September 2007
September 30, 2007
Sell Vonage Short?
In what has to be the severe wounding of Vonage; Sprint has won a $69m award against the company for patent infringement. Considering the money it already owes to Verizon this has to be a very heavy blow. Fact is I am surprised that the Sprint-Verizon legal eagles have not gone into bankruptcy court and instituted a forced liquidation. More at the link.
I read with interest my colleagues post below. Verizon is known to have one of the best legal and regulatory teams around, but this is fraught with peril.
- Should the rules be changed upfront that will most likely delay the auction as another around of comment will have to be brought.
- Verizon has no guarantee that after those comments that the auction rules would be in their favor. It could end up much worse.
Were I Verizon I would bid as promulgated then do my dirty work on the back end. Maybe do the same BS that was done with ISDN by scaring the State regulatory agencies into concessions on the older technology to subsidize the newer. Or the bait and switch that AT&T is doing on their mandated $10 DSL as part of the merger. Which by the way last time I checked is nowhere on their website to order.
Personal Note: To our readers, I have been out the past three weeks on emergency surgery. Just getting back into the swing of things. I will be posting some on the Digital Conversion later this week. It’s lack of movement so far might have impacts on the deploy rate of the 700mhz band.
Filed under Uncategorized by Dr. Dog
September 27, 2007
700MHz open access skullduggery at the FCC
Just when I though it was safe to write a post about technology, here comes news of FCC chairman Kevin Martin pushing to change the open access rules for the 700MHz block up for auction in January. This coincides with Verizon suing the FCC over the current open access rules.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is aggressively pushing for prompt revisions to the 700 MHz open-access rule—even before the agency completes a review of the various regulatory challenges to the full 700 MHz decision, according to industry sources who suggest the behind-the-scenes activity is tied to Verizon Wireless’ lobbying.Key industry players are worried Martin wants to water down the open-access conditions outside of the normal public-comment process. (from RCRwirelessnews)
This is not good news for the consumer or for American business. Consider this. Every mobile and fixed communication device has essentially become an internet appliance and the only reason they do not function like one is because they have been crippled by the US telecommunication monopoly. Imposing more limited access on the 700 MHz D block is a roadblock to innovation that only protects the interests of Verizon, AT&T and a few more like them. The importance of keeping at least one small piece of wireless spectrum as open as possible is as important as the right free speech in the new millennium.
Please write you representatives in Washington DC, and tell them to wake up and get a shorter leash on the FCC while there is still time. You can find your representatives and email them via the House of Representatives site and the US Senate site.
Filed under 700 mHz, Legislation / Regulation, Verizon, Wireless by admin
September 26, 2007
The Taxman Cometh
I try to keep partisan politics out of my writing for this blog, but the press has been horribly negligent in covering the fact that the Internet Tax Ban will EXPIRE on November 1st. There has been nothing happening in the Congress other that a lot of finger pointing, lip service and political nonsense on both sides of the issue. To put it simply, by doing nothing the Congress will enable every imaginable goverment entity to begin taxing your internet access.
Last Thursday, prodded by a flurry of GOP press conferences, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a two-line statement saying that he had “every expectation that Congress will approve a continuation of the moratorium.” Not exactly a passionate call to protect America’s 213 million Internet users. Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye added later that he’s “hopeful” his committee can move a bill this week and he has scheduled a Thursday markup. (from the Wall Street Journal)
In the US Senate, markups and discussions go on endlessly for months and years. Harry Reid, Daniel Inouye and most members of the Democrat party have NEVER been opponents of new taxes. In this case its very easy for them to blame the opposing party for delaying the extension or making permanent of the ban, and allowing it to expire. Before the political lemmings on both sides get worked up, I have a lot of ill will toward Republicans too, but they are largely on the correct side of this isssue, so this time they get a pass.
Many are politically split on whether we need a national broadband policy, but everyone seems in uniform agreement in their hatred of taxation (except the States, that is). Companies like Google and Verizon, who’ve been at each other’s throats over network neutrality and the 700Mhz wireless broadband auction, are congenial bedfellows on this issue. Says Google on their policy blog:“Keeping Internet access tax-free is also another way that government can help further the growth of the web to all corners of the U.S. At a time when American policymakers are working to increase broadband penetration rates and improve the quality of broadband services to consumers, we believe that increasing barriers to access — whether they are created by the government or by the private sector — will only frustrate our common goal of greater access to better broadband for all consumers.”The Congressional debate over making the Internet access tax ban permanent has been painfully slow going, but at least one Republican lawmaker believes they have enough votes to kill Internet access taxes forever. If Congress fails to act by November 1, the current ban will expire, leaving States free to tax your broadband connection and add to your monthly bill. (from Broadband Reports)
I urge you to first take a long hard look the endless nickel and dime taxes on your telephone, cell phone, cable TV or electric utility bill. This could also be happening to you internet access bill. Regardless of the political affiliation of your elected representative, please tell them how you feel about this.
You can find your representatives and email them via the House of Representatives site and the US Senate site.
Filed under Legislation / Regulation, Municipalities by admin
September 25, 2007
Municipal Wifi Success Stories
With all of the bad news about Earthlink’s exit from municipal contracts that guaranteed the company endless losses, one might believe that Muni Wifi is dead. Far from dead, cities such as Corpus Christi, Minneapolis ad Philadelphia have financially sound, functioning networks with a growing subscriber base.
“Cities that have seen early success have been able to articulate very clearly to politicians and citizens how the network will be used and how it will benefit people,” said Craig Settles, an independent wireless consultant. “And they’ve also had clear business plans for paying for the networks.”
article on News.com
Filed under Municipalities, Wifi by admin
September 23, 2007
2008 the year of Wimax?
After lots of false starts and “show products” that never seem to come ot market, I’m thinking 2008 may very well be the year Wimax takes off. First, the Sprint/Clearwire networks is poised to begin offering service in around 30 markets. Next Intel is incorporating Wimax into its reference design for mobile computing platforms:
In his keynote on Wednesday, David Perlmutter, senior vice president of Intel’s Mobility Group, described mobile users with “insatiable appetites,” hungry for ever more mobility and connectivity.The company plans to sate this hunger with something called Montevina in mid-2008. Montevina, which will become the company’s next-generation Centrino mobile platform, is based on Intel’s 45-nanometer fabrication technology. It will support things like DDR3 memory, Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback, as well as an integrated Wi-Fi/WiMax module the company calls Echo Peak.What that means in plain English is that Montevina notebooks will be faster and low-power, will include support for the latest optical storage standards, and will presumably be ready to connect with the latest wireless networks out of the box. As testament to the clout Intel wields, a number of laptop manufactures like Lenovo, Acer, Toshiba and Panasonic have already committed to using Montevina.Key to Intel’s wireless strategy is the standard known as Mobile WiMax (IEEE 802.16e). Yes, that’s the same WiMax you’ve been hearing about — but not seeing — for close to five years now. But according to Intel, as well as Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, WiMax really will be ready for its public debut next year.With Sprint Nextel and Clearwire (which counts Intel among its major investors) teaming up for a $5 billion WiMax build-out by 2010, Intel CEO Paul Otellini said he expects “150 million [people] will be covered [by WiMax] in 2008, 750 million in 2010 and 1.3 billion in 2012.”“We are on the cusp of a new global network, seamlessly integrated around the globe, to go into these ultramobile devices,” Otellini said.
Above from Wired
With live service operational, and and cheap chip sets available fore end user devices coming online, 2008 may prove to be the beginning of a potential Third Pipe in Wimax. Will it offer adequate price/performance to compete with land based broadband? Will land based broadband respond with better prices and service?
September 22, 2007
BPL progresses slowly and quietly in north Texas
Oncor in the Dallas / Fort Worth area continues to implement BPL without much fanfare, seeming to be contented with and automated meter reading system for now..
Oncor’s BPL network, which the company is building with Current Communications, now covers 106,000 homes. Oncor has installed so-called smart meters at 61,000 of those homes, allowing the electricity company to communicate directly with those meters at any time.
The reaminign question to be answered is when and if broadband service will be made publicly available on the system.
Article on Dallas News
Filed under BPL by admin
September 21, 2007
Wimax to be available to 100 million Americans in 2008?
According to Sprint and Clearwire it may very well be so.
Atish Gude, senior VP for Sprint’s WiMax business operations, said the company expected to be in “30ish” U.S. markets by the time Intel releases Montevina next year, covering an area of 100 million people. Montevina is the codename for a chipset that will provide Wi-Fi and WiMax support in notebooks.John Saw, chief technology officerfor Clearwire, declined to say how many markets the company would be in at that time. The company, however, plans to start a 145 square-mile test of WiMax in the Portland, Ore., area this year, making it generally available over a 700 square mile area, which will reach into Vancouver, Wash., next year.
What is most promising about the chatter from Sprint / Clearwire thta Wimax will offer a bigger pipe at a lower price than current broadband services.
Even though WiMax deployment is still in the early stages, Sprint and Clearwire believe they can take a sizable chunk of the wireless Internet by delivering a bigger pipe than wireless carriers at a better price. In addition, surfing the Web on a WiMax network would be the same as on a wired connection at the home or office.
The above statement does put Wimax somewhat at odds with Sprints current offerings and business practices, so I’ll have to be the skeptic and ask - they have talked the talk, but will they walk the walk?
article on Information Week
September 20, 2007
FCC wants public input on what to do with 2.1 gigahertz spectrum
While it’s not as useful as the much covered 700 MHz band, this spectrum was of interest to at least 1 company that wanted to use ot for broadband access. Now the FCC is seeking input on how to use this band.
the Federal Communications Commission is seeking formal public comment on whether it would make sense to permit the sort of scheme proposed by Silicon Valley-based M2Z Networks or others that previously expressed interest in operating a slice of the 2.1 GHz band.
My 2 cents - open it up for public for use with low power networking devices or data devices. There is currently no spectrum set aside for use as a data only band. This could spur quantum leaps in innovation as well as provide some relief from conflicts between routers and a broad range of devices from cordless telephones to radio controlled toys.
Filed under FCC, Legislation / Regulation, Uncategorized, Wireless by admin
In the UK, Ofcom (the regulatory agency for communications) is giving serious consideration to opening spectrum for the establishment of mobile broadband services. Most startling is that the spectrum will be taken from incumbent wireless operators, and will be open to competitors. Hey FCC, are you watching?
The amount of spectrum to be released should be sufficient to allow three extra operators to access the 900MHz band, Ofcom suggests, greatly increasing the opportunities for chip suppliers and mobile handset and infrastructure makers.
Filed under Legislation / Regulation, Overseas, Uncategorized, Wireless by admin
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