Category Archives: Open Networks

Mike O’Connor on 700 Mhz Spectrum Aution

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Thanks to Mike O’Connor for taking time to talk with us yesterday on the upcoming FCC Spectrum auction. Also thanks to his patience in editing out my kids in the background!

[odeo= http://odeo.com/audio/15896943/view]

(Having troiuble? You can download it here.)

Resources for Learning More about the Spectrum Auction:

Google’s Take on the Auction – they appear to outline their plans regarding the auction.

700 MHz Explained in 10 Steps – a nice intro to the whole topic of spectrum. (The comments here are fun to read too.)

FCC About Spectrums – more general information on spectrum bidding. Include information on becoming a bidder, if you’re interested:

Blandin on Broadband has also been following the topic. You can see article we have written here.

Live at the Speed of Light Report

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It’s a rainy Saturday and I’m taking the opportunity to catch up with lots of email – and actual mail. Earlier this week I got a really nice report in the mail and I have been enjoying it. I’ll paste the official announcement below. If you haven’t received a copy please consider checking it out online or calling the folks at Blandin for a copy (218-327-8738).Live at the Speed of Light

In a newly released report, Live at the Speed of Light, Blandin Foundation’s Broadband Initiative makes the case for Open Access Networks as a solution worthy of consideration for rural Minnesota communities that want to retain a competitive edge in the global economy.

The report states, “Businesses must have ready access to high-speed connectivity in order to support the continued development of the services and applications that enable them to remain competitive in the global economy”….and, yet, “relying on market forces alone will not close America’s growing ‘broadband gap,’ particularly in rural areas, where low population densities present an especially challenging business case for incumbent providers who must attend to their bottom line.”

Open Access Networks are public-private partnership-based alternatives to the dominant US model of incumbent owned and operated, closed networks. Because Open Access Networks are owned and controlled independently of any service or content that runs over them, anyone can connect to the network to take or provide content or service from or to anyone they choose.

Community Broadband Act of 2007

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Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today introduced legislation to help make broadband access universal and affordable across the country. (Read the full press release.)

Here are the big points as quoted from the press release:

  1. Sets forth that no state regulation or requirement shall prevent a public provider from offering broadband services;
  2. Prohibits a municipality from discriminating against competing private providers;
  3. Requires a municipality offering high-speed Internet services to comply with Federal telecommunications law or regulation that applies to all such providers;
  4. Encourages public-private partnerships and;
    Provides the public with notice and an opportunity to be heard before a municipality provides broadband to the public.

The good news is that I think this opens the door for open networks. I’m not sure what this will mean for statewide franchising legislation – it seems to emphasize local government, rather than statewide initiatives.

Also I don’t see a direct relationship with the spectrum auction – except that the Google letter I blogged about earlier today promotes open networks (and platforms) and as I said this seems to open that door wider (no pun intended).

Google on the Spectrum Auction

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Google letter to FCCOn Friday Google posted their “commitment to open broadband platforms” on the official blog which talks about the upcoming Spectrum Auction (we blogged about that earlier).

Google has apparently urged the FCC to consider four types of “open” platforms as part of the auction:

  1. Open applications: consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
  2. Open devices: consumers should be able to utilize their handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;
  3. Open services: third parties (resellers) should be able to acquire wireless services from a 700 MHz licensee on a wholesale basis, based on reasonably nondiscriminatory commercial terms; and
  4. Open networks: third parties (like Internet service providers) should be able to interconnect at any technically feasible point in a 700 MHz licensee’s wireless network.

Hmmm – kinda interesting. Google has blogged about open networks and the spectrum auction. (The comments are particularly interesting in that post!) But I think this is the first time they have promised/threatened to put their money where their mouth is. On July 20, 2007, Google CEO Eric Schmidt sent a letter to FCC Chair Kevin Martin saying that should the “Commission expressly adopt the four license conditions requested in our July 9th letter – with specific, enforceable, and enduring rules – Google intends to commit a minimum of $4.6 billion to bidding in the upcoming auction.”

Forbes on the Upcoming Spectrum Auction

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I ran into a good article in Forbes today (Questions Raised Over Broadband Plan) about the upcoming Spectrum sale.

The quick background – the FCC is looking to auction off radio spectrum that is being made available by TV’s shift to digital media. It’s a good way to raise money. (Forbes claims it could be worth $20 billion.) I’ve seen plenty of articles questioning how it will be done and whether or not it is wise for the government to sell such as asset. One debate was whether spectrum (or a portion of the spectrum) should be saved for public safety communication.

The debate raised/observed by Forbes is – should part of it be earmarked for a large wholesale provider to build a large network in an open access model, where smaller providers could rent space or access to the network to provide service to end users?

Apparently such a rule was not included in the latest version of the spectrum proposal – although no rule was added that would exclude a larger wholesaler as a buyer.

This is a big deal because opening up this spectrum means that we could open the door to a whole new genre of broadband providers to join the telephone and cable companies. And the spectrum is an endangered resources of a sorts – access is not unlimited.

The proposal was not made public and apparently won’t be made public in draft format. Voting to approve the proposal could happen as early as July 31, 2007

Dick Nordvold on the Iron Range Community FiberNet

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FiberNetI just got off of the phone with Dick Nordvold, consultant to the Iron Range Community FiberNet. They recently unveiled a new web site that tracks their progress in building “state of the art communications network that will make voice, video and data services available in 12 Iron Range communities. This fiber-optic network will equal the capabilities of the best networks in the world and will be one of the few available in Minnesota.” (quoted from their web site)

I think the Iron Range project is interesting because it serves as a model for other rural communities looking into building out a network that will help the community thrive in future. Here are some of the quick facts:

First a little background for folks who don’t know about the project – then notes on my talk with Dick. Continue reading →

Open Networks Provides Opportunity for Service

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Today I’m writing from the Minnesota Rural Summit. It has been really interesting, especially to hear about the changing demographics and the potential (and past) economic and social impact of the changes.

(I’ll be posting most of the PowerPoint presentations from the Summit online.)

During a break I read an interesting article in Broadband Properties (The User Manual is a Loser Manual). The subtitle really says it all – “private cable operators should follow the example of good retailers.” Continue reading →

Senate & House Telecommunications Bills Update

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fiber opticsI love when people help me out with information! Towards that end I was delighted to speak today with Anne Higgins from the Minnesota League of Cities on the statewide cable franchising bill.

One thing I had missed in an earlier blog post was where the bill is going next. I had said that it will be going to the Committee on Commerce and Labor but it sounds as if it will get pulled back into the Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division after the first of the year. Also it seems as if Qwest has plans to try local cable franchises between now and the first of the year to see how accommodating local entities are.

Representative Johnson also mentioned getting together a working group or two to discuss the bill further and there was a mention of getting someone to talk about the FCC ruling on video conferencing. Elizabeth Emerson, committee administrator, at (651) 296-7175 or elizabeth.emerson@house.mn is the one to contact about the working groups.

One interesting aspect of the potential move is that there is no overlap in members of the Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division and the Committee on Commerce. It seems as if the learning curve could be potentially pretty steep.

I have not been following the bill as closely in the Senate I did finally listen to the archive of the meeting from April 24. Continue reading →

April 11 TISP – High Speed Minnesota

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Rick KingI went to the TISP meeting last night on High Speed Minnesota: Gigabit Broadband Goals. Rick King (of Thomson), Tom Garrison (of City of Eagan), and Representative Masin presented on how and why the Broadband Bill (HF2107) is a good idea.

Rick and Tom were kind enough to let me post the presentation online. It was interesting; there were  similarities between the Tom Garrisonpresentation and the presentation given to the Telecommunications Regulation Committee meeting a couple of weeks ago. So I didn’t bother to take very detailed notes on the prepared presentation and I focused on the questions instead.

I did the best I could with getting everyone’s name, but if anyone catches an error or wants to add something – please do! Continue reading →

Ely Timberjay on Iron Range Fiber Optic Project

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TimberJay Newspaper - Ely MNImagine if you could access high speed broadband in Ely, you could be working while you sit on the beach or in the ice fishing hut. (OK I wouldn’t ever really ice fish, but with broadband access to my laptop I could.)

The Timberay Newspaper covers Ely, Tower, and Cook Minnesota. They recently ran two articles about the area’s plans for a fiber optic network. Last week (Consultant: Fiber optic network offers countless uses) they noted the many opportunities that high speed broadband would bring. Yes, voice, video, and data would be easier – but broadband also brings the opportunity for new applications.

Matt Wenger, of PacketFront (previously mentioned on this blog) was in the area and shared stories of a case study from Vasteras, Sweden, which has used a similar network to transform the delivery of health care, help small businesses, and improve communications throughout the community of 80,000 households.

More recently (Politics, price tag challenge Range-wide high-speed Internet project) the newspaper got into the nitty gritty (financing) of installing and supporting a regional fiber optic network. (A total of 11 communities have signed up at this point but signing up doesn’t require a financial commitment.)

Local officials seem to like the idea but state legislators have not yet jumped onto the broadband wagon. First, there is the funding issue. The estimated cost is $49.1 million. The project is seeking $9.5 million from IRRR but will also want to approach the State legislature for $16 million. State legislators seem unconvinced at this point that there will be a return on investment.

Second, established telecommunications companies, like Qwest and Frontier, and cable television providers, oppose the idea. They do not believe that public dollars should support competition to private businesses. Like the legislators they are unsure that the investment will pay off. (You can get more details from the article.)

The article mentions that “it’s a pretty well known fact that the United States lags far behind in connectivity.” I have to say I agree and I think often the established providers can be a big part of the problem. Doing things the way we’ve been doing them isn’t working. It might be time to re-think how we do things and make some changes – with or without the established guys.

Why Blandin Likes Open Networks

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Get BroadbandOver the last six months or so, the Blandin Foundation has been re-investigating the best ways to approach broadband across Minnesota – especially in rural Minnesota. Last month they sent a concept paper on one promising approach – Open Networks. Below is a excerpt from the document sent to the board. I post this with the permission of the Blandin Foundation. I thought it did a great job of describing open networks and Blandin’s perspective on open networks. Continue reading →