tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:16:55 +0000TeleFriedenA provocative, unsponsored assessment of current legal, regulatory, marketplace, and cultural issues affecting telecommunications and information policy presented by Rob Frieden, Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications and Law, Penn State Universityhttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)Blogger119125Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with Pageflakestag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-5392923919326465199Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:01:00 +00002009-10-23T12:18:20.753-04:00network managementFCC jurisdictionnetwork neutralitySummary of FCC's Rulemaking on Net Neutrality and Preserving the Open InternetConsistent with President Obama’s campaign promise to support network neutrality, the FCC has issued a broad sweeping Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to codify the four Internet principles adopted by the Commission in 2005[1] along with two additional principles requiring nondiscrimination and transparency. [2] With the two Republican Commissioners dissenting in part and concurring in http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/10/summary-of-fccs-rulemaking-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/Og3FoYMkheE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2868653167913289435Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:23:00 +00002009-10-15T14:27:12.604-04:00regulatory arbitragewirelesswireless videoNew Pub: Lock Down on the Third Screen: How Wireless Carriers Evade Regulation of Their Video ServicesThe latest Berkeley Technology Law Journal (Vol. 24, No. 2 819-849 Spring, 2009) has published my work on wireless video regulatory issues.Here's the abstract:Wireless handsets increasingly offer subscribers a new option for accessing the Internet and video programming. The converging technologies and markets that make this possible present a major regulatory quandary, because the Federal http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-pub-lock-down-on-third-screen-how.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/HhQKPcSvgH8" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-8281458361621440661Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:31:00 +00002009-10-14T13:33:13.086-04:00DisinformationWSJ Does Not Get Itwireless network neutralitynetwork neutralityWSJ’s Misinformation AgendaYear after year I read Wall Street Journal editorials and op eds on telecommunications with wonder. How can seemingly intelligent people—who generally write with great confidence bordering on arrogance—make such bold and wrong assertions nearly every time? Is there a News Corp./Murdoch agenda? Do these writers reflectively rail against any governmental intrusion? Are they leading the blockinghttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/10/wsjs-misinformation-agenda.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/2QxS1238ifY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6941391027129852300Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:19:00 +00002009-10-12T09:20:41.086-04:00spectrum auctionswalled gardensnetwork neutralityThe Front-end and Back-End Effects of Spectrum Auction Open Access CommitmentsAT&T and others have noted that when a spectrum auction bidder must commit to using the bandwidth for an open and nondiscriminatory network, the bidder reduces its maximum monetary offer. From this discounting, opponents to open access and network neutrality would have you believe that such principles impose quantifiable financial burdens, a kind of regulatory canopy that results in lost http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/10/front-end-and-back-end-effects-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/5YR5u0fs-lo" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-657140928667739056Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:56:00 +00002009-10-01T15:08:51.238-04:00Google Voiceregulatory arbitrageinformation serviceThe Regulatory Arbitrage LovefestMy day job, which includes finishing a book, updating a broadband law treatise, and trying to engage undergraduate students in the challenges of telecommunication and Internet policy, prevents me from weighing in each time I see yet another outrageous claim on such issues as network neutrality, broadband market penetration, and the competitiveness of U.S. telecoms markets. But I have to make timehttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/10/regulatory-arbitrage-lovefest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/bvOkBsEG8ss" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-7691568294914188034Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:29:00 +00002009-09-01T11:31:00.641-04:00FCC jurisdictionhandset exclusivitywirelessDoes the FCC Have Jurisdiction to Regulate Wireless Handsets?As the FCC launches a number of inquiries into the wireless marketplace, some opponents to such scrutiny have raised the argument that the FCC has no legal basis for regulating wireless handsets, much less interfere with exclusive distribution agreements. This strategy does inject fear, uncertainty and doubt possibly leading to the argument that regulatory uncertainty constitutes the sole basishttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/09/does-fcc-have-jurisdiction-to-regulate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/EZ_b8vGC580" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6454040905232697988Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:38:00 +00002009-08-30T11:40:09.025-04:00telecommunications policypoliticsMaking a Mark in Telecom Policy: The 3PI RuleWith over thirty years experience in trying to influence U.S. federal telecommunications policy making, I can offer insights about the process that have passed the test of time. The 3PI Rule applies equally regardless of presidential administration and political party notwithstanding the wishful thinking of some about a “brand new day.” While I am using trite phrases, I might as well add this http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/08/making-mark-in-telecom-policy-3pi-rule.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/aK93orkflEc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-7960100245743682591Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:24:00 +00002009-08-28T21:18:26.710-04:00market penetrationcable televisionFCC 30% Cap on Cable Operator Market Penetration VacatedThe D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the FCC's 30% cap on national market penetration by a single cable operator. Look for Comcast and Time Warner to acquire more operators and market share. Whether this consolidation will harm consumers depends on the cross-elasticity of alternative services including DBS, IPTV, and telephone company provided video services. It also depends on whether http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/08/further-cable-television-market.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/7DVviLIWNew" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-1178749297282348025Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:17:00 +00002009-08-11T14:28:17.183-04:00broadband statisticsLaw Review Article on U.S. Broadband StatisticsLies, Damn Lies and Statistics: Developing a Clearer Assessment of Market Penetration and Broadband Competition in the United States is available at:http://www.vjolt.net/vol14/issue2/v14i2_100%20-%20Frieden.pdf.Here's the abstract:This paper examines United States broadband penetration and pricing statistics with a critical eye, in light of other contradictory compilations by organizations other http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/08/law-review-article-on-us-broadband.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/rRRcmlOsefQ" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-3164731340550389851Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:55:00 +00002009-08-02T16:57:39.947-04:00regulatory statusGoogle VoicewirelessSome Unsolicited Advice for AT&T re Google VoiceThe FCC has posed a number of provocative questions to AT&T regarding the fact that iPhone subscribers cannot download and use the Google Voice application. See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/technology/companies/01google.html AT&T should stifle every motivation to play cute or clever with the FCC. Apple adopted such a strategy when it suggested to the Library of Congress and others that it http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/08/some-unsolicited-advice-for-at-re.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/DC7iemhdIw0" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-4626932597042585713Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:33:00 +00002009-07-31T14:34:31.101-04:00Revealing the Inner Geek: E Layer SkipDuring a tortuous 10 hour family drive the ionosphere sparkled. More specifically a layer of the ionosphere became more agitated and dense than usual—matching my mental state. With density this part of the atmosphere, approximately 65 miles above earth, reflected certain radio signals that normally pass through it.The FM radio band became active with distant signals coming in strong from up to http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/07/revealing-inner-geek-e-layer-skip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/Otge_sfFuTE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-8971618994929265652Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +00002009-07-23T14:54:04.299-04:00VoIPuniversal service fundinginformation servicesThe Google Telephone Company?Google has undertaken a beta-test of a telephony platform that includes the opportunity to route incoming calls to multiple devices and telephone numbers as well as free domestic long distance service. See http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html.Google offers a service that fits somewhere between computer-to-computer, Internet telephony and Voice over the Internet Protocol telephony with http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-telephone-company.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/TY-bw18PdjI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-442431263208079248Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:59:00 +00002009-07-13T14:00:05.502-04:00wireless freedomwireless CarterfoneResponse to Questions from Senator UdallFollowing up on the Senate Commerce Committee's hearing on wireless handset policy, Senator Tom Udall posed additional questions. My answers are available at: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/m/rmf5/ (in the section entitled Testimony on the Consumer Wireless Experience).http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/07/response-to-questions-from-senator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/jZhJ4Zf786M" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-8585069228537168890Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:47:00 +00002009-07-09T16:48:26.105-04:00wireless freedomhandset subsidiesWhy Is Your Smart Phone Is So Stupid?Brian Caulfield of Forbes magazine wrote a short piece posing the question: Why Is Your Smart Phone Is So Stupid? See http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/08/iphone-ericsson-mobile-intelligent-technology-iphone.html?partner=telecom_newsletter. He answers the question by reporting that the carriers disable the handsets in an attempt to prevent revenue drainage which would occur, for example, if iPhone http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-is-your-smart-phone-is-so-stupid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/eDMQ6V4S5yg" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-675527857780778480Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:24:00 +00002009-07-08T12:17:22.109-04:00wireless freedomWall Street Journal does not get itwireless CarterfoneWSJ Editorial on Wireless Handset ExclusivityThe Wall Street Journal has extended its record for knee jerk corporate boosterism and extreme snarkiness, this time rejecting any need to scrutinize the wireless industry. Seehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB124692981354203419.html. The Journal waxes poetic about the competitiveness and innovativeness of the industry, but surprisingly reports in its editorial that the top four wireless carriers http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/07/wsj-editorial-on-wireless-handset.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/FobdPSQTEvs" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-5919158047056147109Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:02:00 +00002009-06-30T14:12:23.204-04:00wirelesshandset freedomwireless CarterfoneResponse to Questions From Senator SnoweFollowing up on the Senate Commerce Committee's hearing on wireless handset policy, Senator Olympia Snowe posed additional questions. My answers are available at: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/m/rmf5/ (in the section entitled Testimony on the Consumer Wireless Experience).http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/06/response-to-questions-from-senator.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/rM0Fd_1Zkwc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-7995002721104103356Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:52:00 +00002009-06-24T14:59:18.651-04:00safe harborFirst AmendmentISPsnetwork neutralityNew Work in ProgressI have completed a draft of a paper that examines how Internet Service Providers claim First Amendment speaker rights even as they also claim to operate as neutral conduits. By claiming to operate as conduits, ISPs can secure “safe harbor” exemption from tort and copyright liability.I argue that current media models provide inconsistent and incomplete direction on how to consider ISPs’ joint http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-work-in-progress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/uKjiCAmKOqI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-3666274357498154067Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:41:00 +00002009-06-19T09:46:49.207-04:00wirelesswireless CarterfoneTestimony on the Consumer Wireless ExperienceThe Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing that examined wireless handset exclusivity, as well as limitations on consumers' access to functions available from wireless devices, and downloadable software applications. While no one disputed the likelihood that smart phones will increasingly operate like small personal computers. However, wireless subscribers do not have the same freedom to attachhttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/06/testimony-on-consumer-wireless.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/5wCkuv6zsEE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2682575655690860821Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:17:00 +00002009-06-10T15:25:38.725-04:00regulatory arbitragewireless videoAnother Work in Progress--Lock Down on the Third Screen: How Wireless Carriers Evade Regulation of Their Video ServicesSet out below is the abstract for another work in progress that considers whether wireless carriers should evade regulation of their "third screen" video services. The paper will appear in a future edition of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal; a darft version is available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=102928Wireless handsets increasingly offer subscribers a new http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-work-in-progress-lock-down-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/hBLIeLl6zrY" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-807968382166349185Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:12:00 +00002009-06-10T15:17:30.441-04:00broadband statisticsWork in Progress-Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics: Developing a Clearer Assessmentof Market Penetration and Broadband Competition in the United StatesSet out below is the abstract for a current work in progress on the dodgy world of broadband market penetration data collection. The work will appear in an upcoming edition of the Virginia Journal of Law and Technology. A current draft is available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=102928Depending on the source one can conclude that United States consumers enjoy access http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/06/work-in-progress-lies-damn-lies-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/O-o8NyzPJ2U" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2125416162155158469Mon, 04 May 2009 14:59:00 +00002009-05-05T09:03:12.420-04:00universal service reformuniversal servicecost allocationDistance Is Not Dead or Cost FreeIn 1997, Frances Cairncross wrote a book entitled The Death of Distance (Harvard Business School Press) that heralded the Internet’s ability to transcend and mitigate much of the financial and logistical challenges posed by geography. Certainly the Internet enhances productivity and opportunities, particularly for people in remote places. But what make distance less significant is the product of http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/05/distance-is-not-dead-or-cost-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/WV0rWxrl2Ug" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6863080799765534753Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:23:00 +00002009-04-14T14:24:13.461-04:00common carrierinformation serviceswirelessCarriers That Can Say NoRecently several press accounts reported that AT&T will allow iPhone subscribers to access Skype’s Voice Over the Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) telephone service via wi-fi, but not using the AT&T wireless network. See, e.g., http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-04-01-att-skype-iphone_N.htm. Unlike some carriers that disable wi-fi access via cellphones, AT&T could not block Apple’s interest in http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/04/carriers-that-can-say-no.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/6l6y-wrnwII" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-5038273676630662730Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:08:00 +00002009-03-31T09:09:32.798-04:00wirelesswireless CarterfoneSkype Jailbreak and the Unholy Alliance of Wireless Handset Makers and CarriersNews of conditional iPhone Skype access has arrived; see http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/fring-for-the-iphone-all-skype-no-gripe/?pagemode=print. I use the word conditional, because iPhone users can access the service only via a Wi-Fi connection and not via the AT&T network.This announcement provides both good and bad news. On one hand, Apple the computer manufacturer recognizes http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/03/skype-jailbreak-and-unholy-alliance-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/6V_26bJnLaE" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-3463803245828669177Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:14:00 +00002009-03-18T13:14:30.735-04:00unbundlingUnbundling in CanadaIt appears that the incumbent wireline carriers in Canda use the same strategy as incumbent carriers in the U.S., i.e., play the investment disincentive card by threatening to delay or abandon infrastructure investment, coupled with a Constitutional claim of property confiscation. The current economic crisis supports an additional adverse impact to employment gambit. See Telecom TV, Can't sharehttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/03/unbundling-in-canada.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/xD-QpQY8zCw" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6768045429638403860Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:03:00 +00002009-02-26T13:06:57.302-05:00competitionpredatory pricingantitrustprice squeezeSupreme Court Further Limits Antitrust Remedies for Carrier Pricing ComplaintsBy a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court has further reduced the opportunity for a carrier competitor of an incumbent to seek an FCC or judicial remedy to pricing strategies arguably designed to eliminate competition by offering wholesale prices below that charged to competitors for similar services. [1] In 2003 several Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) filed suit against Pacific Bell Telephonehttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/02/supreme-court-further-limits-antitrust.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/_UN-cSbufEI" height="1" width="1"/>