The Chicken & Egg Spectrum Auction
Overload; one word to describe everything going on regarding the activity surrounding telecommunications regulation and policy in Washington D.C. Carri Bennet and Jill Canfield, two very knowledgable people on these topics drove home the point of how complicated telecom policy is when they described where the FCC stands with next year’s auction for 600 MHz spectrum. Fortunately, I had a chance to spend a few minutes with Carri after her presentation at the Wireless Symposium and have her give a thumbnail for this release of spectrum that could be a critical piece to helping bringing broadband to unserved remote rural areas.
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Cybersecurity – A Necessity and A Potential Competitive Advantage
Even more important than the policy and regulatory turmoil in the Beltway is the war with the fanatics who will use any means possible to enslave or eliminate the rest of us. And, as we know, their terror goes beyond physical weapons as the Internet allows these thugs new opportunities to impose their twisted will. It will take a united front of citizens, business and government to stand against these evil forces.
Silver Star Communications has been a leader and on the forefront of working with government to fight this war. Jeff England, CFO of SIlver Star Communications is relatively new to the telecom industry, coming to it from a firm that dealt with cybersecurity audits. He has been representing the Silver Star and, by extension, independent operators through his work with the NIST and the FCC. His perspective is sought out because he brings a broader perspective to cybersecurity as compared to the typical IT representation. England explains that cybersecurity is about “risk management” and that, “The NIST Framework provides a bridge between the technology and leadership and where an entity stands on risk.”
England believes there is an opportunity for service providers to use cybersecurity as a competitive advantage. Operators attending the event Viodi is producing in conjunction with ITS Fiber will get a chance to learn Jeff’s thoughts on this topic.
Learn more at: http://www.viodi.com/heartland/agenda/
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Gigabit Broadband – Better than Indoor Plumbing
Speaking of Silver Star Communications, the Governor of Wyoming recognized Silver Star Communications in his state of the state address last Wednesday for their efforts in expanding broadband in the Cowboy State. Late last year, we caught up with Representative Marti Halverson who spoke of the importance of Silver Star to the region she represents. In doing so, she relates an amusing story about a misconception one reporter had about the Equality State.
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Wireless Symposium – A Training Boot Camp for CES
One of the best things about the Wireless Symposium, that was held in conjunction with International CES 2015, was the opportunity to meet with old and new friends. In this video, Steve Pastorkovich, VP of Training and Development for NTCA and Tanya Sullivan, CEO of RWA, explain that the Wireless Symposium, co-produced by their organizations, is a great way to ease into CES.
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Wireless – A Common Connection Before and During International
The Internet of things has transformed International CES 2015 into the show of everything. In 2015, CES continued its expansion in way that is similar to how electronics are increasingly making dumb objects into smart sensors, controllers and indicators. Wireless connections were clearly a key building block for connecting the multitude of devices seen at this enormous conference.
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The Internet of Tasty Things – #CES2015 – Part 2
Despite filming 35 video interviews and being at CES and its associated conferences and other events from Sunday to Wednesday, I was in the main convention center for about an hour and a half. That’s the nature of CES; there is too much to see over too wide an area. In some ways it may be easier to get the big picture by staying home and reading and watching coverage. Of course, one wouldn’t be able to see a blue-tooth shoe that gives directions, shoot a basketball that tells you how to improve your shot or taste a craft beer from an Internet-connected, personal brewing machine.
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[A big thank you to Calix for its support in making the above part 1 and 2 CES highlights a reality! Click here to check out their CES photo collage.]
The Korner – Paving the Way to an Autonomous Future
Apollo 11 is a distant memory in the rear view mirror of life for those old enough to remember the glory days of America’s space program. It was a privilege then to meet someone who was involved with that historic program. Space, however, was not the final frontier for Dr. Alain Kornhauser, a Princeton Professor, as, in the decades since, he has been looking forward to how technology could help the transport challenges here on earth.
In the above interview, filmed at International CES 2015, Kornhauser discusses how decades of theory are rapidly turning to reality, as new features are making cars safer and setting the stage for full autonomy; as Kornhauser says, “At some point, they [cars] become so good, that they chauffeur us.”
To the naysayers, he suggests that the,
“Technology will pay for itself through the insurance savings….It will essentially allow the consumer to have the technology for free, as long as they continue to pay the insurance premiums.”
He points out that the technology is following cost curves that are similar to consumer electronics and will follow trends similar to Moore’s Law; hence, one of the reasons CES has become such an important conference for automakers.
Click here to read the complete summary and view the interview.
