Today’s Wall Street Journal provides an excellent overview of the challenges that many parts of rural America faces because of the lack of broadband connectivity. Co-Mo, highlighted in that article, is an excellent example of out-of-the box thinking that will be necessary to make broadband ubiquitous. This ViodiTV interview with the banker that helped Co-Mo and its members launch fiber broadband tells a bit more of their story. The important point is local citizens and institutions are often the key to bringing broadband to areas that would otherwise be ignored.
Using Sense to Save Dollars and Cents
Sense provides a non-invasive, real-time method to measure electricity in the home. The real power isn’t in the Watts measured, but the signatures they create that allow them to identify things, such as when particular appliances turn on and off, and then infer information, such as how many hours per day a TV is on in a given household. Although not identified on Sense’s website, telecom operators would be another potential partner category, as the Sense product could potentially be used in conjunction with other sensors to provide an even more complete picture of a home, helping the home become smarter in the process.
Learning Machine Learning By Playing a Game
Using a contest to learn how to help a machine learn is at the heart of a course, Deep Learning for Self-Driving Cars, that Lex Fridman conceived of for MIT students. As Fridman says, the point of the course is to “make deep learning accessible to beginners.” The work is applicable to more than just driverless vehicles, as the virtual cars are analogous to packets in a broadband network, so it isn’t too difficult to imagine creating similar models for dynamic, machine-driven, bandwidth management.
The Brains Behind an Autonomous Vehicle #CES2017
The rapid advancement of autonomous vehicle technology is thanks to a confluence of factors, such as low-cost sensors (thanks smart phone revolution) and the ongoing price/power/computational performance improvements for microprocessor and graphic processing units. These tools are enabling the practical application of machine learning and creating the electronic brains necessary to make the seemingly infinite driving decisions that an experienced human driver often takes for granted. The video in the following link demonstrates self-driving technology deployed in an off-the-shelf, Toyota Prius.
From Vehicle Maker to Mobility Provider
Simple-to-use apps and connectivity are poised to disrupt the auto market, just as they have done to so many other markets. It is clear in this interview, filmed at International CES2107 with Jessica Robinson, Director of City Solutions for The Ford Motor Company, that Ford understands that, to adapt to the coming disruptions, mobility must be at its core. And they literally have a vision, which appears as broll in the above video at approximately 3:49.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- Of course, no matter the local participation to make broadband happen, there are still many challenges to broadband deployment, such as pole attachment (see ACA’s recommendations to the FCC) and making it easier to use existing rights-of-way, such as Indiana’s FIBRE act (Is Indiana suddenly speaking The King’s English?).
- And bringing together different institutions together is another key to broadband and the “Partners for Broadband” initiative of NISC, NRTC and NTCA is sure to build on the great work of their respective members such as NineStar Connect and CTC.
- Congratulations @TelecomSam (Harlan) on the retirement. Looking forward to staying up to date with you via Twitter.
- It would be great to understand the math, but the summary is that Professor Chow is applying the same kind of formulas that would be used for things such as options trading and telecommunications to determine optimum sizes of virtual trains on fixed and on-demand routes. This is the underlying science that folks like Emmanuele Spera hope to use to reduce traffic congestion and improve commutes, as seen in this ViodiTV video.
- Looking forward to next months’ TIS – The Independent Show – in Indianapolis and catching up with friends and seeing the latest from NCTC and ACA members.
The Korner – An Electrifying Roadster @IDTechEXShow
Combining a classic style, with the advantages of an electric car without a $70k price tag, is what the Shockwave Motors Defiant promises. Interviewed at the IDTechEx conference, Shockwave Motors founder and designer, John McMillian, discusses the features of this three-person, three-wheel around-town vehicle. With a standard range of 80 to 100 miles and a starting price of $24,950 (not including freight, dealer preparation or possible tax credits), this could be an ideal commuter car.
An interesting meta-type thing about this electric car is that it’s design comes from a group in a rural part of Tennessee; proving that with enabling technologies like broadband, Silicon Valley or Detroit can be anywhere.
