Telecom & Technology: Media Appearances and Press Releases

Sascha Meinrath in New York Times | 'Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade as Internet Providers Pull Out'

Communications — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:27:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade as Internet Providers Pull Out (New York Times)

. . . “The entire for-profit model is the reason for the collapse in all these projects,” said Sascha Meinrath, technology analyst at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit research organization in Washington.

Mr. Meinrath said that advocates wanted to see American cities catch up with places like Athens, Leipzig and Vienna, where free or inexpensive Wi-Fi already exists in many areas.

He said that true municipal networks, the ones that are owned and operated by municipalities, were far more sustainable because they could take into account benefits that help cities beyond private profit, including property-value increases, education benefits and quality-of-life improvements that come with offering residents free wireless access.

Mr. Meinrath pointed to St. Cloud, Fla., which spent $3 million two years ago to build a free wireless network that is used by more than 70 percent of the households in the city. . .

Michael Calabrese in San Jose Mercury News | Auction Takes 'First Step' to Open-Access Wireless

Communications — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:01:00 -0400

New America in the News:

San Jose Mercury News | Auction Takes 'First Step' to Open-Access Wireless

. . . Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, said Verizon's ability to subsidize certain handsets gives it enormous market power in determining which devices and applications will ultimately become popular with consumers.

But Calabrese said the auction did help achieve the goals of increased openness and innovation. "We need to extend these consumer protections, but this was an important first step," he said. . .

Michael Calabrese in NC Business Journal | Azulstar Backs Out of WinstonNet Wireless Initiative

Communications — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:33:00 -0500

New America in the News:

NC Business Journal | Azulstar Backs Out of WinstonNet Wireless Initiative

. . . Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C. said the lure of non-taxpayer financing has proven strong, but not realistic.

Municipal wireless "is very viable, but what's come into question is this corporate franchise model that is premised on a free lunch for taxpayers," Calabrese said. "Where cities have embraced municipal wireless as a public service or a means to achieve greater efficiencies, it's working fine."

Calabrese pointed to St. Cloud, Fla. as an example, where he said the city paid to install a network and hired a private company to operate it, calculating that money saved from efficiencies like automated meter reading and streamlined building permit applications would make the money back over time. About 70 percent of the adult population of St. Cloud uses that network, Calabrese said. . .

Sascha Meinrath in the New York Times politics blog | "Wanted: A More Digital Congress"

Communications — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:12:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Wanted: A More Digital Congress (New York Times)

. . . Another way to share content online with voters, said Sascha Meinrath of the New America Foundation, is including access to a program like Google Documents, which allows multiple users to edit the same document. The idea is that if congressmen put a preliminary draft of a bill in an open source program on their sites, then specialists out in their home districts could amend the language or add information that hadn’t been addressed for the legislator to consider.

“We should be tapping into that expertise,” Mr. Meinrath said. “Peer production is a massive untapped resource.” . . .

Michael Calabrese in RCR Wireless | State's Role in Consumer Protection Bill Pondered

Communications — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:11:00 -0500

New America in the News:

RCR Wireless News | State's Role in Consumer Protection Bill Pondered

. . . "Allowing consumers to purchase unsubsidized handsets without a long-term wireless service plan, and at a fee no higher than subsidized wireless plans, would begin to knock down those obstacles and promote increased consumer freedom in the wireless market," said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation. . .

Michael Calabrese in Telecommunications Reports | 'Positives, Negatives in Band Auction'

Communications — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:00:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Open Access Advocates See Positives, Negatives in FCC's 700 MHz Band Auction (Telecommunications Reports)

Michael Calabrese, vice president of the New America Foundation and director of its Wireless Future Program, concluded that the sale has produced “mixed results with respect to the public interest.” He noted the open access provisions on the 22-MHz C block have been triggered, but said the winner of the spectrum will “most likely” be Verizon Wireless. And he noted the D block reserve price hasn’t nearly been met. ...

Verizon Wireless’s announcement “sounds good, but really the question still remains ... will it lead to real openness and will market forces alone lead the other carriers ... toward the sort of consumer choice and open network innovation that we need?” Mr. Calabrese asked. “We’re very skeptical of that.”...

Mr. Calabrese said the FCC, as it mulls new rules for the D block, should consider requiring the bidder to be a wholesale-only provider, which would lead to additional competition in the market. Public interest groups and others had unsuccessfully sought such a mandate on the C- and D-block spectrum.

New America on CNET | Google's Schmidt named chair of think tank

Communications — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:58:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Google's Schmidt named chair of think tank (CNET)

Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt has been named as chairman of the board to the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, D.C. that focuses on issues like healthcare, education and foreign policy.

Schmidt joined the board 10 years ago when the centrist think tank was founded and before he joined Google. He will assume his new role June 1... more

Sascha Meinrath on NPR | 'Philly Fears Earthlink May Bail on WiFi Network'

Communications — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 18:39:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Philly Fears Earthlink May Bail on WiFi Network (NPR)

Philadelphia's wireless Internet network was supposed to be a model for the nation, but the project has been plagued by delays and spotty service. Now EarthLink, the company building it, is getting out of the municipal wireless business in other cities. That may leave Philadelphia disconnected.

...NPR reports on Philadelphia wireless and interviews Sascha Meinrath of the New America Foundation Wireless Future Program. Listen to the segment here.

Michael Calabrese in InfoWorld | "$4.7 billion bid in 17th round of the 700MHz auctions"

Communications — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:12:00 -0500

New America in the News:

$4.7 billion in the 17th round of the 700MHz auctions (InfoWorld)

The FCC may have to re-auction the spectrum without the reserve price and perhaps without public safety obligations, said Michael Calabrese, director of the Spectrum Policy Program at think tank the New America Foundation.

Michael Calabrese in RCR Wireless News | 'Auction rings up $2.4B in first-round bids'

Communications — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:38:00 -0500

New America in the News:

700 MHz auction rings up $2.4B in first-round bids (RCRNews.com)

“An unfortunate combination of tight credit markets and bad policy choices is likely to result in the biggest incumbent wireless carriers acquiring the lion’s share of licenses in today’s big auction of TV band airwaves,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program and VP at the New America Foundation. “The FCC imposed multi-billion reserve [minimum] prices on the spectrum, which will shut out all but the biggest companies, resulting in no new competition.”

Calabrese added: “The auction’s major wild card is Google. Even if Google is outbid in the end, they could transform the wireless marketplace by bidding at least $4.6 billion, the reserve price that triggers open access and consumer choice conditions that the FCC has imposed on the winner of the largest, nationwide block of spectrum [the C Block]. Google's bidding behavior will determine if this auction opens wireless networks so that consumers have a choice of devices, software and content in the future.”

Michael Calabrese in The Associated Press | 'Airwaves Sale Is Payoff for Digital Move'

Communications — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:52:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Airwaves Sale Is Payoff for Digital Move (The Associated Press)

Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, said, "It's quite likely the D block will have to be re-auctioned without the reserve price."

Michael Calabrese in TIME | 'Will Google Go Mobile?'

Communications — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:30:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Will Google Go Mobile? (TIME Magazine)

...The speed of innovation depends on whether a newcomer like Google or Qualcomm, both of which are registered bidders, has the money and the will to acquire enough licenses to break into the wireless game and force the telecom companies to break old habits. Sure Google has the cash, but do they really want to get in the labor-intensive business of broadband networks? Already, startup Frontline Wireless, a venture supported by a group of Silicon Valley investors, has gone belly up, unable to secure funding for its intended bid on the discounted public-private D block of the 700 MHz spectrum that will share airwaves with public-safety responders.

"I don't expect that the auction will result in a major new market entrant," says Michael Calabrese, director of the wireless future program at the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C. think tank. "I think Verizon will end up bidding more because it is worth more to them to keep out a new entrant." more

New America in Broadband Reports | 'Verizon Announces Open Access Conference'

Communications — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:18:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Verizon Announces Open Access Conference(BroadbandReports.com)

...Today the company announced they'll be hosting an Open Development conference in March, hosted by a think tank named the New America Foundation. Verizon's Open Development Initiative will use the conference to promote and discuss Verizon's plans to encourage development of devices capable of running on Verizon's CDMA network.

Michael Calabrese in InfoWorld | 'Trust But Verify'

Communications — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:11:00 -0500

New America in the News:

'Trust but verify' open mobile network pledges (InfoWorld)

...Carriers including AT&T and Verizon Wireless have promised to open up their networks, but the FCC will need to watch the prices that carriers charge customers who bring their own devices to the networks, said the FCC's Michael Copps, speaking Tuesday at a New America Foundation forum. The FCC will also need to monitor the complexity of certification for new devices and applications, he said. ...

Right now, "you don't get a discount for bringing your own phone," said Frieden, author of a New America Foundation paper calling on the FCC to regulate open network access. more

New America on CNET | "No need to mandate 'open' mobile networks...yet"

Communications — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:35:00 -0500

New America in the News:

FCC official: No need to mandate 'open' mobile networks...yet (CNET News.com)

...Federal Communications Commission Democrat Michael Copps said he would not "strongly object" to sitting back, for now, and watching how recent "voluntary" promises by wireless carriers pan out. For instance, ostensibly because of the threat of regulation, Verizon Wireless recently said it would generally start allowing any phone to run on its network, and allow any application to run on those devices, by the end of this year. Other carriers, such as AT&T Wireless have also been playing up their perceived openness as a marketing tactic.

"I hope it is as good as it sounds," Copps told attendees at an event here organized by the New America Foundation. "But we have to ask: has the reality shifted quite as much as the rhetoric has shifted?" more

Michael Calabrese in Sacramento Bee | 'FCC auction to reshape telecom?'

Communications — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:41:00 -0500

New America in the News:
FCC auction may reshape telecom field (Sacramento Bee)
Unlike traditional cell phone or Wi-Fi signals, the 700-MHz spectrum can sneak through concrete walls, foliage, heavy rain and other barriers to wireless reception. "It's why you can get TV in your basement with rabbit ears," said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. ...

Michael Calabrese in Chicago Tribune on Smart-Radio Technology

Communications — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:42:00 -0500

New America in the News:

...Arguments that smart radios cannot use white space without causing TV interference are off the mark, said Michael Calabrese, vice president of the New America Foundation. The U.S. military uses this technology, he said.

One segment of radio spectrum controlled by the Department of Defense for radar transmissions is open to sharing with unlicensed devices in much the same way proposed for TV white space, Calabrese said. This month, the UK approved a digital TV white-space sharing plan similar to the one at the FCC.

Calabrese dismisses concerns over problems raised in testing the Microsoft gadget.

Failure of a single prototype is no reason to worry, he said, because FCC engineers are gathering information, not approving products for operation. Field tests are scheduled for January, and advocates hope that final FCC rules for white-space devices will be adopted in the spring.

"Smart-radio technology to detect radio signals and avoid interference has been around for a while," said Calabrese. "Darpa [a research affiliate of the military] has an XG program that allows the military to set down anywhere in the world, sense activity on airwaves and make a mesh network out of empty spaces.

"Getting this approved for civilian use is more a political hurdle than a technical one." ...

For the complete article, please click here.

New America, Ethos Group Wi-Fi Case Study in Broadband Reports

Communications — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:19:00 -0500

New America in the News:
When discussing the state of municipal Wi-Fi in Philadelphia, the conversation is almost always about whether or not Earthlink is going to hold up its end of the deal and build out the system. (That seems unlikely in the face of their recent Philly no-show.) However, The Ethos Group has taken a broader view of Philadelphia’s municipal wireless system. They’ve published a 64-page report (pdf) which reviews the entire history of the system.

“This report examines how Philadelphia’s municipal wireless initiative helped shape the national debate regarding the need for public broadband infrastructure and the impact the project’s successes and failures had on the local community. The Philadelphia story holds numerous lessons for decision-makers and regulators and is a powerful tool for understanding the interactions between network implementers and the constituencies these networks are supposed to serve.” ...

For more on this story, please click here. New America released the report titled, "The Philadelphia Story: Lessons from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer," at an event on December 11.

MuniWireless Covers Wireless Future Event and Research Paper

Communications — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:17:00 -0500

New America in the News:

The Ethos Group's report, "The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer," has been posted on the New America Foundation's web site. The report is stirring debate and will continue to as the discussion of life-after-EarthLink moves forward. ...

For the complete story, please click here. The report was released at an event organized by the New America Foundation in Philadelphia on December 11.

Michael Calabrese in eWeek on White Space Devices

Communications — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:40:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Beset with preliminary technical woes and a lack of political traction in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission, a new organization started up on Dec. 12 to promote the unlicensed use of interference buffer spectrum between television channels.

The Wireless Innovation Alliance, a coalition of technology companies, public interest advocates, think tanks and higher education groups, said it hopes to work with Congress and the FCC to develop regulations for the use of the spectrum known as "white spaces."

Although broadcasters are allocated hundreds of megahertz of spectrum in every U.S. television market, significant chunks are unused, serving as interference zones from other channels. In Boston and Chicago, for instance, almost 50 MHz is fallow. The unused spectrum is considered ideal for wireless broadband because the radio signals penetrate walls and other objects.

Google, Microsoft and other tech firms covet the spectrum as an alternative to telecommunications and cable companies delivering Internet connections. A group led by the companies known as the White Spaces Coalition has been unsuccessfully lobbying Washington all year for approval of unlicensed white spaces devices.

With many of the same players from the coalition in attendance Dec. 12, the new Wireless Innovation Alliance promised a new push.

"Much as telephones, radios and TVs revolutionized telecommunications in previous generations, white space devices will transform every aspect of civil society," Michael Calabrese, vice president of the New America Foundation, said at press conference at the National Press Club. "White space devices provide an innovative platform for a new generation of technologies, services and applications." ...

For the complete article, click here.