tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:48:26 +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)Blogger106125Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with Pageflakestag: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)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/_UN-cSbufEI" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-3276343041910782297Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:31:00 +00002009-02-17T13:37:06.736-05:00telecommunications serviceVoIPinformation servicesCan Common Carrier Regulated Telephone Companies Limit Service Plans to Bundled Subscribers?Several press outlets have disclosed that Verizon may offer very low cost telephone service options available only to subscribers who already have Verizon-provided Internet access. See http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUKN1735246920090217.One $5 plan would limit outbound calling to 911 emergency and Verizon customer service, while a $10 plan would include some regular http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/02/can-common-carrier-regulated-telephone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/0OMCfuv8Zrs" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-751139492600799603Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +00002009-02-11T10:34:33.552-05:00telecom fraudsIRUscapacity swapsWorldcomThe Non-Lesson From Telecom FraudsDoes anyone remember how Worldcom, Qwest, 360 Communications and other telecommunications carriers overstated revenues by booking capacity swaps as current income? Like their Enron counterparts, telecom managers came to understand that there was more bonus money and stock appreciation in creating esoteric capacity swaps then in stimulating demand through enhanced service. History http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/02/non-lesson-from-telecom-frauds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/jyZSp_9dYf8" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-5634426884411418281Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:56:00 +00002009-02-09T14:57:40.170-05:00Carterfonewireless network neutralityinformation appliancesRegulatory Status of Wireless Information AppliancesNews of a slimmed down Amazon Kindle electronic book has triggered this question: what regulatory status applies to devices that use wireless capacity purchased by the appliance vendor and bundled into the cost of both the appliance and downloads? In the United States the FCC has exempted bundlers of telecommunications capacity on grounds that they do not retail a telecommunications service.But http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/02/regulatory-status-of-wireless.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/9f6T4UZumkw" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-3375314912419560193Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:01:00 +00002009-02-04T14:02:37.650-05:00VoIPInternet telephonyComcast Letter Hints at the Potential Common Carrier Regulation of VoIP ServiceWhile the FCC has classified cable modem and DSL Internet access an information services, the Commission has not specified whether VoIP similarly qualifies. On one hand software applications, riding along a cable modem or DSL link, create VoIPs services. But on the other hand high level FCC managers recently noted that when an Internet Service Provider markets VoIP as a facilities-based servicehttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/02/comcast-letter-hints-at-potential.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/cDhFbfnP2ls" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2243402746255157066Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:01:00 +00002009-01-29T09:03:08.576-05:00regulatory reformFCCTop Ten List of FCC Regulatory Reforms—Part Two4) Fairly Report the State of an Industry When Reporting to Congress Federal legislation regularly requires the FCC to provide Congress with annual updates on the health and competitiveness of various market sectors. FCC management has assumed the responsibility to provide Congress with the best possible assessment of marketplace conditions as opposed to a realistic one. For http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-list-of-fcc-regulatory_29.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/lpGPWIDYFJM" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6792521008717172519Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:11:00 +00002009-01-16T10:16:57.031-05:00regulatory reformFCCTop Ten List of FCC Regulatory Reforms—Part One10) Honesty is the best policy.At the risk of anthromorphizing a regulatory agency, at the very least the FCC has not told the complete truth, or put itself in a position not to know the truth. The FCC has contributed to debates about what constitutes credible facts and statistics, and what this data means. For example, soon-to-be former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin asserted as the gospel truth his http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-list-of-fcc-regulatory.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/iS2BrrqPk2k" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6973862569258278180Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:10:00 +00002009-01-12T13:24:55.758-05:00universal service reformUniversal Service ReformAn increasing number of players—including the incoming Administration—have expressed interest in reforming the process by which the federal government seeks to promote wider and more affordable access to telecommunications services. Currently wireline, wireless and now many Internet telephone subscribers contribute over $7 billion annually to universal service funding, most of which goes to http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-practices-in-promoting-universal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/2Kui9Pmx_uw" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-413712085213660574Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:03:00 +00002009-01-09T14:05:58.297-05:00digital televisiondigital conversionAnalog VideophilesJust as some audiophiles swear by the virtues of analog audio, I think we soon will have millions of analog videophiles. Despite all the preparation for the compulsory migration to digital broadcast television, it appears only now has someone in authority—or soon to have authority—recognized a technological characteristic of digital video transmissions: there is no gradual signal attenuation. http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/01/analog-viodeophiles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/bUl8ykvqxbc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2044676500336525053Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:10:00 +00002009-01-01T15:18:42.607-05:00competitionwirelessspectrum managementWireless Economies of Scale at the Price of Diminished CompetitionIn 2001 the FCC eliminated a cap on the amount of bandwidth a single wireless carrier could control. With nothing coming close to quantifiable or empirical evidence, the Commission simply bought the assertion of incumbent carriers that the public interest would benefit when incumbent carriers can achieve better scale economies to serve a growing subscriber base. The FCC made no credible http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2009/01/wireless-economies-of-scale-at-price-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/GR3N5mYFx1I" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-6656168035764220032Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:55:00 +00002008-12-29T09:56:21.419-05:00competitionwirelessaccess pricingFuzzy Math in Calculating the Cost and Profit in Wireless Text MessagingThe New York Times recently addressed the issue of wireless texting cost and strongly implied that carriers make a lot of money from this service that costs them little to provide. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/business/28digi.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss. Of course wireless carriers quickly will respond that consumers (can) get an incredible bargain by subscribing to an all you can http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2008/12/fuzzy-math-in-calculating-cost-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/pGu0oSoTxcc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-9121253653876540088Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:53:00 +00002008-12-29T09:54:57.868-05:00U.S. competitivenesscompetitionwirelessDeconstructing AT&T’s Claims About the iPhoneUnlike the other wireless carriers, which primarily use advertisements to claim how well their networks work, AT&T pitches both reliability and speed. AT&T claims to operate the nation’s fastest 3G network. See http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp?WT.srch=1. The carrier claims the following bit rate delivery speeds: “typical download speeds of 700 Kbps—1.7 Mbps;”http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2008/12/deconstructing-at-claims-about-iphone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/W19oy0yKsDc" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-2296752476938551640Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:02:00 +00002008-12-29T19:32:41.627-05:00network managementnetwork neutralityDo Transparency and Non-Discrimination Requirements Impose De facto Common Carriage Duties?Birtelcom has asked whether a Network Neutrality requirement of transparency and nondiscrimination in effect imposes a common carrier responsibility on ISPs serving Goggle to provide edge caching. Fair question.As Information Service providers, not subject to Title II telecommunications service regulation of the Communications Act, ISPs do not have to provide any service they do not care to offerhttp://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2008/12/does-transparency-and-non.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/fkBinFQXseM" height="1" width="1"/>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518538516094111151.post-5130349390163311953Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:38:00 +00002008-12-24T09:17:43.074-05:00network managementWall Street Journal does not get itnetwork neutralityWall Street Journal 100% Record Sustained—Deliberately Getting it Wrong on Network NeutralityMonth after month the Wall Street Journal (“WSJ”) pursues what appears to be a deliberate strategy of misinformation on the issue of Network Neutrality. The latest installment appears in Dec. 23rd editorial written by Gordon Crovitz who attempts to equate Google’s enhanced use of edge caching as evidence that the entire matter of Network Neutrality has been much ado about nothing. See http://http://telefrieden.blogspot.com/2008/12/wall-street-journal-100-record.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Rob Frieden)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Telefrieden/~4/InOh0oBFj-U" height="1" width="1"/>