“You were paying careful attention,” says ACA Connects CEO, Grant Spellmeyer in yesterday’s House Energy and Commerce’s Communications and Technology Energy Subcommittee hearing. Spellmeyer statement was in response to Representative Diana Harshbarger’s (R-TN) summary of the hearing that “price transparency & more freedom of choice is needed in the video market.”
In addition to Spellmeyer, representatives from NAB, FuboTV, and Consumer Reports testified regarding the video market in this aptly named Lights, Camera, Subscriptions: State of the Video Marketplace. There were common pain points, such as recent blackouts, that span party lines. Perhaps these pain points represent a place of common ground that will trigger an update of last-century cable television legislation to reflect today’s broadband reality.
A Future Enabled by Fiber – #FiberConnect2023
“If you think about the future of education, and the metaverse, quantum networking, all this future is enabled by fiber,” states Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. Speaking at Fiber Connect 2023, Bolton points out that this is a special moment as various groups unite to bring fiber everywhere and to everyone.
Fiber’s Sustainable Advantage – #Fiberconnect2023
Whether economic or environmental, sustainability is center stage as it relates to broadband deployments, particularly those that receive federal monies. The challenge is to balance the drive to bridge the digital divide while managing the accompanying energy consumption that this entails. At Fiber Connect 2023, OMDIA’s Julie Kunstler summarizes the track she led on sustainability.
Broadband as a Lifestyle Service – #FiberConnect2023
Workforce training is a subject of immense importance in the nationwide buildout of fiber-to-the-home networks as evidenced by its prominence as a topic at the recent Fiber Connect 2023 conference. Craig Thomas, VP of Business Development, and Strategic Marketing for the Broadband Forum, emphasizes the breadth and depth of opportunities available that go beyond the construction of the network in this interview from Fiber Connect 2023.
There’s a Place for You – Women in Fiber at #FiberConnect2023
“There’s a place for you,” states Alexa Edens, U.S. Industry Committee Chair for Women in Fiber. Edens, who is also Senior Director of Cloud Strategy and Business Development for KGPCo, explains that the fiber optics industry has a variety of jobs for women of all skills and interests. Part of the purpose of the Women in Fiber organization is to spread the word about the opportunities that are available. Another aim of the Women in Fiber group is to provide mentorship, points out Teresa McGaughey, AVP of Field and Segment Marketing for Calix.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts
- Unfortunately, Dr. Kornhauser’s warning from 5-years ago about the consequence of not having a welcoming environment for autonomous vehicles seems to be playing out in San Francisco. He has a strongly worded piece in this issue of the SmartDrivingCars’ newsletter on how the citizens and media are reacting to this new technology. His worst-case scenario of what might happen has come true in the City by the Bay.
- The title of this article “Pedestrian Who Died In August Incident That Paramedics Blamed on Cruise Vehicles Was Struck By Muni Bus” says it all. Again, at a minimum, this points to a non-welcoming environment in the Bay Area’s second-largest city and perhaps it points to an even bigger story.
- Could this be a sign of the future as it was the Mayor of Phoenix and not San Francisco, Cruise’s hometown, who provided the opening comments today introducing Cruise’s Origin vehicle? This purpose-built driverless vehicle is a true robotaxi with the goal of providing accessible, reliable, and affordable transportation. ViodiTV viewers got a sneak peek of this vehicle in this video.
- Perhaps rail will be able to make a shift to more efficient transport of goods (and people) similar to how telecom networks made the shift from TDM to packet (Internet Protocol). The concept seems similar to Henry Posner’s Pop-Up Metro.
- Roger Bindl does a nice job summarizing his experience with a recent Fiber to the Home deployment in rural Wisconsin. Given that the provider, 24/7 Telcom has roots as a telephone service provider it is appropriate that their fiber-based broadband and associated WiFi enabled his mobile phone to work in an area without cell coverage. High-speed service for uploading video files, streaming, and doing other things is great, but Bindl’s example shows that broadband these days is fundamental for today’s version of Plain Old Telephone Service.
The Korner – The Invisible Factory Enabled by the PRTC FTTH Network – #SRCLIVE
The focus of FOCUS is economic development in the five-county area that PRTC (The People’s Fiber Network) also serves with a state-of-the-art, all-fiber optic network. Thanks to that network, PRTC is recognized as an NTCA Smart Rural Community. This southeastern Kentucky-based non-profit and cooperative communications provider, respectively, “Envision Rural”, as FOCUS’ tagline indicates.
That is, they are inviting people outside the region to imagine what the region could be for them and how the area’s assets could make that vision a reality.
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