The point of the broadband networks and the associated technology innovations, chronicled in the Viodi View, is to improve quality of life and make things better for people. A brief glance at the news is all one needs to see that there is a lot more than “room to improve.” Technology in the 21st century is a catalyst for change. No one can argue that. The real question is whether technology will be used to break the physical and emotional barriers between us–or drive humanity into a world divided.
Peer-to-Peer Learning & More at INDATEL’s 10th Annual Symposium
It was fitting that, with the announcement of the impending retirement of one of its co-founders, Max Huffman,INDATEL kicked off its 10th anniversary of its annual symposium with a brief history of an organization that was truly built from a grassroots effort. Another INDATEL co-founder, Scott Hoffmann, explained how INDATEL germinated with a phone call from three leaders of state fiber associations, which led to a trade association that evolved into the largest nationwide rural Ethernet network.
FCC Completes Reverse Auction as Forward Auction Looms Large by Alan Weissberger
The FCC concluded the first round of its two-part spectrum incentive Auction 1000 on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Broadcasters sold some or all of their spectrum usage rights in exchange for millions of dollars. It’s been called a “reverse auction” and formally as “Auction 1001” since spectrum was being relinquished rather than acquired. The “forward auction,” formally known as “Auction 1002,” is expected to begin sometime in mid-to late July.
What Do Customers Want?
Knowing what customers want is the universal quest for service providers and manufacturers. Emily Hossellman has a first row seat to the frustrations and excitement that customers feel with new products in her role as Director of Marketing for Centercode has garnered some valuable insight into how people feel about smart home products. As background, Centercode provides service providers and manufacturers with a platform to test their offerings and products with real customers, prior to commercial rollout.
Lyfting Cities to a New Level
“Now that people are using mobility as a service instead of owning their own cars as often as they used to, it really changes the way people need to use physical space in cities,” states Emily Castor, Director of Transportation Policy for Lyft. She points out that ridesharing services, such as Lyft, change the need for on-street and off-street parking. As such, planners need to account for mobility as a service as they set rules for buildings and land-use.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- @MattatACA “Beware “
#cableization” of the#internet by the sports leagues and big sports programmers who pay for the#TVrights.” - “Skinny Bundles, OTT Upset the Programming Landscape for Pay-TV” Looking forward to following up w/Stewart at #TIS16
- Nice catching up with @ZoneTVJeff: “OTT Content Integration is Key to Pay-TV Success“
- Way back in November, Dr. Kornhauser said Teslas weren’t self-driving cars, but cars with self-driving features. He also said that one of the most important infrastructure improvements for autonomy is good road paint and signage.
- Autonomous Taxis could be $630B market based on 35 cents/mile vs. 70 cents/mile for ownership.
- Seeing Downtown Kansas City and its interactive kiosks, rebirth of older buildings and cleanliness impressed me as being on the right path, which is confirmed by this article: “Never say die: Kansas City forges ahead with bold transportation plan after
#SmartCityChallenge strikeout.” - This doesn’t have much to do with rural broadband, but her entrepreneurial mindset and initiative is having a positive impact and could be a model for other areas.
The Korner -A Virtual Store for Rural America & More
Shelf space is always in limited supply compared to the number of products a retailer could potentially offer.Virtuality New Space, an Israeli-based, startup is developing a solution that gives retailers the opportunity to expand their physical space by adding virtual showrooms to their existing floorspace. This type of offering could be a boon to retailers in rural America where it is not cost-effective to carry a large selection of products. It would help rural customers as it would reduce the windshield time associated with long-drives to larger retail outlets.
[Author’s note – a big thank you to Charlie Pyle for crafting the introductory paragraph of this issue. Fitting for the time of turmoil, this author has the Youngblood’s song Get Together in his head and a resulting writer’s block in his fingers]
