On April 29, 2010, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness held a hearing on Doubling U.S. Exports: Are U.S. Sea Ports Ready for the Challenge? One of the primary topics of discussion at the hearing was the need to improve not just U.S. ports, but the entire freight infrastructure supply chain to effectively boost U.S. exports and allow U.S. companies to effectively compete in the world market.
The FCC said it launched its Emergency Response Interoperability Center, with a goal of establishing a national interoperable wireless network serving first responders. Jennifer Manner, deputy chief of the Public Safety Bureau, was named interim director. “One of the priorities for the FCC in opening this new center will be to establish a broadly representative Public Safety Advisory Board to serve in a central advisory role to the ERIC,” the FCC said. “In addition to public safety input, ERIC will work closely with industry, commercial providers, manufacturers and standards setting groups to ensure interoperability and operability on the new network.” Launch of the center was one of the recommendations of the National Broadband Plan.
Broadcasters and the FCC can work together better “to inform and protect the public” during emergencies, said an NAB filing last week. It reported on a meeting between industry officials and James Barnett, the Public Safety Bureau chief. A commission proceeding on national emergency-alert-system tests also was discussed.
GENEVA -- Several major countries raised concerns during a council meeting last week with ITU’s efforts to spur telecom equipment interoperability with a conformance database, interoperability testing and other measures. Developing countries were largely supportive of the intergovernmental organization’s efforts, but commercial worries weren’t directly addressed. The ITU initiatives were prompted by a 2008 resolution agreed to by almost 100 countries (CD Oct 31/08 p10).
GENEVA -- Several major countries raised concerns during a council meeting last week with ITU’s efforts to spur telecom equipment interoperability with a conformance database, interoperability testing and other measures. Developing countries were largely supportive of the intergovernmental organization’s efforts, but commercial worries weren’t directly addressed. The ITU initiatives were prompted by a 2008 resolution agreed to by almost 100 countries (WID Oct 31/08 p2).
Congress and the FCC should encourage e-care technologies by deploying “significant public resources to deliver broadband” to unserved areas, said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at a Senate Special Aging Committee hearing Thursday. And rural healthcare providers should receive assistance to buy broadband services if they're not affordable in their area, said Wyden, who guest-chaired the hearing on the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. The senator later talked net neutrality, asking if health care should get a priority lane on wireless broadband.
Congress and the FCC should encourage e-care technologies by deploying “significant public resources to deliver broadband” to unserved areas, said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at a Senate Special Aging Committee hearing Thursday. And rural healthcare providers should receive assistance to buy broadband services if they're not affordable in their area, said Wyden, who guest-chaired the hearing on the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. The senator later talked net neutrality, asking if health care should get a priority lane on wireless broadband.
The National Broadband Plan didn’t propose tax credits for building specified kinds of broadband infrastructure, as suggested by some industry groups, because it’s difficult to be certain that the breaks would have meant private investment that wouldn’t have happened otherwise, Blair Levin, the executive director of the FCC’s broadband plan work, said Wednesday at the Congressional Internet Caucus’ State of the Mobile Internet Conference. Another concern was government’s putting a heavy thumb on a scale regarding capital investment, he said. A third concern was that tax credits could “unfairly tilt the competitive playing field,” Levin said. But there’s no debate about the importance of spectrum to the future of private investment, he said, adding that the least productive use of spectrum is when it’s “lying fallow due to government inaction.” The FCC clarified rules in a way that allowed a licensee of MSS spectrum to commit to building a new 4G network, Levin said. There’s little evidence in the U.S. today of mobile broadband competing with fixed broadband, he said. Near term, a more competitive mobile market could produce prices that prompt low-end fixed providers, generally telcos, to cut prices or upgrade their networks, which would add pressure on cable providers using DOCSIS 3.0, Levin said. New business models in the mobile broadband market may emerge, in secondary, unlicensed or opportunistic use of spectrum, he said, adding that “we should want each to have the spectrum and other inputs necessary” to realize the full potential of innovations. The most important long-term recommendations involved integrating market mechanisms into spectrum allocation, Levin said. Under current law, nobody wins, he said: Broadcasters can’t efficiently monetize their spectrum licenses, the government can’t share auction proceeds during tough economic times and Americans miss out on potential jobs and economic growth that greater investment would create. When the government allocates spectrum based on history rather than markets, it substantially reduces the private investment that follows, he said. That’s why the FCC should have the ability to offer current holders of spectrum, government and private, incentives to put their spectrum into an auction so that it can be used for a new purpose when consumer demands and markets change, he said. These broadcast stations are worth less than the value of their spectrum, he said. And Levin said a 6 MHz broadcast license generally ties up additional spectrum for interference protection. “The most fruitful place to look for incentives for billions of dollars of capital investment is in spectrum policy,” he said. “We don’t know how wireless will grow, so we have to make sure there is sufficient spectrum for licensed and unlicensed, sufficient transparency for a robust secondary market and sufficient opportunity for competition.”
The FCC Wednesday approved an inquiry examining the ability of existing broadband networks to withstand major damage or severe overloading because of natural disasters, terrorist attack, pandemic or other major public emergencies, as recommended in the National Broadband Plan. The text of the notice of inquiry wasn’t released by our deadline. “This NOI examines the survivability of broadband infrastructure by seeking comment on the ability of existing broadband communications networks to withstand disasters, including whether there is adequate network redundancy, whether our networks can function in times of service overload, and whether physical network facilities can withstand harm,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “We all learned the hard way that natural disasters and man-made attacks can have devastating effects on our communications infrastructure and how integral communications are to our safety and security in a dangerous world,” said Commissioner Michael Copps. “Network survivability has a lot to do with national survivability when tragedy strikes.” The agency also sought comment on the proposed creation of a voluntary cyber security certification program that would encourage communications service providers to implement cyber security best practices. “The NOI seeks comment on a voluntary certification program under which private sector auditors or the FCC would conduct security assessments of participating communications service providers’ networks, including their compliance with stringent cyber security practices developed by a broad-based public-private partnership,” the FCC said in a news release. “Providers whose networks successfully completed this assessment would then be able to market their networks as complying with these FCC network security requirements."
The FCC Wednesday approved an inquiry examining the ability of existing broadband networks to withstand major damage or severe overloading because of natural disasters, terrorist attack, pandemic or other major public emergencies, as recommended in the National Broadband Plan. The text of the notice of inquiry wasn’t released by our deadline. “This NOI examines the survivability of broadband infrastructure by seeking comment on the ability of existing broadband communications networks to withstand disasters, including whether there is adequate network redundancy, whether our networks can function in times of service overload, and whether physical network facilities can withstand harm,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski. “We all learned the hard way that natural disasters and man-made attacks can have devastating effects on our communications infrastructure and how integral communications are to our safety and security in a dangerous world,” said Commissioner Michael Copps. “Network survivability has a lot to do with national survivability when tragedy strikes.” The agency also sought comment on the proposed creation of a voluntary cyber security certification program that would encourage communications service providers to implement cyber security best practices. “The NOI seeks comment on a voluntary certification program under which private sector auditors or the FCC would conduct security assessments of participating communications service providers’ networks, including their compliance with stringent cyber security practices developed by a broad-based public-private partnership,” the FCC said in a news release. “Providers whose networks successfully completed this assessment would then be able to market their networks as complying with these FCC network security requirements."