RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, April 19, 2017 - At 7,200 square miles, this Southern California county is nearly the size of New Jersey. On April 3, the county put out a "Request for Participants" in an effort to jump-start a $2 billion to $4 billion initiative building a gigabit fiber network. The project is dubbed RIVCOConnect, and represents… Keep Reading
DALLAS, April 18, 2017 - The Universal Service Administrative Corporation may not grab broadband headlines, but the once-obscure federal agency is central to helping rural America and other stakeholders get Broadband Broadband, Better Lives. USAC's programs, plus its "new look," will be the subject of the lead panel at the Rural Telecommunications Congress happening here… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2017 - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai defended his very vision of the agency’s role, as compared with his predecessor, during the first Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing this year. The difference in attitude between Pai and former Chairman Tom Wheeler on broadband deployment highlighted the differences between the two. “High-speed… Keep Reading
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Small cell antennas and Distributed Antenna Systems are making a greater impact on local government decision-making. Frequently, wireless providers are seeking to install antennas on streetlights and other near-to-home locations in neighborhoods. Scranton, Pennsylvania, 'Small Cell' Antennas Anticipate Needs of Increasingly Connected Communities | Wireless companies are becoming more useful with the… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Last Week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona presented Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai with his first opportunity to law out his vision for communications. This recap from the Benton Foundation's Robbie McBeath critiques his approach to the subject. Blame It On The Barcelona (Or Alternative Titles To Celebrate Alternative Facts) Federal Communications… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 31, 2017 - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday announced the formation of a new federal advisory committee that would seek to accelerate deployment of high-speed broadband nationwide, and to close the digital divide, by providing a model approach to deployment for municipalities. “Access to broadband is increasingly critical for all… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2017 - The Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday voted to advance 16 bills, including several with implications for telecommunications policy. The most significant communications-related measure among the bills clearing the committee was the so-called MOBILE Now Act, sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-South Dakota and Ranking Member Sen. Bill Nelson,… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: We're paying attention to the "Innovation Policy Stream" below, but this link provides a complete list to the live-streams at CES2017. The top three discussion points: Disruptive innovation, the internet of things and the sharing economy. -> Live-streamed events from CES2017 in Las Vegas Even if you can't make it to Las… Keep Reading
Broadband Breakfast Insight: Small cells and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are among the most discussed topics today in broadband infrastructure. These two reports put forward, largely from a global perspective, an industry-focused technical and regulatory approach to the deployment of 5G systems. -> Small Cell Forum and 5G Americas Collaborate to Drive Best Practice for Small… Keep Reading
KEYSTONE, Colorado, June 6, 2016 - Three Washington wireless policy experts - Stephen Coran of Lerman Senter, Jonathan Adelstein of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, and Michael Calabrese of the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute - addressed current issues discussed at Mountain Connect here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63MVQZoMAzc Keep Reading
NEW YORK, November 12, 2014 - The Internet Society of New York (ISOC-NY) and the Federal Communications Bar Association gathered at Brooklyn Law School's Forchelli Center on a beautiful November day here. The views of Brooklyn from the 22nd floor, across to Staten Island and New Jersey, were breathtaking. The action was indoors in a… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 29, 2014 – Small business owners, teachers, librarians and representatives broadband industry official gathered at the 2014 Michigan Broadband Conference in the city of Lansing on Wednesday to discuss affordable and innovative ways to enhance Michiganians’ internet access. The conference was hosted by Connect Michigan, a Michigan subsidiary of the non-profit national group… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 7, 2014 – Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and wireless industry pioneer Marty Cooper took to the opinion page of the San Jose Mercury News to offer their thoughts on the future of wireless spectrum. As they emphasized the importance and centrality of mobile devices and Internet access, the two highlighted the limited… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, October 2, 2014 - Federal Trade Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen warned that reclassifying broadband under public utility regulation including in Title II of the Communications Act would put ISPs beyond the legal reach of the FTC, the Washington Post reported. The item was previously reported in Broadband Breakfast. Currently, the FTC is not able to… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2014 – Whether or not mobile Internet providers will be subject to the same net neutrality rules as wired broadband providers has become an increasingly prominent factor in the current debate over net neutrality rules. The proposal laid out by the Federal Communications Commission in May would only be applicable to wired… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 23, 2014 - In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission noted that some of its regulatory authority would be lost if the FCC decided to regulate broadband as a public utility. The FTC protects the privacy and security of consumer data by imposing obligations on broadband service providers… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 22, 2014 – The Internet Association asked the Federal Communications Commission to carefully consider blocking state laws that inhibit municipalities from enlarging their government run Internet networks, The Hill reported. The association, while abstaining from directly asking the federal government to strike down laws in Tennessee and North Carolina, did say that the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2014 - Speakers at a Minority Media Telecommunications Council conference here on Monday advocated for expanded minority-based involvement with and access to broadband capital. "Broadband is the 21st Century's civil right and our laws must reflect the digital shift," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C, at the MMTC’s twelfth annual telecom policy conference.… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2014 – An alliance designed to serve the wireless broadband needs of rural America has partnered with Sprint to provide fourth-generation LTE service to members of the NTCA that are calling themselves the Rural Broadband Alliance, according to details unveiled in a webinar on Thursday, July 24. In a webinar hosted by… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2014 - Leaders of the Baltimore Broadband Campaign are saying that Comcast has a monopoly over fast internet services in the city of Baltimore. Over a course of two years, Comcast customers pay about $1,000 for standard "triple play service, write Philip Spevak, Stan Wilson and Anthony Gill in an Op-Ed in… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2014 -Following the Supreme Court's blow last week against Aereo, the video streaming service has shut down indefinitely as it drags back into the lower courts. Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia wrote a letter to consumers explaining the decision. "We have decided to pause our operations temporarily as we consult with the court… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2014 - Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have raised concerns over the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, according to Broadcasting & Cable. At issue is the potential for a reduction in outlets for traditional video programming, innovation in broadband, and price… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2014 - Most internet service providers are delivering upload and download broadband speeds as advertised, according to the Federal Communications Commission, although there is room for improvement in consistency of speed. In its "Measuring Broadband America" report released Thursday, the FCC said that, on average, ISPs are delivering 101 percent of advertised… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2014 - A new study by Wireless Association CTIA reported that between 2012 and 2013, mobile traffic and data increased by 120 percent. That's 383 times the data usage from 2008. The result was $331 billion worth of investments into wireless networks last year, according to the association. On the communications merger… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 9, 2014 - In a blog post on Friday, AT&T gave its assurance that paid prioritization was not part of the telecommnications gianits plans. "Not a single [internet service provider] has asserted a desire or right to engage in any of these practices to create 'fast lanes and slow lanes.' AT&T certainly has… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2014 - Another significant telecommunications merger proposition is underway between Sprint and T-Mobile. The Wall Street Journal reported that the acquisition would cost Sprint $32 billion, or about $40 per share in cash and stock. Sprint and T-Mobile are the third and fourth largest wireless operators in the United States, respectively. The… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2014 - ABC News reported that Germany plans to limit their exports of surveillance technology to states "that fail to respect their human rights." The action is a response to recent allegations made against intelligence agencies, claiming that surveillance programs have been unwarranted and non-transparent. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he wanted to keep… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2014 - AT&T announced that it would acquire DirecTV in a $48.5 billion deal, according to multiple sources. The agreement may allow AT&T to position itself in a way to rival cable firms. AT& would acquire about 20 million of DirecTV's customers. The Washington Post recounts that the stated goal of the… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2014 – The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s last two efforts to enshrine network neutrality. So what makes current chairman Tom Wheeler feel as though he can succeed where two of his predecessors failed? The answers lie in the details of the 85-page order – called a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” in the legalese of Washington telecommunications bureaucrats – released late on Thursday. At its core, Wheeler aims to regulate broadband providers without having to treat them as regulated entities. [...] Keep Reading
Wall Street and K Street are separated by a mere 225 miles, but for many companies they are worlds apart. In particular, industry observers would do well to compare everything said to policymakers with statements by the same competitors made to Wall Street investors. Defense companies, for example, warned policymakers that sequestration would spell the… Keep Reading
LAS VEGAS, January 8, 2014 - Coming to the International Consumer Electronics Show year after year enables a technology observer to see the evolutionary power continuously wrought by the digital revolution.
Herewith follows Broadband Breakfast's impressionistic list of five top trends emerging from the mammoth trade show here.
As the trade show isn't even half-over, we're not aiming for definitiveness with this list. Rather, we aim to glimpse the future of technology in a context that changes with the start of every year.
LAS VEGAS, January 7, 2014 - Just six months on the job, the new CEO of Silicon Valley computing giant Intel came to the International Consumer Electronics Show here to hail the power of tiny.
"Most of my career, computing has been something that you hold in your hand, in your pocket, or that sits on a desk," said CEO Brian Krzanich. "That idea is about to be transformed."
"We are entering this tiny world," he said, referring to the Intel Tri-Gate three-dimensional 22 nanometer transistor, and "tiny could not be better." Future advances toward 14 nanometer transistors are in the works, he said.
[...]
Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, December 16, 2013 - Last Thursday's testimony, by the full group of Federal Communications Commissioners at the House Energy and Commerce Committee, restores the pulse of the nation's technology and communications policy issues to a "low-tension" state. We've seen this perennial cycle before: first, an issue stirs immense conflict among the agency's five members.… Keep Reading
October 15, 2013 - The Broadband Breakfast Club posted the video of its virtual discussion, "How Will FirstNet Improve Public Safety Communications?" featuring William Vallee, State Broadband Policy Coordinator, Office of Consumer Counsel, State of Connecticut; Brett Kilbourn, Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs, Utilities Telecom Council; and Penny Rubow, Program Manager for the FirstNet program in the State of Arkansas. PLEASE BEGIN WATCHING THE VIDEO AT THE 5:00 MINUTE MARK: technical difficulties led to preview content being recorded. Keep Reading
October 11, 2013 - The Broadband Breakfast Club's second virtual event, a FREE webinar on the topic of "How Will FirstNet Improve Public Safety Communications?" to take place on Tuesday, October 15, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT., will feature Michael Britt, Program Manager, State of Arizona CIO's Strategic Enterprise Technology Office; Brett Kilbourn, Vice… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 25, 2013 - Following the successful launch of its first Broadband Breakfast Club virtual event, the company announced its second FREE webinar, to take place on Tuesday, October 15, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The event will feature a discussion on the topic of "How Will FirstNet Improve Public Safety Communications?" REGISTER NOW for the Broadband Breakfast Club Virtual Event Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, September 6, 2013 - The National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the Commerce Department on Friday announced that it had awarded planning grants for seven states and two territories to help prepare for the First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet. The awards, to Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2013 — The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing Tuesday on the upcoming spectrum auction, focusing primarily on possible restrictions on larger carriers and efforts to ensure that broadcasters are treated fairly. The question of whether or not to impose restrictions on AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. dominated much… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013 – A panel discussion held Wednesday afternoon addressed advances in smart grid technology as well as the challenge ahead for the future, at the 10th annual National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid. Jason Wilson, Senior Vice President of Business Management and Product Development for On-Ramp Wireless, said that… Keep Reading
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013 – A group of experts gave a presentation on the role of smart cities in advancing smart grid and other energy efficient technology at the National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid on Thursday morning. Eugenie Birch, Chair of the Graduate Group in City Planning at the University of… Keep Reading