Wi-Fi can play a big role in emergencies, and the U.S. can do more as a nation to “harness our civic instinct to come together in times of crisis to keep data flowing,” former FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in an article posted on the MIT Technology Review website (http://bit.ly/126XB9O). The article was co-written by Harvard Professor Jonathan Zittrain. “We can start with an idea that needs no additional technology,” they wrote. “Many people and companies operate Wi-Fi access points. Each of these points -- whether used by apartment roommates, Starbucks patrons, or cell subscribers who get Wi-Fi ‘off-load’ from their service providers -- is connected to the Internet and often remains so even if cellular voice and data towers are out or overloaded.” The Internet offers “tremendous” potential benefits, the article said. “The same folks who contemplated rushing to a hospital to give blood, or merchants who deplete their stores of bottled water without fretting about the cost, can share their network access in a way that can make a huge difference to fellow citizens in distress. More ambitiously, recall that citizens in the midst of an emergency without working cell service still possess, in their smartphones and laptops, two-way radios that make their cell and Wi-Fi services function. So-called ad hoc networking technology can bind these radios together during times of crisis, creating a network that could be useful even if no one within it had access to the broader Internet."
*June 11 Privacy event organized by The Washington Post, 8:30 a.m., 1150 15th St. NW -- http://wapo.st/11KnK8x
*June 11 Privacy event organized by The Washington Post, 8:30 a.m., 1150 15th St. NW -- http://wapo.st/11KnK8x
With the comment cycle now complete, FCC staff members appear to be pushing forward on an order addressing new rules in the aftermath of the 911 outages reported during last June’s derecho storm, said commission and public safety officials. The National Emergency Number Association and AT&T both reported last week on follow-up meetings with Public Safety Bureau staff to explain the comments they filed last month (CD May 30 p6).
More Americans are adopting broadband, NTIA said in a Thursday blog post (http://1.usa.gov/13est4I). “As of October 2012, 72.4 percent of American households (88 million households) have high-speed Internet at home -- a 3.8 percentage point (5.5 percent) increase over the July 2011 figure.” NTIA emphasized the priority of broadband adoption and referred to its $4 billion broadband stimulus efforts and $250 million in grants for digital literacy and to provide discounted computers. It also highlighted its Broadband Adoption Toolkit. The data come jointly from NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration. “We will soon release the newest edition of the Digital Nation series of reports on broadband adoption and Internet use in America,” NTIA said. “The new report -- Exploring the Digital Nation: America’s Emerging Online Experience -- presents results based on a July 2011 data collection that, for the first time in eight years, gathered extensive information on what Americans actually do online. Later this year, we plan to publish more detailed results of the October 2012 data collection."
More Americans are adopting broadband, NTIA said in a Thursday blog post (http://1.usa.gov/13est4I). “As of October 2012, 72.4 percent of American households (88 million households) have high-speed Internet at home -- a 3.8 percentage point (5.5 percent) increase over the July 2011 figure.” NTIA emphasized the priority of broadband adoption and referred to its $4 billion broadband stimulus efforts and $250 million in grants for digital literacy and to provide discounted computers. It also highlighted its Broadband Adoption Toolkit. The data come jointly from NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration. “We will soon release the newest edition of the Digital Nation series of reports on broadband adoption and Internet use in America,” NTIA said. “The new report -- Exploring the Digital Nation: America’s Emerging Online Experience -- presents results based on a July 2011 data collection that, for the first time in eight years, gathered extensive information on what Americans actually do online. Later this year, we plan to publish more detailed results of the October 2012 data collection.”
U.S. government collection of phone data from millions of Americans re-emerged as a national issue Thursday after the publication of an order by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court giving the National Security Agency authority to collect data from Verizon. While a recurring concern of public interest groups and some conservatives alike, the publication marks the first time such an order has been made public, after it was reported by the Guardian newspaper (http://bit.ly/123rSXk).
European Commission-proposed legislation to boost European network and information security won general backing from telecom ministers Thursday, but they split over whether the approach should take the form of regulation, self-regulation or a mix. All EU members accept the importance of network and information security and that cyberattacks seriously affect national economies, the EU Irish Presidency said at the Telecommunications, Transport and Energy Council meeting in Brussels. There’s also widespread support for finding a global solution that stresses high standards to create a level playing field for European operators, it said. Whatever governments decide, they must move fast, said Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
European Commission-proposed legislation to boost European network and information security won general backing from telecom ministers Thursday, but they split over whether the approach should take the form of regulation, self-regulation or a mix. All EU members accept the importance of network and information security and that cyberattacks seriously affect national economies, the EU Irish Presidency said at the Telecommunications, Transport and Energy Council meeting in Brussels. There’s also widespread support for finding a global solution that stresses high standards to create a level playing field for European operators, it said. Whatever governments decide, they must move fast, said Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
The House of Representatives approved the 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations bill on June 6, despite a White House veto threat (see 13060422). The Obama administration said it objects to the “draconian” cuts in the bill, and the lack of an “overall budget framework” for the appropriations debate. House lawmakers approved amendments prohibiting CBP from paying for an Abu Dhabi customs clearance facility and reducing “Automation Modernization” funding during June 5 floor debate.