Telecom Trends

Turning off Google Blogger

2010-02-05T07:27:00.002-05:00

The good folks at Google have given me notice that they will no longer support blogs such as mine that are hosted on my own website, so I will be porting the content over to new tools from Wordpress, over the course of this weekend. Watch for a new style on Monday.

If you are reading updates through RSS, I hope to have things working properly by Monday. There should be a new posting Monday morning. Contact me if you aren't getting the new posts.

Hopefully, everything will be done before I have to face the freezing temperatures early Sunday morning, barbecuing wings for the annual Goldberg Superbowl party, a tradition dating back 13 years to Elway's back-to-back victories.

What are you doing for the "big game"?

Experience engineering

2010-02-05T06:20:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, Aricent announced an initiative called Experience Engineering and I received a briefing on what was meant by the term.

In effect, Aricent is offering its range of expertise to help service providers develop a holistic approach to delivery of customer services and applications. It means more than just buying switches and support systems and devices that inter-operate. As many of us have found first hand, it is one thing for a device to work on a network; it is something different for a customer to enjoy a 'wow' experience.

Arun Sarin, the former chief executive of Vodaphone, has joined the Aricent board. He said:

Service providers are in a unique position to deliver innovative mobile services that integrate best in class devices, high performance networks, and a virtually unlimited set of applications and services into a single compelling subscriber experience. Aricent’s Experience Engineering is the first engagement model of its kind that assists operators through the innovation, development and delivery phases of their experience strategies. It’s very timely given the top strategic concerns of carriers today.

Aricent includes "frog design", continuing to operate as an independent division.

With new service providers launching low price offerings in Canada, which carriers consider the total customer experience as a means of differentiation and a justification for premium pricing?

Designed by committee

2010-02-04T06:12:00.004-05:00

i-Waterfront was featured in a story in yesterday's National Post. The article was about plans to award a fibre-optic contract in the Toronto Waterfront project.

The theme of the story is that the deal offers an insight into how the agency spends our tax dollars. It starts out by examining the legal gymnastics to launder the influence of the New York-based hedge fund that controls Connex See Service, the proposed provider of fibre optic service to "i-Waterfront." The company is a successor to Cygnal Technologies.

The project is running well behind schedule. Two years ago, the Globe and Mail ran a story that quoted Waterfront Toronto's executive director of Intelligent Communities saying:

Incumbent companies say, 'What's the problem? We have broadband and it's improving all the time.' The analogy I use is broadband is like a paved street. Incumbent companies are saying they're going to have paved roads but only have them one lane wide. If they're only one lane wide, there's not much point, is there?

Sounds good if you say it fast, but it doesn't really reflect the way networks are being built.

For example, most multiple dwelling units - apartment buildings - are already getting fibre to the building. In fact, most new buildings are getting fibre from multiple suppliers, cable and telcos. In Atlantic Canada, Bell Aliant, in a competitive marketplace, will continue its FTTH expansion with 140,000 homes to be passed by year-end.

Instead, Waterfront Toronto, a government agency, envisions establishing a monopoly provider of fibre. This may provide the ego-boosting benefit of saying that the project isn't dependent on the incumbents, but it ignores more than a hundred years of communications history that taught us that the only entity that delivers worse service than a regulated monopoly is a government-owned monopoly. Waterfront Toronto is jointly owned by all three levels of government and will have an unregulated monopoly service; can it get any better?

Most RFPs have clauses that ask for assurances that the bidder is financially sound. The company that appears to be selected by Waterfront Toronto somehow escaped such scrutiny. Perhaps the failure of Cygnal Technologies might have been a clue that the business model itself might be flawed.

Many RFPs aren't really looking for proposals; they already specify a solution and are just looking for a quote that matches. By specifying the solution, did the RFP limit the degrees of freedom of potential bidders to provide creative solutions?

Does anyone really believe that there is a shortage of advanced telecommunications solutions in the core of Toronto? The competitive commercial and consumer marketplace is delivering advanced solutions today.

Looking at the condition of our sewers, roads and other government infrastructure. Cutting the ribbon creates a great photo op, but maintenance is notoriously underfunded. I call it a "just-too-late" approach. Not sure I would want that from the people providing my advanced communications services.

Update [February 4, 7:30 am]
Bell Canada announced its first large scale Fibre to the Home deployment for the greater Quebec City area. This raises even more questions about the need for Waterfront Toronto's approach.

Green Touch for ICT

2010-02-03T06:37:00.000-05:00

Bell Labs is leading an initiative called Green Touch to fundamentally change and dramatically reduce the amount of power consumed by the communications industry in running the world's networks.

The objective is a thousand fold reduction: consume as much power in 3 years as conventional networks require in a single day. This efficiency target appears attainable based on research from Bell Labs that determined that today’s information and communication technology (ICT) networks have the potential to be 10,000 times more efficient than they are today.

Bell Labs has recruited founding members for the consortium from industry, academia and government research groups as well as service providers, including AT&T, China Mobile, Swisscom and Telefonica.

The first meeting of the consortium will take place later this month, to establish a five-year plan, first-year deliverables, and member roles and responsibilities.

At this point, there are no Canadian carriers, suppliers, research institutes or universities that are part of the initiative. Why not?

DAVE becomes Mobilicity

2010-02-02T13:27:00.002-05:00

Combining mobility with simplicity, DAVE wireless announced it will operate under the brand Mobilicity.

President Dave Dobbin and Chairman John Bitove announced the new brand this morning, saying that the company will have simple guiding principles: no contract, no credit check, unlimited.

Service is to begin in Toronto in the Spring, with roll-out later in the year to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. The company says it wants to resolve any potential launch bugs before going to market and having to fix issues with disatisfied customers later.

Counting digital access

2010-02-02T06:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, in attempting to clarify reporting rules for high speed digital access, the CRTC may have muddied the water a little more.

The problem is found in paragraph 22 from Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-50?

Parties to a high-speed DNA services forbearance application must provide the Commission with the addresses of all buildings that are connected to that carrier's network at speeds of DS-3 or greater irrespective of whether services at speeds of DS-3 or greater are currently being provided to that carrier's customer(s) located in that building and irrespective of whether the fibre facilities are lit (commissioned) or dark. Carriers are required to provide the addresses of the buildings that are so connected, not merely the addresses of the buildings where high-speed DNA services are currently being provided to customers.

The intent, I think, is for competitive carriers to report a list of addresses of all buildings that are connected to their network with any kind of access facilities that could deliver higher than 45 Mbps. This report would be analyzed by the CRTC after an ILEC believes that there is a meaningful level of competition for high speed access services.

But the CRTC's language is awkward and oxymoronic. After all, if fibre facilities are "dark", then they are not connecting a building at any speed, let alone greater than 45Mbps.

Further, competitive access carriers frequently don't provide DNA-type access; many deliver ethernet access services. As a result, the last sentence is not meaningful. Finally, the tone of the paragraph appears to seek information only for fibre connectivity, and it may also imply that only dedicated access services are relevant. These are inconsistent with principles of technical neutrality.

My suggestion for an erratum would use simpler language, such as:

Parties to a high-speed DNA services forbearance application must provide the Commission with the addresses of all buildings that are connected to that carrier's network with facilities capable of access speeds greater than 45Mbps, irrespective of whether such access services are currently being provided in that building and irrespective of whether the facilities are commissioned or dark.

Eighteen weeks

2010-02-01T06:40:00.003-05:00

The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit opens in 18 weeks.

The first version of the brochure is now available [ pdf, 280KB] and you will see that the programme is filling up.

Momentum is building with delegate registrations running well ahead of last year's pace. Early bird rates are in effect through the month of February. save by registering this month.

The conference hotels are now available for booking; over half our delegates are from out of town, so we try to help with negotiating space and preferred rates. Delegates will notice lower hotel prices for this year, while the hotels are still including the amenities, such as free internet access and complimentary shuttle service to The Toronto Congress Centre, home of the conference itself. The Airport Renaissance has been rebranded as the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre: it is now part of the Sheraton family.

We are really pleased to involve experienced journalists in the role of moderators for some of our sessions this year. Greg O'Brien, editor of CARTT.ca will be moderating our Regulatory Blockbuster this year; Mark Evans, formerly with National Post and now heading up his own consulting firm, will be leading the discussion at a session we are calling Business Models 3.0: Financial implications for content and carriage. Visit the conference website for more program details.

The Canadian Telecom Summit is the largest and most important gathering of Canada's communications industry. Have you registered yet?

Competition in mobile services

2010-01-29T11:23:00.005-05:00

Even before they launch service, the folks at DAVE are out there competing. A press conference and photo op has been called for February 2 at 11 am to announce the brand name for Canada's newest mobile entrant.

Two days ago, Virgin Mobile called a press conference for the same time, promising a photo opportunity to launch the new HSPA+ network with mobile-inspired fashions created by Canadian designers.

So, those of us who follow the industry have to make a competitive choice: do we go to see Dave Dobbin and John Bitove launch a fresh mobile wireless brand or do we go to the Virgin Mobile HSPA+ event with underdressed fashion models?

How would you choose?

Keep your hands on the wheel

2010-01-29T06:05:00.001-05:00

Monday, February 1 marks the beginning of enforcement in earnest for Ontario's handsfree driving law. Given the spate of pedestrian deaths that have marked the beginning of 2010, we can expect to see a police blitz to convince drivers to put down their phones.

This presents an opportunity for mobile accessory sales, ranging from bluetooth earpieces to devices that use voice commands to read and send text messages and emails.

As we reported before, there is widespread support for the law, but casual observations along any major street shows that there are still a lot of people who haven't got the message.

In December of each year, the RIDE program picks up various sponsorships to support public awareness and to get impaired drivers off the road.

Will we see the mobile service providers and device manufacturers getting involved with helping drivers conform?

Setting a bold vision

2010-01-28T06:05:00.000-05:00

As many Canadians are looking back second guessing and bemoaning at the decision to prorogue parliament, I'd prefer to look forward and ask what will be on the agenda for the next session of Parliament. When the speech from the Throne is delivered, will the government set out a bold vision for Canada's digital future?

Over the past few years, various panels have delivered reports examining communications and competition policy. Numerous voices, including our own, have called for the creation of national digital strategy.

South of the border, the FCC has been charged with the responsibility to develop a bold vision for the US. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the FCC has been tasked with creating a National Broadband Plan that

shall seek to ensure all people of the United States have access to broadband capability and shall establish benchmarks for meeting that goal.

Can a government - in Canada or the US - set out a vision that is bold, yet affordable, while creating sustainable leadership for the benefit of a next generation economy?

On the afternoon panels of Tuesday, June 8, 2010 The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit will explore ICT strategies around the world and host a discussion on the elements of Canada's own National Digital Strategy.

Have you registered yet?

New home for complaints

2010-01-27T05:44:00.000-05:00

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecom Services has a new logo and a new web presence, part of its program to enhance public awareness of the Commission.

The website features an easy to use interface for opening a new complaint.

The new website was delivered on-time, according to the Public Awareness plan set out by the agency.

We recognize that public awareness of our existence and the service that we offer is crucial to our effectiveness in the marketplace. Thus we are committed to working with all of our stakeholders, and particularly consumers, consumer advocacy groups, and our telecommunications service provider member companies (TSPs), to:
increase public awareness of the existence of CCTS, our role and mandate, and the dispute resolution service that we offer consumers, both individual and small business; and
add clarity to the internal complaint-handling processes offered by our member companies – to make the process more transparent and effective.

Over the holidays, a complaint was filed with the CRTC by a consumer agency with respect to a carrier overcharging some customers for touch-tone services. When I read the file, it seemed to me that the complaint was suited for handling by CCTS.

It will be a file worth monitoring to understand the venue selection.

Business models 3.0

2010-01-26T06:35:00.000-05:00

A story in Wireless Week says that venture capitalists are being cautious with investments in wireless. A survey conducted by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) reported that 37 percent of respondents said venture capital investment in the wireless sector would decrease in 2010.

It is one thing to have growth in wireless and new media and internet services; it is another matter to figure out how to make money at it.

One of the afternoon panels on Monday, June 7, 2010 at The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit will look at the next generation of business models. A session called Business Models 3.0 examines the financial implications for content and carriage.

You can now visit the conference website to take a look at the preliminary program on-line.

Early bird rates expire at the end of February. Have you registered yet?

Murphy's law

2010-01-25T10:19:00.003-05:00

I wrote earlier today about a positive customer service experience with HP. I contrast that with a series of missteps that characterize my interactions with Direct Energy.

For more than 3 weeks, one of our major appliances has been out of service. The first delay in repairs was because the technician's truck wouldn't start one morning. Then the part had to be ordered and apparently, their supply depot needed to hand craft the part from blocks of plastic that had not been harvested from the rain forests or where ever. The part was delivered to the technician which took another week - it isn't clear to me what took a week, unless it got returned by the post office for insufficient postage. Then, the technician who was supposed to finally show up today called in sick.

The caller from Direct Energy said that they can't send a different technician - the sick guy has the part. Will he show up for work tomorrow? Will the part fix? Will I renew the service contract?

I'm gonna call my dentist to get my fillings replaced - it will be much more pleasant than dealing with the Direct Energy call centre.

Update [January 26, 12:15 pm]
The Direct Energy technician returned today and successfully repaired the machine, including some heroics on sealing another source of a leak that had not been detected on the first service call. We're back in service. Special thanks to JT at headquarters for letting me know there is follow-up to look at the process breakdowns on this file.

Customer care

2010-01-25T06:44:00.002-05:00

I generally approach dealing with customer support centres with all of the same enthusiasm as going to the dentist. It isn't going to get any better by putting it off, so take a deep breath and get on with it.

I had an especially pleasant experience with HP over the weekend.

The battery in one of our computers was indicating that it was "plugged in, not charging". Not a good thing for a portable device.

The battery check software tool showed a failure and added "This may be covered by your warranty."

It took just 15 seconds on HP's on-line chat service to be connected with an agent and in less than 10 minutes, we were setting up arrangements for a replacement part to be delivered later this week.

I know that this is the way warranty service is supposed to work - it's just nice to see when it actually does.

We have a session at The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit looking at Billing and Customer Information Systems: Increasing loyalty and revenues. Have you registered yet?

Nokia advances location-based services

2010-01-22T06:41:00.000-05:00

In releasing a free map and directions application yesterday, Nokia took aim at Google and a variety of handheld GPS suppliers got caught in the cross fire.

Nokia's new version of Ovi Maps includes high-end walk and drive navigation including turn-by-turn voice guidance at no extra cost. The application has detailed maps for more than 180 countries, voice guidance for 74 countries, in 46 languages, and traffic information for more than 10 countries.

Why have multiple devices that work that work in only one country or region? Put it all together, make it free, make it global and you almost double the potential size of the mobile navigation market. Nokia is the only company with a mobile navigation service for both drivers and pedestrians that works across the world. Unlike the legacy car navigation manufacturers, we don't make you buy maps for different countries or regions even if you're only visiting for a few days. We offer both navigation and maps free of charge, with all the high-end functionality and features that people now expect.

Unlike other mobile mapping applications, Ovi Maps has a lot of functionality without using mobile data - making the application particularly attractive for travellers who can get concerned with roaming data charges around the world.

By removing costs associated with global navigation for drivers and pedestrians, Nokia is activating a massive user base for location-based features, content and services, part of a strategy for Nokia in mobile, navigation and location-based services.

The announcement leverages Nokia's 2007 acquisition of NAVTEQ. Nokia is said to be the biggest camera manufacturer in the world. With Ovi Maps, it may quickly become the world's largest handheld GPS manufacturer.

Verizon and Google find common ground

2010-01-21T06:16:00.000-05:00

Google and Verizon filed a joint letter to the FCC last week, finding some common ground "on a number of important matters that are crucial to the formulation of an enlightened, sustainable Internet policy for the United States."

Among highlights are:

Preserving Openness. It is essential that the Internet remains an unrestricted and open platform, where people can access the lawful content, services, and applications of their choice. ... where anyone, including network providers, are able to innovate without permission and provide any applications or services of their choosing, either on their own or in collaboration with others.
Encouraging Investment and Innovation in Broadband Networks. ...continued private investment is essential to increase the reach and capabilities of advanced intelligent networks, which will in turn support the development of ever more sophisticated applications.
Providing Users with Control. No entity from either the government or the private sector should wrest control from consumers over how they choose to use the Internet, and the government should not implement policies that would limit consumers’ ability to choose for themselves.
Providing Users with Information. Transparency will ensure an environment of informed user choice.
Maintaining Balanced Intellectual Property Policy. We both recognize the importance of protecting intellectual property in the digital environment and each of us engages in efforts to assist content owners in enforcing their rights and deterring online copyright infringements.
Keeping Internet Applications, Content, and Services Free from Communications Regulation. There is ... no sound reason to impose communications laws or regulations on the robust marketplace of Internet content, applications, and services.
Providing a Leadership Role for Expert Technical Bodies. [A] model of self-governance and collaboration, with minimal government involvement, will continue to serve the Internet well into the future.

The companies go on to promote self-governance as the hallmark of the success of the Internet; that any government intervention needed to address harm to users or to competition, should be surgical, swift and based on a finding of specific facts that establish harm.

The companies appear to agree in rejecting the reduction of broadband carriers to commodity dumb pipes:

Google and Verizon acknowledge that broadband network providers, in addition to offering traditional Internet access services, should have the ability to offer consumers additional service options over their broadband facilities. Clearly, broadband infrastructure has multiple uses, and network operators should continue to have the ability to offer users the choice of service options in addition to traditional Internet access services.

Google and Verizon seem to endorse a Canadian style nondiscrimination rule, stating that the focus should be to prevent harm to users or to competition. They agree that differential treatment of Internet traffic by network operators can be beneficial or harmful to users and therefore need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The companies have a number of areas of divergence on such issues as the FCC's authority to regulate and wireless network applicability, so they also filed separate submissions on those matters.

The joint letter is notable in demonstrating an evolution of the debate on net neutrality in the US, contrasted with a more static perspective often expressed on our side of the border.

Deferral account controversy continues

2010-01-20T06:18:00.001-05:00

Bell and Bell Aliant have sought approval to use Deferral Account funds to help pay for its HSPA rollout in some rural markets [zip, 215KB].

Specifically, they plan to offer wireless broadband services with up to 2 Mbps download, 800 Kbps upload, with a 2 GB usage cap, for $31.95 per month for retail and $22.00 wholesale. These rates are said to be comparable to existing DSL rates.

TELUS and MTS Allstream also filed plans with the CRTC, but neither of those companies have proposed new technology solutions. Details pertaining to Bell's roll-out plan, including cost and deferral account drawdown estimates will be provided on February 26.

The Bell proposal to subsidize its HSPA rollout is certain to keep the controversy on deferral account alive.

Over my dead body

2010-01-19T06:49:00.001-05:00

Having spent a few summers working in epidemiology, my son has an appreciation for statistical research studies related to public health care.

A controversy over the location of a wireless communications tower in South Africa caught his eye. To start with, the tower is apparently located in a cemetery, the Fourways Memorial Park, which might have been expected to minimize complaints, since it is hard to imagine any possible deleterious impact on the permanent residents.

Nonetheless, a tower erected by iBurst was said to cause a variety of health problems.

The company attended a meeting in mid-November and its CEO agreed to turn off the tower to assess whether the health problems subsided.

At the meeting on the 16th of November 2009 a number of residents and their staff confirmed that they were still experiencing symptoms such as rashes, headaches and the like and that these symptoms disappear when they leave the vicinity of the tower.

However, according to a news story last week, iBurst had already shut off the tower a month earlier. Whatever was causing the symptoms, it wasn't the operation of the communications equipment.

There is a balance to be managed between the needs to have more towers to meet the needs of the public to communicate and the objections of neighbours to the sight lines and architectural characteristics of most towers. There is a body of good and bad science that often clouds the issue when public consultations are conducted as we wrote two years ago.

This case out of South Africa is a classic.

Retaining the ones you have

2010-01-18T06:19:00.008-05:00

You would think that service providers would want to work at least as hard retaining existing customers as they do acquiring new customers off the street.

But many times, mobile wireless subscribers get frustrated when they find out that the upgrade price for a new phone is much higher than the offers available to new customers. It has often seemed as though service providers weren't looking after their loyal customers as well as they took care of potential customers who have already proven that they are willing to switch.

I am sure many of you have seen offers for Blackberries or other smartphones available to new customers for free or low prices, but when you call to upgrade your old equipment you learn that the prices for existing customers are much higher.

No more for Rogers. A note I received describes the new policy:

Rogers customers will now be eligible for the same pricing as new customers on all devices at 24 months since initial activation or last upgrade.

Customers with a higher average monthly spend may be eligible for smartphones even sooner. After 12 months, there is some form of discount available.

Customers who want to determine their device eligibility can visit a retail location, go to MyAccount on Rogers.com or call the contact centre.

Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development?

2010-01-15T06:41:00.001-05:00

A paper out of the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) examines answers to "Does Broadband Boost Local Economic Development?"

Many might flame PPIC for daring to ask such a question, but with billions of dollars in public funds being spent by governments around the world, it seems appropriate for some science to be applied to study the benefits.

The federal government and the state of California, as well as other states throughout the nation, have made universal access to broadband service a public policy goal, assuming that multiple economic and social benefits will accrue from increasing broadband access.

The study found a positive relationship between broadband expansion and employment growth, but the benefits for local residents are ambiguous.

The positive relationship between broadband expansion and economic growth is stronger in industries that rely more on information technology and in areas with lower population densities. Although there is evidence leaning in the direction of a causal relationship, the study could not determine that broadband caused this economic growth.

In respect of personal benefits, average wage and the employment rate were seen to be unaffected by broadband expansion. The economic benefits to households are thus more ambiguous than they would be if employment growth also led to an increase in wages or the employment rate.

The 30 page report is very readable and it should contribute to the discussion beyond the borders of California.

Expanding broadband through wireless

2010-01-14T06:24:00.003-05:00

The US Department of Justice has filed a submission with the FCC calling for improved utilization and freeing up wireless spectrum as the priority for promoting broadband competition:

Reallocating spectrum that is being underutilized would encourage the deployment of wireless services and could help to make such services more competitive with wireline offerings.

First, an increase in the amount of spectrum that firms could devote to broadband would lower the cost of providing wireless broadband services and encourage entry. Second, more spectrum would allow providers to increase the capacity and reliability of their offerings, thereby bringing them closer to cable modem and fiber-based broadband. Third, the increased capacity in the systems would help support new applications.

The DOJ submission is written from a perspective similar to Canada's Competition Bureau: improving customer benefits through increased choice of suppliers. The filing discusses the nature of competition in the broadband marketplace and highlights the role of making additional spectrum available for broadband service delivery.

In a session looking at "Building Digital Canada," The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit will examine issues associated with advancing Canada's national digital strategy.

DOJ Broadband Submission to FCC

Throttling demand for the Nexus One?

2010-01-13T06:10:00.001-05:00

Alec Saunders observed on his blog that Canadians should avoid Google's new Nexus One device, for now. While Google has chosen not to even offer the phone for direct sale in Canada, sites like Mobile Syrup offer step-by-step instructions on how Canadians can get the device.

But as Alec points out, Google did more than restrict its distribution channels. For some reason, Google chose to not enable 3G on the most popular radio frequencies used in North America - 850 and 1900 MHz.

In other words, Google has effectively optimized the device for T-Mobile in the US and perhaps the nascent AWS spectrum winners in Canada. In a well publicized blog posting last December, Google's SVP of Product Management, Jonathan Rosenberg wrote about "The meaning of open."

At Google we believe that open systems win. They lead to more innovation, value, and freedom of choice for consumers, and a vibrant, profitable, and competitive ecosystem for businesses. ...

So if you are trying to grow an entire industry as broadly as possible, open systems trump closed. And that is exactly what we are trying to do with the Internet. Our commitment to open systems is not altruistic.

By choosing not to enable 3G on the most widely used bands, it sure looks like Google has artificially created an effectively exclusive network distribution for T-Mobile, while maintaining the appearance of support for open, and unlocked technologies.

Perhaps Google is simply trying to work out bugs in its supply chain, fulfillment and customer support networks by limiting the device's operational functionality to fewer networks. There are no shortage of complaints about customer service for the Nexus One (The search terms "Nexus One complaints" produces 1.1M hits on Google).

However, when customers are paying more than $500 for a supposedly unlocked and open device, don't they expect to be able to use it on other networks?

PCs and broadband

2010-01-12T06:37:00.001-05:00

Nearly two years ago, I wrote that governments need to find a way to increase the penetration of households with computers.

Maybe Canada needs to look at targeting broadband subsidies based on income, regardless of where people live. There is a gap in the level of connectedness among lower income Canadians in urban markets as well. Maybe it is time to consider making PCs and broadband part of our social welfare system.

A tweet from Catherine Middleton pointed me to an article talking about a plan in the UK to provide laptop computers and broadband internet to 270,000 low-income households in the UK. Yesterday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

We want every family to become a broadband family, and we want every home linked to a school. For those finding it difficult to afford this, today I can announce the nationwide rollout of our home access programme to get laptops and broadband at home for 270,000 families.

Dr. Middleton will be part of the program at The 2010 Canadian Telecom Summit, participating on a panel looking at International Perspectives on ICT Strategies.

What can Canada learn from other countries as we begin to examine the development of a national digital strategy?

Behind the times

2010-01-11T06:51:00.001-05:00

There were two pieces that were released last week that caught my eye while I was travelling south of the border.

One was the support that the Liberal Party gave to the SaveOurNet crowd. Appearing on the Liberal Party blog, the support appears to rely on the flawed OECD statistics that we have talked about many times [such as here]. Our study, not mentioned at all by the Liberals, showed numerous studies that contradict the oft cited OECD report.

Here is what the Liberals said:

We agree with the position put forward by the Obama administration in the US. ISPs should not be able to discriminate and block or interfere in legitimate sites, users or applications. The Liberal Party, supports the principle of net neutrality and an open and competitive internet environment. We have called on the Conservatives to set clear principles and regulations with regards to net neutrality consistent with what is being proposed in the U.S.:
ISPs cannot prevent access of users to lawful content, applications and devices
ISPs must treat all lawful content, applications and services in a non-discriminatory manner; and
ISPs must disclose all information with regards to network management.
These net neutrality principles must apply to all Internet networks, including wireless networks. [formatting corrected]

The Liberals may not be closely following what is actually happening in the US.

As Larry Downes of the Stanford Law School Center for Internet & Society reported on CNet last week (and as we observed on Twitter in December), it appears that the Obama administration is moving away from a more 'militant' vision of government intervention set out by the FCC Chair last September.

The FCC is in the midst of gathering information from all sides of the issue before coming out with a final set of rules and policies. Hopefully, the Liberals will consult with other viewpoints in order to develop a more reasoned view. As we noted in December, the Obama administration's FCC observed that "Policy changes require consideration of unintended consequences."

Irony

2010-01-11T06:23:00.001-05:00

AT&T was one of the main sponsors of Thursday night's US college football championships held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. If you were watching the game, I was the guy wearing a Texas Longhorns baseball cap and T-shirt.

Throughout the game, commercials for its 3G network coverage appeared on the scoreboard video screen. Unfortunately, there was no coverage in the Rose Bowl stadium area. The best any of us could receive was EDGE.

Providing a reliable 3G experience would have been an engineering achievement: there were nearly 100,000 fans in the Rose Bowl and about the same number watching from the tailgate parties outside.

Note to file: Marketing - be sure to coordinate with Network before running ads on scoreboards in sports stadia and arenas.