Congress should set national goals and performance metrics in the deployment and adoption of broadband, Sunne Wright McPeak, president of the California Emerging Technology Fund, plans to testify Tuesday. The goals and frameworks should include a timetable and assigned responsibilities, she will say, urging continued implementation of the National Broadband Plan and use of NTIA’s broadband adoption tool kit, released earlier this year. McPeak is to be a witness before the Senate Communications Subcommittee hearing on broadband adoption, set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in 253 Russell. Other witnesses include Aaron Smith, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center, Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen, Blandin Foundation Director-Public Policy and Engagement Bernadine Joselyn and Broadband for America Honorary Co-chair John Sununu. McPeak will discuss her experiences leading the California broadband fund and back the integration of broadband and information technologies into all federal policies and programs. “There is a need to ‘connect the dots’ with a set of coherent strategies that transcend ‘bureaucratic silos’ to optimize access to and use of the Internet with high-speed connections,” she will say, according to her written testimony. The U.S. Department of Education must ensure broadband is integrated throughout schools, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development should pursue “smart housing,” she is to say. The Homeland Security Department should be a “proactive partner” to FirstNet, according to McPeak. She will ask “the FCC to structure USF reforms for a Broadband Lifeline Rate Program and eRate [sic] to encourage and reward providers who partner with non-profit intermediaries (such as EveryoneOn) and trusted [community-based organizations] with a proven track record and align with state plans,” according to her testimony. “Reimbursement and subsidies from the USF should reward public-private partnerships that drive to and achieve explicit broadband adoption goals."
Congress should “proceed with caution” as it considers a second round of changes to the U.S. patent system, former Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) Director David Kappos is expected to tell the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Kappos, now a partner at Cravath Swaine, is to testify at a 10 a.m. hearing to get industry input on the Innovation Act (HR-3309). The bill, introduced last week by committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., attempts to curb abusive patent litigation by making changes to court rules governing patent cases, as well as through changes to PTO programs (CED Oct 24 p3).
Congress should “proceed with caution” as it considers a second round of changes to the U.S. patent system, former Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) Director David Kappos is expected to tell the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Kappos, now a partner at Cravath Swaine, is to testify at a 10 a.m. hearing to get industry input on the Innovation Act (HR-3309). The bill, introduced last week by committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., attempts to curb abusive patent litigation by making changes to court rules governing patent cases, as well as through changes to PTO programs (WID Oct 24 p1).
Congress should “proceed with caution” as it considers a second round of changes to the U.S. patent system, former Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) Director David Kappos is expected to tell the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Kappos, now a partner at Cravath Swaine, is to testify at a 10 a.m. hearing to get industry input on the Innovation Act (HR-3309). The bill, introduced last week by committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., attempts to curb abusive patent litigation by making changes to court rules governing patent cases, as well as through changes to PTO programs (CD Oct 24 p12).
OSHEAN completed its 450-mile fiber infrastructure network to connect more than 100 community anchor institutions in Rhode Island, said the nonprofit in a news release Friday (http://bit.ly/1dtgjhl). Beacon 2.0 was funded with $21.7 million from NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and $10.7 million in private funds, said OSHEAN. The new network will enable telemedicine and online learning certification training in addition to a disaster recovery platform for emergency management, said the nonprofit. Beacon will give researchers access to Internet2 to collaborate on national and global research and education, and for cloud-based digital learning tools, said OSHEAN.
OSHEAN completed its 450-mile fiber infrastructure network to connect more than 100 community anchor institutions in Rhode Island, said the nonprofit in a news release Friday (http://bit.ly/1dtgjhl). Beacon 2.0 was funded with $21.7 million from NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and $10.7 million in private funds, said OSHEAN. The new network will enable telemedicine and online learning certification training in addition to a disaster recovery platform for emergency management, said the nonprofit. Beacon will give researchers access to Internet2 to collaborate on national and global research and education, and for cloud-based digital learning tools, said OSHEAN.
Oct. 28 FCC monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m., rescheduled from Oct. 22, Commission Meeting Room -- http://fcc.us/1gqLlbQ
Oct. 28 FCC monthly meeting, 11:30 a.m., rescheduled from Oct. 22, Commission Meeting Room -- http://fcc.us/1gqLlbQ
As an investigation of alleged wrongdoing by members of the FirstNet board continues, the Commerce Department’s inspector general, rather than a special review committee composed of board members, will take over phase two of the probe, FirstNet Chairman Sam Ginn said Friday. Meanwhile, during a meeting by phone, the FirstNet board also agreed to locate the headquarters for the national public safety network in northern Virginia.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and NPR will start a two-month pilot test in December to broadcast entire emergency alert system messages to the hearing impaired using a first-of-its-kind EAS radio receiver, said the radio programmer and advocates for the deaf in interviews. They said that under a $360,000 contract from FEMA parent, the Department of Homeland Security, NPR has enough money for 25 member stations in five Gulf Coast states to run simulations in December and January. The contract was disclosed in February (http://n.pr/HhTmj7). The system incorporates elements of FEMA’s newer Integrated Public Alert and Warning System that gathers EAS messages written in a newer Internet friendly Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) format and uses IPAWS to deliver the messages to stations through NPR’s satellite system of sending programming to noncommercial stations.