Another year, another 200+ videos published on Viodi and other web sites. A few of the videos from 2013 that will be etched in my memory will be those dealing with technologies that sense brain waves to control something. Two of the these videos were published earlier this year. Scroll to the Korner to see the third video that almost wasn’t, thanks to an interruption of this reporter’s brain waves.
The Best Service Is No Service
“The best service is no service,” explains Cable One’s Senior Vice President-Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Jerry McKenna. McKenna discusses why his company won the Cable Fax Independent Operator Award for 2013. Quick and proactive resolution of problems is a key reason they won the award.
Click here to read more and watch our interview with the well-respected McKenna, who will be retiring at the end of the year.
7 Tips for Sales Success
“We all need to be on top of our sales game,” said Kristi Westbrock, Director, HR, Sales & Marketing for CTC. Speaking at the 2013 MTA Annual Convention, she points out that it is important for everyone in a company to have an appreciation for selling. For CTC, this translates into their front line employees being technology experts.
Pent Up Demand for Broadband Operator Deals
“It’s always been difficult for the smaller operator to get funding,” said Pat Thompson of Pat Thomson Company. In this regard, Thompson, who is a long-time ACA board member, points out the importance of ACA’s efforts to get Washington to provide regulatory relief. She points out that, thanks in part to regulatory burden, cable systems in some small towns have been shuttered and, as a result, broadband is not available to those locales.
Reducing Barriers to Broadband Rights of Way
In recent comments to the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Task Force on Communications and Technology, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai suggested that state legislatures need to be proactive in reducing and removing barriers for over-the-top business of all types, such as the examples he provides in telemedicine and transportation. Pai stated that, “States should be proactive in reducing regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment.” Attorney Michael Keeling provides an example of the proactive removal of an infrastructure barrier by a state legislature in this interview.
Click here to read more and to view.
FCC Delays Reverse Auction till 2015; Spectrum Aggregation & Ownership Limits? by Alan Weissberger
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delayed the “Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction” until 2015. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler published a blog post Friday announcing the delay, saying he hopes the auction will take place in mid-2015. The FCC had set a goal of completing the auction in 2014 and we thought this would be the top priority for the new FCC Chairman.
Click here to read more.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- #FCC auction pause gives Congress chance to reevaluate how best to utilize #spectrum “What’s Wrong With the Wi-Fi?“
- ACI study suggests failure to change #retransmissionconsent rules cost 1/2 $trillion in lost consumer welfare.
- Disappointed my retransmission for spectrum suggestion hasn’t yet make it into Congresswoman’s Eshoo’s Video CHOICE act, but 2014 seems like it could be a year for changes to the way spectrum is managed. Along those lines, stay tuned for a video in the new year about Social Mesh Networking.
- While its smaller neighbor to the north is proud of its high-speed municipal WiFi network, San Jose may soon have a pilot project that improves SiliconValley lighting, reduces copper theft and provides wireless broadband via Smart Poles. Philips is referenced as the potential corporate partner, but this seems like it could be of interest for @Verizon, @ATT, @Google and @Comcast as well.
- In this article, Greg McCurry, formerly of broadband operator Santel and now president and CEO of Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota, makes the argument that local banks are critical to the vitality of rural communities. The importance of of local institutions to economic development is something we have heard this repeatedly in our travels.
- Samsung’s Chris Kermoian talks about their strategy to create an app ecosystem that works across all their platforms in this video interview from CONNECTIONS at CTIA.
- Last minute gift idea for the person who needs a beverage holder; particular suited for tailgating. Fun thing is that this clever tool is from someone who works for an independent broadband provider.
- Congratulations to Roger Bindl for his award at the 2013 Wildwood Film Festival in the category of Best Documentary Film for Hopping for Brew.
The Korner – In the Zone – Part 3
As the saying goes, there is always a silver lining to every bad situation. It was hard to see that silver lining when I realized that I had failed to record the audio in my CES interview with NeuroSky. The silver lining was that the retake video was even more fun as we were able to shoot it in a controlled environment (NeuroSky’s office, instead of the trade show floor) and try more of the brain wave controlled devices than we were able to at CES.
Having tried a couple of different incarnations, brain wave sensing technology really seems to work. The logical next step will be integration of this technology with wearable heads up display technology (e.g. Google Glass or Contact Lenses).
Using one’s mind becomes the ultimate in a user interface. As an example, NueroSky has a game/movie, MyndPlay, whereby scenes are chosen based on the game player’s mood. Although this reporter didn’t get a chance to use that smart phone based application, he did get to try a brain wave powered, tug-a-war type game that proved to be extremely fun.
Click here to read more and watch the video.
The above video was part of our CES 2013 coverage. We will be back at CES next month. Please drop us a note if there is anything in particular that you think we should cover.
Until we meet again in 2014, peace be with you and your family.
