In a vote that advances both broadband infrastructure and opportunities for access for minorities across the United States, the House overwhelmingly supported H.R. 694, the Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Act of 2007, this week.  TIA applauds the House for their vote and urges the Senate to do the same.  In the world of technology convergence, next-generation networks are revolutionizing the way that we communicate with one another.  It is imperative that all Americans have equal access to new technologies in order for the United States to compete in the global marketplace.

H.R. 694 would provide up to $250 million in grants for minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions. The grants would go to HBCUs and similar institutions –including institutions "with a sufficient enrollment of needy students" of all ethnicities, as defined under the Higher Education Act of 1965 – for technology upgrades and infrastructure, in addition to funding services for technology degrees and educator training.  The bill, if approved, would require program assessment every three years by the National Academy of Public Administration.

TIA believes H.R. 694, which passed by a vote of 331-59, was a great step in the right direction toward broadband deployment, and also toward our stated goal of higher levels of minority management and ownership in the tech and telecom sectors. 

Please contact Tom Shull at 703.907.7014 or tshull@tiaonline.org with any questions or comments.

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This week, TIA is participating as a U.S. delegation member in the International Telecommunication Union’s 2007 Council session.  The Council acts much like a board of directors for the ITU, with members elected from five world regions – the Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia – to manage the overall operations of the ITU.

One important topic considered during this year’s Council session is the ITU’s role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In 2001, with the lofty and important goal of “bridging the digital divide,” the United Nations endorsed a plan to convene the WSIS in two phases. The first phase was held in Geneva in 2003, where the objective was to develop political support and establish a foundation for the global undertaking. The second phase, held in Tunis in 2005, set in motion an action plan on issues related to Internet governance, financing and implementation.

After much debate among stakeholders, the 2005 WSIS meeting established an Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which meets regularly to discuss policy issues related to the Internet. TIA is watching the IGF discussions very closely, noting that the “hands off” approach to the Internet to date has contributed to its rapid development. While TIA supports the goal of WSIS and the IGF to bridge the digital divide, TIA does not support global micro-management of the Internet, which may ultimately restrict innovation and its continued development, ultimately harming the very constituents WSIS seeks to help.

At the time of publication, the ITU is developing a resolution regarding its role in the WSIS process. The wording and phrasing of the document are being debated in exhaustive detail, according to TIA participants. While the final outcome of these detailed discussions is yet to be determined, the ITU will no doubt continue its involvement in the WSIS process, ensuring that all countries ultimately benefit from the reseources and services the Internet has to offer.

Please contact Ian Martinez at imartinez@tiaonline.org or 703.907.7723 with any questions or comments about TIA's involvement with the ITU and WSIS.

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TIA filed comments with the FCC responding to the commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding E911 location accuracy and reliability requirements for public safety, because there simply isn't a near-term, implementable and technically feasible solution that meets the proposed accuracy requirements at every Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) across the country, as the NPRM proposes. 

Carriers and manufacturers are unanimous in their assessment that the proposed new standard cannot be achieved with current technology, and even the National Emergency Number Association has acknowledged this on several occasions. Also, the FCC's proposed use of PSAP geographic coverage areas as part of the proposed technical standard ignores the reality of widely-varied sizes, shapes and topography for PSAPs nationwide. Should the commission adopt a PSAP-level accuracy requirement, industry would need sufficient time to develop, implement, standardize, test and validate various approaches to technologies – at both the handset and network levels.

Conversely, TIA and many other industry companies and associations advocate the creation of an E911 location accuracy advisory committee that would include vendors, wireless carriers, public safety representatives and the regulatory community. FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein himself has said that such a committee could proceed along the lines of the WARN Act Advisory Committee, which has been fairly successful in achieving consensus.

TIA also opposes an FCC mandate of a single technology or standard, which forecloses the better option of giving the industry the flexibility to test various solutions. If the commission allows vendors and wireless carriers to develop standards through third-party standards-setting bodies, industry will have the clearest path to developing the right mix of technologies – there is almost certainly no magic bullet to solve all problems related to E911 location accuracy.

The FCC will hold a hearing on the matter on September 11.  We urge interested members to join us in opposing these mandates.

For questions or comments about this NPRM please contact Patrick Donovan at 703.907.7739 or pdonovan@tiaonline.org.

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TIA’s Communications Research Division (CRD) held a day of meetings at TIA’s Arlington headquarters Wednesday, August 29.  To follow up on priorities from the last meeting held at NXTcomm in June, CRD focused on the recently-passed America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education And Science (COMPETES) Act and questions emerged regarding the National Science Foundation's execution of the grant funds from the act. CRD developed a networking “hard problems list” identifying key networking problems requiring research in tandem with the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. CRD also discussed future priorities vis-a-vis the political landscape, such as the upcoming sorting of appropriations for COMPETES.

Wednesday’s meeting began with a meeting with NSF officials, followed by a lunch with NITRD, NIST, DoD and DoT officials and ending with a CRD-only meeting to discuss new technologies and standards needs CRD might address. TIA’s CRD maintains its goals of ensuring that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a world leader in and through advanced research, providing expert advice to the government on R&D in the technology and communications sectors, and educating the public on the importance of R&D in our industry.

For more info on the Communications Research Division or Wednesday’s meeting, please contact Tom Shull at 703.907.7014 or tshull@tiaonline.org.

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In past publications, we have reported that TIA is working closely with the United States Information Technology Office (USITO) on China’s “indigenous innovation” policy, which was articulated in China’s Five Year Program issued last year. The policy seeks to address “unbalanced economic development” through the development of national standards and domestic government procurement policies. TIA has been supporting USITO in activities designed to address the protectionist concerns raised by this policy.

A recent article in Tech-On, an Asia-based tech magazine, lays China's protectionism bare. "TD-SCDMA: More Standards to Come" illustrates the harmful effect the policy is having on telecommunications companies, including TIA members. It notes that China's "indigenous innovation" strategy is working by "nurturing" Chinese industry at the expense of foreign competitors, many of which are TIA members. Ultimately, the policy could harm much more than foreign competition, as next-generation technologies and services are delayed, adversely affecting Chinese communications sector development and ultimately Chinese consumers. Indeed, the article notes that TD-SCDMA, China's homegrown next-generation wireless standard, has been delayed since 2003. This has in turn delayed the licensing for other third-generation wireless technologies, such as cdma2000® and W-CDMA, which are rapidly being deployed in other countries.

Through USITO, TIA will have the opportunity to comment on China's technology policies from the inside.  TIA members are encouraged to join us in preparing our approach to convincing China to open its wireless market.

For questions or comments on TIA-USITO efforts in this arena, please contact Michael Nunes at 703.907.7725 or mnunes@tiaonline.org.

cdma2000® is a registered trademark and certification mark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA).

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The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) held its annual Aspen Summit in Colorado from August 19-21. The 2007 theme, “Making Markets - Critical Information Policy Choices,” focused on antitrust issues in the communications marketplace, as well as content issues such as digital rights management, free expression and online privacy. A variety of companies, non-profits, government sectors and trade associations, including TIA and its member companies, were represented at the conference.

The conference kicked off with an opening keynote address by Ambassador David A. Gross, U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Gross spoke about telecommunications and the global economy. The following morning included panel discussions on topics such as “Telecommunications Policy in a Converged World” and “Property Rights and Patent Reform,” followed by a luncheon address by Federal Trade Commission Commissioner William E. Kovacic. That evening’s working group dinners allowed attendees to discuss issues concerning spectrum, online content and digital rights in a smaller group setting.

The final day of the Summit began with opening comments from First Amendment scholar Laurence Tribe of Harvard University, followed by additional panels. The conference concluded with a dinner featuring Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google. Schmidt lauded the fundamental principles of American society, particularly free expression and freedom from government suppression. He also answered questions regarding his company’s responsibility to ensure online safety; intellectual property rights; and online advertising.

For questions or comments about TIA's involvement in the Aspen Summit please contact Rebecca Schwartz at 703.907.7477 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org.

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