Posted June 30th, 2010 by Greg Elin - Chief Data Officer
Along with Public Notices, we are also publicly announcing a cross-agency data team of Chief Data Officers in the bureaus, a Geographic Information Officer, and a Chief Data Officer for the agency to ensure a better connection between data and sound analysis in policy processes.
These actions are part of the FCC’s Data Innovation Initiative publicly launched yesterday. They are the next steps of a journey that began last fall with the Commission’s first-ever, agency-wide inventory identifying hundreds of distinct data sets. The Public Notices initiate an iterative process examining all the FCC’s current and future data requirements, starting with these three Bureaus.
Yesterday’s Public Notices invite you to join us on this journey for the next 45 days as we openly and transparently look closer at, and seek your comments on, nearly 340 data sets managed by the Media, Wireline Competition, and Wireless Telecommunications Bureaus and consider future needs. Each of the three Bureaus has compiled a working inventory of their respective data collections to make it easier for everyone—not just those who file information year in and year out—to provide us with comments and insights on innovating how the agency collects, uses, analyzes, and shares information.
Introducing the FCC’s New Data Team
To help clear away the Agency’s data cruft and keep it cleared away, the Commission has put together a cross-agency data consisting of newly created positions of Chief Data Officers in each Bureau, starting with these three Bureaus. They are: Robert Alderfer, Chief Data Officer, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, who joined the FCC from OMB; Kris Monteith, Deputy Chief and Chief Data Officer, Media Bureau, who brings years of FCC experience to the team; and Steven Rosenberg, Chief Data Officer, Wireline Competition Bureau who was previously part of the National Broadband Plan team. Also part of the data team will be Michael Byrne, Geographic Information Officer, Office of Strategic Planning, joining the FCC from the GIS office for the State of California. Mr. Byrne is the FCC’s first Geographic Information Officer and is responsible for creating a National Broadband Map in partnership with NTIA. Rounding out the team will be Andrew Martin, Chief Information Officer for the FCC, who brings his experience in Auctions and running FCC IT; and finally, me, Greg Elin, Associate Managing Director New Media and Chief Data Officer for the agency. I came to the FCC from United Cerebral Palsy and prior to that at the Sunlight Foundation where I worked on open government data. The FCC has a long tradition working with and disseminating data both in reports and in structured, machine-readable formats, a tradition all of us on the team are looking forward to building upon with your help.
Posted June 28th, 2010 by Thomas Buckley - Manager, Rural Health Care Pilot Program
It's nice to hear from someone in the public that the FCC "gets it."
I heard just such a remark in California last month, when I had the opportunity to travel to the California Emergency Technology Fund's Rural Connection Workshop in Redding, California. CETF, if you are not aware, is a non-profit organization established by the California Public Utilities Commission, which provides leadership throughout the state to accelerate the deployment and adoption of broadband to unserved and underserved communities.
The Workshop provided a forum for community, state, local, and federal leaders to discuss broadband deployment progress made in California as well as obstacles still faced. I was honored to provide an update on initiatives in the FCC's Rural Health Care Universal Service Program, including the Rural Health Care Pilot Program, and to hear the many helpful ideas and comments from attendees.
In case you haven't heard of the FCC's Pilot program, here's what it does in a nutshell: it helps build high-speed broadband connections that connect public and non-profit rural health clinics with medical centers in larger communities. The Pilot is funding projects that will be able to provide rural America with real-time consultations with medical experts at research hospitals, using telemedicine to save lives and money, and bring other benefits that only robust broadband connections can bring in the information-intense world of health care.
I updated the attendees on the progress of the California Telehealth Network Pilot Project, which is eligible for $22 million under the Pilot Program to deploy a new state-wide network that plans to connect over 900 health care providers to facilitate mental illness counseling and improve patient-physician interaction for rural Californians. Isolation makes treatment and preventive services a challenge. The new network will address real problems for rural Californians who suffer disproportionately from depression, hypertension, asthma and cardiovascular disease.
For this audience of rural health technologists, I held up the California project an excellent model of state-wide collaboration of healthcare, technology, government, and other stakeholders to bring the benefits of health IT throughout the state. Example: some of the key groups of this project are the University of California Office of the President, and the UC Davis Health System, which serves as the legally and financially responsible partner for the project. The project has also received a $3.3M pledge from the California Emerging Technology Fund and has been granted partial reimbursement for monthly network connection costs by the California Teleconnect Fund program of the California Public Utility Commission. In April, AT&T won the bidding to deploy the network, and the project is now finalizing its funding commitment request. Bottom line: the California Telehealth Network shows what states can accomplish when they combine resources to reach as many rural health care providers as possible so that health IT can improve health care delivery in rural areas.
It was when my presentation focused on the longer term goals for the Rural Health Care Program that the audience member chimed in. I explained the lessons learned from the Pilot Program and the recommendations of the National Broadband Plan to create a permanent infrastructure program, transform our Internet Access Fund into a Broadband Access Fund, and fund data centers and administrative offices because they are critical to delivering health IT. It was this vision that prompted the audience member to say the FCC "gets it."
We want to keep getting it. So the Commission at its July 15 meeting will be voting on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which asks for public input on how best to improve, reform and expand the Rural Health Care program based on recommendations in the National Broadband Plan and on what we've learned from the Pilot. Meanwhile, you can post any ideas you have on using broadband to save lives and deliver health care efficiently on this blog.
Cross-posted from Blogband.
Posted in Wireline Competition BureauPosted June 25th, 2010 by Steven Rosenberg
Until today, we couldn’t have told you this: out of 97 million residential phone lines in the U.S., nearly 20% were VoIP subscribers. (Annoying technical footnote alert: this actually refers to “interconnected” VoIP, the most common form of VoIP service, which is voice service over a broadband connection that also allows users to both receive calls from and place calls to the public switched telephone network, like traditional phone service. We don’t track non-interconnected VoIP, which generally speaking, enables voice service between two computers on broadband only.)
Anyway, that VoIP fact comes from our latest Local Telephone Competition Report, which, for the first time, includes information about voice services delivered over broadband connections. Why, you may ask, has it taken so long for the Commission to get these numbers? Well, interconnected VoIP is a relatively new product, and the Commission is careful about imposing potential burdens, like data reporting, on nascent services. The Commission in 2004 began considering the idea of collecting VoIP data, and finally, in 2008, concluded that the time was right to collect those figures. While private data firms have for some time estimated VoIP penetration, the FCC now has hard data on VoIP subscribers, data that give us a more complete fact base for understanding voice services.
And why, you may ask, are we just now publishing December 2008 data? What took so long? There are a couple of reasons. First, any time we change collections, it takes a fair amount of time to update and cross-check the analysis, and then a bit more time to create the new report. In addition to that, the data in this report come from Form 477, the same form from which we created the High-Speed Services for Internet Access report. We focused first on the high-speed report and the related work in the National Broadband Plan before turning our attention to the Local Telephone Competition report. Now that the National Broadband Plan is done and we have the new report format and collection process down, subsequent Local Competition Reports should be timelier.
Of course we recognize that, even though this is the first report that draws on the new Form 477 data, there may yet be room for improvement. As we undertake an upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to discuss collection of data for broadband, we may have the opportunity to further improve the data collection for the Local Competition Report.
So take a look at the report. It opens a new window on the competitive landscape that should help the Commission make more informed decisions on behalf of consumers.
Posted June 25th, 2010 by Mindel DeLaTorre - Chief of the International Bureau
If you are using a mobile phone abroad, you will need to be able to charge it. Make sure you have the proper power adapters and converters for the country you are visiting, and any other equipment specific to your phone.
While you should be aware of all charges before you travel abroad, it is important to look closely at your invoice/bill to make sure that charges are accurate. If there are any discrepancies, notify your provider immediately. Keep in mind that roaming charges apply as soon as you arrive in a foreign country, so have a plan of action for placing calls abroad before you travel.
Posted June 24th, 2010 by Mindel DeLaTorre - Chief of the International Bureau
We’ve gone over many different options for international calling which all revolved around use of wireless networks and landlines. However, there is another cheap and easy way to make international calls called Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) through a Wi-Fi hotspot. This allows you to call someone using high-speed Internet service instead of a telephone service. Just make sure that your phone does not automatically connect to an international mobile network, which can be expensive to access.
Of course, you must have Internet access to use a VoIP service, as well as a computer with microphone or webcam, or a smartphone that has VoIP capabilities. Assuming you have access, you can use one of many popular VoIP services such as Skype, Fring, or Truphone. If you use a VoIP service to make a call to another person using VoIP, it will probably be absolutely free (not including any fees you may have to pay to access the Internet). If the person you are calling is not using VoIP on their computer, you can also call them directly on their phone. This is often cheaper than using a calling card or local SIM card.
The main advantage of using VoIP to make international calls is that it is very inexpensive (free in certain circumstances). The downside is that it requires Internet access, and a computer or mobile device that has the necessary VoIP application. Also, international equivalents of 911 and E911 may not be fully functional with VoIP calling. Make sure you are aware of these limitations before relying on VoIP as your primary calling method. Visit the following links to learn more about VoIP services and to look up calling rates to individual countries.
Skype
Fring
Truphone
UK +44 (0) 203 318 0742
USA and rest of world +1 (646) 360-1689
As always, check out our tip sheet, Wireless World Travel Made Simple, for detailed tips and provider contact info.
Posted June 23rd, 2010 by Mindel DeLaTorre - Chief of the International Bureau
Some phones are capable of using a SIM card that can be purchased overseas (call your provider for details on your specific phone and whether it’s compatible with the system in the country you’re visiting). This means you will have a local phone number, and not the same phone number you use in the U.S., but you will not have roaming charges. International calls and text messages placed from your destination will be much cheaper, and incoming calls will most likely be free. Keep in mind that it may be more expensive for the calling party because they will be calling or sending text messages to an international number.
If you plan on using your phone heavily, an alternative might be to purchase an inexpensive phone as well as a SIM card with prepaid minutes in the country you are visiting, so you know exactly how much you will be spending. You can also purchase a calling card if you need to make a long distance call to the U.S., as this is often much less expensive than using a hotel room phone. While it is not a good idea to use hotel room phones for a direct long distance call the U.S., you should use them if you want to call between rooms in the hotel.
Use your international calling card from a phone booth and not your mobile phone, as regular per minute charges usually apply if you use your mobile phone. And if you have an option of contacting someone in the country you’re visiting at either a wireline or mobile number, call the wireline.
Another popular option is using the internet to make phone calls, called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on how to use this inexpensive method!
As always, check out our tip sheet, Wireless World Travel Made Simple, for detailed tips and provider contact info.
Posted June 22nd, 2010 by Mindel DeLaTorre - Chief of the International Bureau
For most U.S. customers, the service plan that covers domestic usage does not cover usage while traveling abroad. And the rates may be much higher when you are abroad, because of the additional fees for “roaming” on a foreign mobile phone network. Roaming can be complicated, and charges may vary by country and mobile network. Again, it is best to check with your provider before you depart to find out the service arrangements that best fit your needs, and to find out all the rates and charges that will apply. Higher rates may apply to all features of your phone, including making or receiving voice calls, receiving or checking voice mail, sending or receiving texts, and uploading to or downloading from the Internet. Even if you have “unlimited” use of these features, you may still be charged per minute/text/etc. By knowing these charges ahead of time, you will be able to save money and avoid any surprises when you return home.
The bottom line: don’t make any assumptions about your phone or calling plan. By researching your carrier’s policies and charges, you can decide whether you should bring your own phone along or use one of many alternatives once you arrive in your destination country. Those alternative options will be discussed tomorrow!
Check out our tip sheet, Wireless World Travel Made Simple, for detailed tips and contact info for wireless providers.
Posted June 21st, 2010 by Mindel DeLaTorre - Chief of the International Bureau
Tuesday: Getting Ready for Your International Trip
Wednesday: Calling Options from Overseas
Thursday: VoIP – Calling Over the Internet
Friday: Back at Home – Checking Your Invoices
The goal of this initiative is to inform consumers about international calling to help them avoid unnecessary charges while abroad. We hope our tips are informative, helpful, and allow you to make the best decisions when calling from overseas.
Check out our tip sheet, Wireless World Travel Made Simple, and a video message. You can also follow the FCC on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fcc, where you will find more tips throughout the week.
Posted June 21st, 2010 by Janeese Parker
First on the list is to find out what type of phone she has to see if it will work in Europe as some U.S. phones work in Europe and others do not. She should check with her carrier to see if her phone is GSM enabled (the European standard).
If the phone is not GSM enabled, she should consider one of the following: She could buy a GSM enabled phone in the U.S., which would allow her to use her same phone number while overseas (so that her friends and family can call her on their speed dials). She could also buy a cheap phone at her destination that matches her paisley dress, with a local SIM card. The SIM card is sort of like the brain of a GSM phone and the phone will not work without it. Or, she could take her GSM phone and put a local SIM card into it when she gets to Europe.
Advantages of buying a SIM card overseas:
She gets a local number, no roaming charges, free incoming calls (usually), international calls and text messages will be cheaper than from her U.S. phone, local calls at her destination are not international calls so are much cheaper, and she has to pay as she goes so there are no hidden costs.
Disadvantages of buying a SIM card overseas:
She will not have the same number she has in the U.S., she must have a phone (or buy a mobile phone) that can take the SIM card, and people calling or texting her from the U.S. will be calling or texting to an international number so it may be more expensive to the calling party.
Since the Girl in the Paisley Dress usually has her stylish pink phone glued to her ear, I recommend that she get a cheap mobile phone in Europe and then buy a SIM card with prepaid minutes so that she knows how much she is spending on her phone.
Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for the Girl in the Paisley Dress traveling in Europe:
For more information on our “Wireless World Travel Week”, see the following resources:
Posted June 21st, 2010 by Joel Gurin - Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
Read or post comments here.
Cross-posted from Blogband.
