New Infographic on Mobile Health

You’ve got to check out this latest infographic from Mobile Future.  It’s all about the positive impact of mobile devices and wireless tools on mobile health – improving care for patients and helping doctors.  Here are just a few of the data points illustrated in the infographic:

  • 247 million Americans have downloaded a health app;
  • 40,000 medical apps are available for tablets and smartphones;
  • 42% of U.S. hospitals use digital health technology;
  • 95 million Americans use mobile devices as health tools.

The infographic includes other interesting information on how smart mobile devices are impacting our health care use.  It also notes that smartphones are becoming tools for seniors, with cell phone ownership among U.S. seniors increasing 55% in the past year. Take a look at the infographic and see all the interesting facts: http://mobilefuture.org/resources/mobile-health-tools/.

New Report: How U.S. Broadband Compares to EU

I’m a big fan of the Netflix show, House of Cards, and eagerly awaited the start of Season 2 with so many other faithful fans.  So, this week’s op-ed by AEI’s Visiting Fellow Roslyn Layton, based on her report on the same topic, caught my immediate interest when she started with a reference to viewers’ access needs for the show.  In her recently released report, she presents a study of how next generation broadband networks in the U.S. compare to those in the EU—a factor that certainly impacts the delivery of the services we all enjoy.

What Layton discovers in her research is that the U.S. now exceeds the EU on several fronts.  There is far more investment in the U.S.; per capita investment in broadband in the U.S. is now twice that of Europe, and it continues to grow.  In the EU, 4G/LTE only reaches 26% of the population, while in the U.S., one company alone can reach 90% of the population.  In terms of cost, when taxes and other extra costs are added, Americans actually pay less for broadband, Layton discovers.  But the most interesting difference she presents is the broadband measure of speed—one that is often cited in comparisons to other countries.  She states, “Data from both the U.S. and EU demonstrate that the U.S. exceeds the EU on a number of important broadband measures, including prevalence of speeds of 100 Mbps or greater and availability of cable, LTE, and Fiber to the Home (FTTH). All told, 74% of Europeans rely on DSL for broadband, whereas only 34% of Americans do.”

I thought the information Layton offers is quite interesting, particularly her concluding remark that indicates that EU leaders are now abandoning their approach and looking at the U.S. broadband model of infrastructure-based competition and private investment.

NARUC Panel on IP Interconnection

At the NARUC Winter Conference, state commissioners on the Telecommunications Committee held a panel to hear representatives from industry and the public interest discuss IP interconnection.  I attended the session to hear the discussion on the interconnection issues and the regulatory framework necessary for the transition to IP.

Sprint’s Charles McKee spoke about the benefits of IP for both consumers and carriers, and the importance of interconnection.  AT&T’s Hank Hultquist agreed; he stated that interconnection cannot be optional.  While there can be a regulatory backstop, it should be for all providers – not just some.  Hultquist also suggested that interested parties engage in a conversation about these interconnection issues.  Jodie Griffin, Public Knowledge, stressed the need for strong regulation of interconnection rules.  Joe Gillan, of Gillan Associates, agreed.

Another important point raised during the panel, was about the benefits the IP transition will bring to consumers.  Hultquist discussed how the IP network offers a solution to robo calling and spoofing – problems not easily resolved on the PSTN.  Also, the IP network offers high quality audio, video, etc. – clear benefits for consumers.  This was an interesting discussion about interconnection issues, as well as the consumer benefits of the IP network.

State Commissioners Discuss Regulatory Role

This week, state regulatory commissioners met in Washington, DC for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) winter.  I had the opportunity to attend the conference and heard an interesting panel discussion on the regulatory functions of state regulators pertaining to some important telecommunications issues for consumers.

State Commissioners John Burke (Vermont), Anne Boyle (Nebraska) and James Cawley (Pennsylvania) discussed the transition to an all IP network.  The Commissioners emphasized their role as an important buffer between the companies and consumers and need to help resolve any consumer complaints.  Commissioners Burke and Boyle spoke about working together with the FCC, and serving as an important resource for consumers on the state level.  Commissioner Boyle stated that there is no regulatory one-size-fits-all policy for resolving issues.

Technology and the Sochi Olympics

The Winter Olympics in Sochi are about to begin, and, as this significant event takes place, here’s an important question from a technology standpoint:  will all the smartphones, tablets and wireless devices brought by the estimated 213,000 visitors cause the city’s wireless networks to overload?

It’s happened before.  Two years ago at the London Olympics, so many spectators watching the men’s road cycling race were streaming, downloading and tweeting that officials couldn’t access information from the bikers’ GPS chips.  Officials were in the dark about basic details such as how far back the chasing pack was from the leaders. As a result, an International Olympic Committee spokesman announced that mobile usage at the games was interfering with television coverage and asked spectators to limit their texts and tweets.

This same dynamic involving spiraling wireless usage and the prospect of overloaded data networks at Sochi is a real prospect here in the U.S.  A year ago, according to Nielsen, the average U.S. consumer used 733 MB of data a month and the amount has most certainly grown since that time.

The last three years have seen millions of mobile users flock to new video services such as Vine, Snapchat and Instagram. Last June, when the Miami Heat won its NBA title, Instagram users uploaded 40 hours of mobile video per minute and 5 million mobile videos in 24 hours.

However, while data wireless usage has skyrocketed, the federal government has not made any significant portion of the country’s airwaves available for mobile users since 2008, even as the percent of Americans with smartphones has gone from 20 percent to 65 percent – incredible growth.

Finally, there is a major spectrum auction planned for 2015 and the stakes are high.  For the FCC, one of the auction issues is determining if any carriers will be restricted from bidding which could detrimentally impact their wireless users who could lose faster speeds of services

There are other risks involved from restricting bidders from the auction that are of great concern. First, Congress mandated that revenues from this spectrum auction fully fund the build out of FirstNet, a national interoperable public safety network for first responders.  Without the money that comes from robust, dynamically competitive auction bidding, this critical network could go unfunded, leaving emergency personnel without access to necessary high-speed broadband networks.,  Second, there’s also the additional potential hit to taxpayers from lost auction revenue that would go toward debt reduction – reported to be as much as $12 billion.

The anticipated extensive use of mobile devices by Americans keeping track of their favorite sports and athletes at the Sochi Olympics offer us the opportunity to consider the extent of innovation in our mobile networks – and reminds us of just how important this is to consumers today.  It is crucial that the FCC adopt an auction regulatory framework that produces the best results for consumers, public safety, and the economy.

Facebook Turns Ten

Happy Birthday Facebook! You are 10 years old today – a mere decade – and look how you have grown. In its early days, Facebook was just for college students. Now, the fastest growing new users of the social network are adults, age 45 to 54. While just about everyone knows about Facebook, the facts about the social network’s growth in just ten years are even more astounding: 1.23 billion active monthly users worldwide, 201.6 billion friend connections, and 6 billion “likes” on Facebook a day.

However, there have been a number of privacy concerns for Facebook users over the years. The use of personal information, and whether or not that information should be provided to third parties continues to be a significant concern for users. Facebook does make tools available to its users to help protect their privacy, but the privacy concerns are still raised within the social network. I know it’s important for users to be aware of these privacy protections and to use the tools to manage the information shared.

Facebook has a short, but impressive history of building a social network that has served a world of users connecting with friends and family. It will be interesting to see how it will continue to build and grow in the future.

FCC Acts to Move Forward on IP Transition Trials

In the fall of 2012, AT&T filed a petition at the FCC to request IP transition trials in a limited number of areas, and now the Federal Communications Commission will finally make this concept a reality. At yesterday’s Commission meeting, the FCC Commissioners’ vote was unanimous to approve experiments – or trials – testing the move from plain old telephone service to all IP services.

Chairman Wheeler was clear that these trials are not just technology trials. Instead, the trials will focus on the values of communications’ services, and how to preserve and protect the fundamental values of public safety, access to affordable service, consumer protection, and competition. The Commissioners’ all expressed optimism about the process that will soon unfold. Commissioner Rosenworcel stated that the right approach to an IP transition must be informed by values, which will be upheld during these experiments. She added that she is confident that technology is up to the task of meeting the challenges. Commissioner Pai stated that he is optimistic that the trials will be a success. The trials, he indicated, are but one step on the path to the IP transition, and we must still act on consumer protections and resolve outdated regulations.

The FCC is hoping that many providers will participate in the trials (proposals are due February 20) and final decisions will be made at the FCC’s May meeting. I think this is an important decision for consumers. The trials will include many different stakeholders and will be overseen by the FCC; these trials are designed to help determine how to more effectively move forward with the IP transition, and ultimately bring the benefits of advanced services to all consumers nationwide.

 

Viva Las Vegas… and CES

Earlier this month, I attended the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  With over 150,000 people in attendance, from all over the world, it was an incredible experience.  The technology one has an opportunity to view ranges from the simple (audio speakers and headphones) to the more sophisticated software with applications that are truly innovative.  There were innovative electronic devices for smart cars, smart homes, smart phones, smart tablets, … smart everything!

One of the more popular areas of the CES show floor were the robotics, with flying drones that moved in precision to music and could take videos from several different angles.  The 3 dimensional printers were also very popular this year, after having made their initial launch last year.  In one year, the 3D printer technology has exploded and several companies are now offering personal 3D printers for home or small business use.  While I was sampling a piece of candy that was “printed” on a 3D printer, Martha Stewart (!) came by to see how the printers could be used as an arts and crafts and cooking tool.

Innovations in technology are also helping consumers improve their health and fitness and an entire area of the show was devoted to digital health.  While many of us are familiar with activity trackers such as Jawbone and Fitbit, I found many other fitness tools in the digital health section that can help individuals who may have special health needs such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

In addition to the technology on display on the show floor, there were many policy panel discussions.  FCC Chairman Wheeler had a one-on-one dialogue with CEA’s President Gary Shapiro.  The Chairman spoke about the upcoming incentive spectrum auctions, the IP transition, and several other issues on the FCC’s agenda such as the e-rate and disability access to technology.  The other four Commissioners participated on another panel and continued the discussion on some of these issues, as well as the topic of an open Internet.

CES is a truly amazing experience.  The level of innovation that is happening today is overwhelming.  It is important to note that so many of these devices that have been developed, or that will soon be in consumers’ homes and hands, will need reliable networks to operate.   So I can see firsthand how important it is to consumers to make more spectrum available.  This is an important goal for us to all work toward.

Court Decision on Net Neutrality

On January 14th,  the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued its decision in the case of Verizon v. FCC, with regards to the FCC’S net neutrality rules.  The decision basically strikes down the Commission’s anti-blocking and anti-discrimination net neutrality regulations on Internet service providers.  You can check out the Court’s decision here: http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/3AF8B4D938CDEEA685257C6000532062/$file/11-1355-1474943.pdf

 

FCC Presentation on IP Transition

Last week was quite a week for the Federal Communications Commission and the new Chairman, Tom Wheeler.  Not only did all five Commissioners testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the full slate of issues before the agency, but also on the same day this week they held a monthly meeting that addressed some important issues for consumers.  While one issue clearly got all the press – the question of whether or not we will be able to make calls on airplanes in the near future – there was another agenda item of significant interest to consumers:  the IP transition.

I attended the FCC’s meeting and listened to the presentation from the FCC’s Technology Transitions Policy Task Force.  The Task Force staff outlined its recommendations for experiments – or trials –, which the Commissioners will vote on in January at their next monthly meeting (to be held on January 30th). The trials will help determine any issues related to the transition to Internet Protocol delivery of network services – a transition that has been ongoing for some time already, bringing advanced services to consumers.  It was great to hear that the Commission is interested in conducting these trials and getting them done in an expeditious manner.

Assuming the January order is approved, and based on the positive statements from all Commissioners, the Task Force indicated the order would include short timelines to expedite the process.  I was also pleased to hear that the trials will focus on the consumer impact.  At the meeting, the FCC also announced that the agency would partner with the National Institute on Aging to collaborate on research into the use of IP technology to improve and make more accessible telecommunications services that can benefit older adults with hearing disabilities or deafness.  Chairman Wheeler announced that he expects there will be other agency collaborations on the IP transition.

I think it’s great that the FCC is taking the first step to move forward on determining how to address any consumer issues related to the ongoing IP transition and I look forward to more information to come with the January order.

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