledge officer at online job site Monster.com. Nationally, 148,000 tech jobs are expected to be added by the end of 2011, says Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist at Moody's Analytics. Between the second quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2010, during the economic swoon, 308,000 tech jobs were lost. For non-tech companies, things aren't as bullish. Many are sitting on cash instead of hiring.
Hiring is hot again for tech sector
The motion picture industry praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for seizing Web domains linked to online piracy. “Operation In Our Sites has not only put illegal sites out of business, but has raised public awareness about this specific form of crime on the Internet,” wrote a group of film industry stakeholders including the Motion Picture Association of America, the Screen Actors Guild and the major film studios. “Most importantly, these enforcement efforts have resulted in most of these entities ceasing their illegal activity.” The Obama administration has made online copyright enforcement a priority in recent months, tasking ICE with shutting down domains that repeatedly link to pirated movies, music and webcasts of live sporting events. The groups argue the digital theft is particularly troublesome because ordinary users are often unaware that they are downloading pirated content or do so willfully.
Film industry lauds Web crackdown on violators of federal copyright law
Ed Vaizey, the UK’s communications minister, has questioned the practicality of planned additions to the European data protection directive, warning against creating “false expectations” over a proposed “right to be forgotten” for Internet users.
“We need to ensure that changes are both practical and proportionate,” he said. Speaking at a London event about e-privacy hosted by the CBI employers’ group, Vaizey called for greater harmony between international lawmakers when it comes to the Internet, as authorities in Europe and the US consider stronger measures to protect consumers’ personal data. This month Viviane Reding, the EU justice commissioner, said that websites such as Google and Facebook would be bound by European privacy law, even though they store data in the US. A review of data protection laws is expected to conclude this summer.
UK questions EU online privacy plan
On March 30, UK culture minister Jeremy Hunt told lawmakers that he is “confident” that News Corp.’s proposed undertakings in its bid to take over the rest of British Sky Broadcasting Group will strengthen media plurality. The UK government is currently considering responses to the undertakings.
UK Minister Hunt is ‘Confident’ BSkyB Plan Strengthens Media Plurality
The smartphone market is expected to grow by as much as 50 percent over the next year.
According to new research by the International Data Corporation, a company that tracks technology market share and sales, smartphone makers are expected to “ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.”
Google Android platform was set to take the lead in the mobile operating system fight as Google partnered with more device manufactures to reach a broader audience. “For the vendors who made Android the cornerstone of their smartphone strategies, 2010 was the coming-out party,” wrote Ramon Llamas, a senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology team. ”This year will see a coronation party as these same vendors broaden and deepen their portfolios to reach more customers, particularly first-time smartphone users.” IDC also noted that “Nokia’s recent announcement to shift from Symbian to Windows Phone will have significant implications for the smartphone market going forward.” The partnership between Microsoft and Nokia could make Windows Phone the second most popular mobile operating system worldwide by 2015, IDC said.
Smartphone Market Expected to Soar in 2011
A mere 20,000 Twitter users steal almost half of the spotlight on Twitter, which now ropes in a billion tweets every week. That means only 0.05% of the social network's user base attracts attention, according to a new Yahoo Research study titled, "Who Says What to Whom on Twitter." Of the 260 million tweets with URLs that the study's authors analyzed, nearly 50% of the tweets consumed were created by what they called "elite" users who fall into four categories: media, celebrities, organizations and bloggers. "Ordinary" users encompass everyone else.
Nearly 50% of tweets consumed are from tiny fraction of Twitter users Who Says What to Whom on Twitter (Yahoo Research)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will face tough questions about his investigation into a privacy breach by Google during a House hearing on March 30, according to a House aide.
The aide said Rep Tom Graves (R-GA) is expected to question Chairman Genachowski on an apparently-lagging FCC probe into the infamous Google Wi-Fi data breach. The FCC probe was announced to great fanfare in November but has yet to produce any publicly available results. Chairman Genachowski, who is testifying on the FCC budget, is also expected to take questions on whether the government should fund the implementation of network neutrality rules. Republicans say the agency overstepped its authority when it passed the controversial rules last year.
Republicans to grill FCC chief on Google 'Wi-Spy' probe
Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn spoke at the National Emergency Number Association's 9-1-1 Comes to Washington Conference on March 29.
She said NENA's leadership will be vital in the implementation of the New and Emerging Technologies 9-1-1 Improvement Act of 2008. The goal of this federal statute is straightforward. We should migrate our current 9-1-1 networks to a national IP-enabled emergency network that can receive and respond to all citizen-activated emergency communications. She identified a number of challenges to migrating our 9-1-1 networks to a national IP-enabled emergency network:
- the current 9-1-1 system was never designed to receive calls and data from these new and emerging technologies and very few 9-1-1 call centers have the technical capability to receive texts, photos, videos, and other data;
- many 9-1-1 call centers do not even have access to broadband, which makes it difficult to receive large volumes of data; and
- since Congress wants this to be a national network, NG9-1-1 rolled out in a uniform, systematic way.
To meet these challenges, she said, we need money: "Absent appropriate action by, and funding for, States, Tribes, and local jurisdictions, there can be no effective 9-1-1 service."
FCC's Clyburn: Funding needed for Next Generation 911