Better Broadband Better Lives

Monthly archive

August 2015

Broadband's Impact

Giants of Broadband: A Personal Remembrance of Scott DeGarmo

Editor's Note: The broadband world has lost three visionary giants over the past several months: Scott DeGarmo, Charles Benton and Don Samuelson. Each of these men had a significant impact on the world of advancing high-speed communications. Personally, each of them also had a significant impact on my professional career in broadband. I have had countless interactions with each of them over the course of many years. SALT LAKE CITY, August 31, 2015 - I learned of the passing of Broadband Communities CEO Scott DeGarmo from pancreatic cancer two weeks ago this morning. One of my colleagues on the board of the non-profit Rural Telecommunications Congress had shared the news. His death came just one month prior to his company's next conference, "Fiber for the New Economy" in Lexington, Kentucky. I immediately sent off my condolences -- now joined with dozens of others on the Broadband Communities web site -- to those in his company whom I have known and with whom I have interacted on my levels. [more...] Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact/Smart Cities/Smart Grid

Global Cities Teams Challenges Next Round: Nov. 12-13, 2015

Editor's Note: We've received this note from the Global Cities Teams Challenges of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and US Ignite. Read more about the these important challenges. Save the Date - An Important Event Related to the Next Round of the Global Cities Teams Challenge: November 12-13, 2015 Municipal leaders and innovators will gather at the NIST Campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland on November 12-13 for an important event related to the next round of Global City Team Challenge (GCTC). An agenda for the November event and a summary of exciting changes that NIST and US Ignite have planned for the next round of the GCTC will be circulated soon. [more...] Keep Reading

National Broadband Plan/Press Releases/Recovery Act/Universal Service

White House Announces September 21 Date for Release of Broadband Report

Editor’s Note: The White House announced that it would be releasing a report from its Broadband Opportunity Council on Monday, September 21. Read more about the council. Coming Soon: Building on Our Progress of Broadband Investment and Competition August 20, 2015 at 5:57 PM ET by Jeffrey Zients Summary:  The White House has received input… Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact/Fiber/Infrastructure/Innovation

Startup Festival and Startup Culture Taking Root in Modern Provo, Home to BYU and Google Fiber

Editor’s Note: This past week, Drew Clark’s column in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah, was on the "The zeitgeist of modern Provo: Jobs and a good quality of life." Click here for links to all of his Deseret News columns. PROVO — What do you get when you cross a thriving technology and startup community with what Gallup called "the best place to live in America"? 1589348 That's the zeitgeist here in Utah County. It'll be celebrated with a new technology, business and cultural event here, dubbed Startfest, beginning on Monday, Aug. 31. And because of the still-coalescing cultural power of information and communications technologies, Utah as a whole is sending a message to the world: Citizens of a particular city or region are no longer necessarily forced to choose between quality of life and economic opportunity. [more...] Keep Reading

Intellectual Property

Drew Clark: Why a Well-Functioning Intellectual Property System Needs to Strike Down Bad Patents

Editor's Note: This past week, Drew Clark's column in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah, was on the importance of balance in our patent system. Click here for links to all of his Deseret News columns. ASPEN, Colo. — As with many former mining camps in the Rocky Mountains, this one is best known for winter sports like skiing. But this mountain town has also developed a summertime niche: Hosting policy-makers seeking the cool air refuge from humid Washington summers. This year, the refreshing breeze came in from the new head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For nearly 20 years, Aspen in late August has been home to a small but influential gathering of the Technology Policy Institute. It gathers legislators, regulators, lobbyists and academics who seek to shape the course of policy surrounding information and communications technology. 1586118 [more...] Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact

While Universal Service Reforms Show Promise, Politics Clouds Fund’s Future

ASPEN, Colorado, August 19, 2015 - In spite of several positive efforts to reform the complex and dated rules that govern the Federal Communication Commission's universal service fund, key decisions surrounding the $8 billion annual fund remain ineluctably political. That was the message shared by panelists, including a commissioner at the FCC, speaking at a session on Tuesday at the Technology Policy Institute's annual forum here. For example, the panelists -- which also include two economists, a cable industry lobbyist and the former director of the National Broadband Plan -- applauded efforts to bring greater economic efficiency to telecom network construction through a system known as a "reverse auction." They also supported efforts to promote broadband adoption by providing income-based vouchers for the purpose of internet services. But decisions about the allocation of funds within the USF -- and the key question of how the fund is to be paid for -- remain political hot potatoes. Embedded image permalink Moderator Scott Wallsten of the Technology Policy Institute, with panelists Mignon Clyburn, James Assey, Blair Levin, Gregory Rosston, and Bradley Wimmer. [more...] Keep Reading

Broadband Data/Press Releases

President Obama Signs Executive Order Making Presidential Innovation Fellows Program Permanent

Editor’s Note: This Presidential Innovation Fellows Program, highlighted in a press release today from the White House, is a fascinating exercise of how President Obama has institutionalized technology innovation, one of the main accomplishments of his administration in technology policy. THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 17, 2015 FACT… Keep Reading

Broadband's Impact/Cybersecurity

White House Cybersecurity Czar Highlights Escalation Paths for Cyberdefense, Highlights ‘Risk-Management’

ASPEN, August 17, 2015 - The Technology Policy Institute's Aspen 2015 Forum opened here on Sunday night with a focus on the increasing prominence that cybersecurity threats play in core national defense matters. "A greater and greater percentage of the president's daily briefings is taken up with cybersecurity threats," said Michael Daniel, special assistant to the president and cybersecurity coordinator, speaking at the mountain resort here in a question-and-answer session with Alan Raul, a partner and global coordinator for privacy and data security with the law firm of Sidley Austin. Embedded image permalink Michael Daniel, White House Cybersecurity Czar, and Alan Raul, at Aspen. [more...] Keep Reading

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