Defense Department
Michael O’Rielly: Substantive Objections to a Government 5G Wholesale Network
The idea of offering wireless services via a government-sponsored network is convoluted and borders on the preposterous, the author writes.
Expert Opinion
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Expert Opinion
Deborah Simpier: Big Telecom Isn’t the Answer to Bridging the Digital Divide
When the 4G networking protocol improvements rolled out, I was a Verizon Wireless dealer in a small town in rural America. The 4G marketing echoed today’s 5G promises of fast “fiber like” speeds and improved, “nationwide” coverage. 4G was going to revolutionize broadband. Verizon Wireless even offer
Expert Opinion
Chris Jordan: Preparing for Potentially Dire Consequences of California Consumer Privacy Act
The California Consumer Privacy Act passed into law in 2018 is scheduled to go into effect January 2020. It could potentially have dire consequences for unprepared businesses serving their customers especially when they demand to be forgotten. The new law affects everyone from internet service provi
Expert Opinion
John Meyer: Slam the Phone on Telemarketers, Chairman Ajit Pai
The top regulator of U.S. phone calls has issued an ultimatum to telecom companies: Either stop robocallers from faking phone numbers or risk new regulations from the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s warning is well-justified. By several different measures, the number of te
Expert Opinion
Bruce Mehlman: It’s Fitting that Congress is Focused on Accelerating Our 5G Future
At the beginning of a new Congress, there’s generally an exciting, hopeful spirit, even after the bitter partisanship of the past election. The issues that new committee chairs choose to focus on upfront are a good indication of their priorities and where they believe progress can be made. In telec
Infrastructure
Drew Clark: How Abraham Lincoln’s Belief in Equal Opportunity Animated a Passion for Infrastructure Improvements
How Abraham Lincoln's passion for infrastructure improvements led to his belief in equal opportunity.
Expert Opinion
Bruce Mehlman: Accelerating 5G Will Be Good for America
What did you do on your summer vacation? Major broadband network operators spent the season making plans to deploy superfast 5G wireless broadband. 5G is the communications technology that offers broadband speeds of up to a hundred times faster than 4G, lower “latency” (basically, faster response ti
Expert Opinion
Bob Frankston: From Net Neutrality to Seizing Opportunity for New Networks
Network neutrality is an important issue. We mustn’t allow transport owners to limit our ability to communicate. But, network neutrality in itself positions the internet as a telecommunications service. We need to step back and recognize that the internet itself is part of a larger shift wrought by
Infrastructure
Bob Frankston: It’s Time to Move From ‘Broadband’ to ‘Infrastructure’
The success of the internet demonstrates that we now depend on network operators to assure that services like telephony work. The carriers are pushing back on neutrality because their business model is threatened by a level playing field. We should be encouraging innovative internet-native business
Justice Department
Jonathan Lee: Antitrust Division’s Flawed Case Against AT&T/Time Warner is Simply Too General
Telecom attorney Jonathan Lee takes down the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s specious case against the AT&T/Time Warner merger in this detailed blog post, excerpted below. (Click on the link at the bottom for the whole argument.) Here’s the money quote: “This alleged harm is simply t
Telehealth
Shirley Svorny: Why the Second-Best Solution – Redefining the Locus of Care – Is Needed for Telemedicine
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Telemedicine is one of the most immediately needed high-bandwidth broadband applications, and it promises concrete and easy-to-see benefits. Yet its usage had limited by occupational licensing. In this policy report, CATO Institute Adjunct Scholar Shirley Svorny lays out
Infrastructure
William Rinehart: Why the Democrats $40 Billion Broadband Deployment Plan Misses the Mark
Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate recently released a plan for broadband deployment that would spend $40 billion in taxpayer money in an effort to get everyone online. Like many other proposals of this nature, however, it lacks in the very specifics that are so important in broadban
Expert Opinion
Drew Clark: Rebutting Myths About UTOPIA and Fiber Networks in Deseret News Column
BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: Here’s my piece in the Deseret News, responding to information about the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency that simply isn’t correct. I discuss why cities need to open up their thinking about using fiber as a utility, and why cities are going to be in th
Expert Opinion
Craig Settles: It’s Time for Co-ops To Stand Up and Embrace Broadband
In the battle to deploy broadband, cooperatives (co-ops) can be a decisive force to cover the rural flanks in states with aggressive broadband adoption goals such as California, New York, and Minnesota. In the more rural states, or ones without stated commitments to broadband, co-ops may have to car
Expert Opinion
Jessica Ward: Which Media Streaming Device is Best?
July 7, 2016 – Since 2008, the ability to “cut the cord” has existed with the help of devices allowing us to stream Netflix directly to our TVs. From 2008 to 2013, the idea that this technology could actually replace Pay TV (cable and satellite) seemed absurd. Fast forward to 2014 when the percentag
Infrastructure
Drew Clark: What Henry Clay’s and Abraham Lincoln’s ‘Internal Improvements’ Means for Gigabit Infrastructure Today
Editor’s Note: This column, “Once ‘Athens of the West,’ a Kentucky city seeks revival and improvements [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865638238/Drew-Clark-Once-Athens-of-the-West-a-Kentucky-city-seeks-revival-and-improvements.html?pg=all],” was originally published in the Deseret News of Salt L
