Official FCC Blog

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We have seen evidence over and over again that investing in women and girls is one of the most direct and effective ways to produce economic and social progress.  We have also seen how information and communication technologies (or ICT) have accelerated the pace of change by introducing efficiencies, opening new markets, and creating technology-related jobs.  Now, imagine the tremendous possibilities that can arise from empowering women with ICT.  The promise is real, though there are a number of challenges to navigate.

One of the most challenging issues is gender inequity in the access to technology, whether that be a mobile phone or Internet connectivity.  Closing the gender gap presents an enormous opportunity for economic development.  The GSMA mWomen Program, launched by Secretary Clinton in October 2010, identified that women are 21% less likely than men to own a mobile phone in developing countries.  mWomen aims to halve that gap in the next three years.  The Internet is also out of reach for many women, who typically have more limited incomes and are unable to afford service costs, which can be prohibitively expensive in many low-income countries.  Certainly, without access to technology, women will not be able to take advantage of the many potential benefits technology can enable for their individual and family's livelihood, education, and well-being – as a consequence, their contributions to economic and social progress will not be as significant.

The FCC is rolling out new mapping tools for the upcoming auction of Mobility Fund Phase I universal service support.  The electronic application to participate in this auction displays maps, based on certain information entered in the application, of areas eligible for Mobility Fund Phase I support.  Applicants will be able to filter their selections, distinguish between Tribal and non-Tribal areas, and view eligible areas in geographic detail. 

Another new use of mapping in the auction process will be implemented in the bidding portion of the FCC Auction System.  In the Mobility Fund Phase I auction, bidders will place bids for support on discrete areas know as census blocks (the same unit of measure the US Census Bureau uses for counting people).  In this particular auction, the bidders know the full list of the blocks eligible for bidding.  The FCC Auction System’s new mapping features allow bidders to visualize their bidding options. 

These new mapping tools provide visual portrayal and confirmation of bidding areas, which is a change from the bidding system’s previous text-only identification of areas.  As the bidders upload lists of the blocks they want to bid on, we offer them a dynamic map of those areas so they can be sure about the locations of their bids. 

We think our dynamic services approach offers significant value to the bidders and demonstrates our commitment to continually make a positive difference.  These are the results driven by a team of people deeply invested in creating innovative solutions. 

We are proud to offer these kinds of service and are looking forward to further developing such utilities.  If you are a bidder, please let us know how to improve it.  

WISENET began as an experimental community to give women working in the information and communication technology sector a way to learn, innovate, and engage their community and colleagues. It was a blog with posts that picked up a variety of themes such as a need for more female ICT decision-makers, the economic benefits of broadband expansion, the importance of Internet governance and mobile money to name a few. Our bloggers represented organizations such as the FCC, the ITU, and other governments. These were just the first steps in a larger conversation about the role of ICTs in women’s lives around the world.

And this conversation continues. We are launching a redesigned WISENET that will build upon this foundation, identify new voices and points of view to create an improved convening platform for engagement, participation and innovation. We are also expanding what we offer on WISENET – now we highlight events, recent news, and research in the area of women and ICTs. In addition,
the new blog will be divided into four sections:

Imagine a wireless sensor embedded in your gym clothes, so small and lightweight that it is barely noticeable, that tracks your heart rate and calories burned as you exercise and sends the data to your mobile phone.  Or a wireless heart monitor that warns a physician that her patient with congestive heart failure is experiencing severe symptoms, in time to intervene before an arrhythmia occurs. 

These and other wireless health care innovations hold tremendous promise to transform health care delivery, not only by revolutionizing the way patients manage their own care, but also by cutting costs and increasing efficiencies across our health care system. 

The U.S. spends about $2 trillion annually on health care expenses—17% of GDP and more than any other industrialized country.  Chronic disease management accounts for 75% of our total health system costs, and because of that, many wireless health devices are targeting this very aspect of health care.  Studies have found that remote patient monitoring reduced the risk of hospitalization by 47%, reduced hospital stay length, and reduced office visits by 65%.