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Massive Japanese Earthquake Rattles Tech Industry March 11, 2011 An 8.9 Richter Scale-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan Friday has technology experts weighing in on the temblor's possible long- and short-term effects on technology in its many incarnations -- from mobile, social networks and cloud computing to WiFi, mainframes and security. Their analysis is cautious; their predictions reasonably optimistic.

Lessons Social CRM Can Learn From Telecom's Mistakes March 10, 2011 Around the time the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed and signed into law, I was a reporter covering that area of technology. Specifically, I was writing about service, measurement, data management and the software that made all that possible for telecommunications companies. Little did I realize it, but this was a great laboratory to get a peek at what would be important for building customer relationships for all businesses.

FCC Wants to Make Broadband Affordable for All March 04, 2011 The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has taken the first steps that could eventually rework -- perhaps significantly -- two programs that provide low-income residents with subsidies for their telephone service. How those subsidies and services might look when all is said and done is unclear.

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Tell Different Truths February 03, 2011 Which wireless provider is doing the best job? Listening to them gets confusing. It's like me saying that I am the slimmest, healthiest and best-looking wireless analyst on this airplane (I'm flying to the west coast to give a speech). Now that line has as much truth in it as a load of horse manure -- but technically, since I am the only wireless analyst on this plane, I guess it is true.

Egypt: Internet Is Back as Street Fighting Takes a New Turn February 02, 2011 In an abrupt about-face, the Egyptian government reopened the Internet Wednesday, ending a five-day shutdown that took out the country's top ISPs and a rebellious populace's ability to communicate. The move comes shortly after Noor -- the only ISP initially left standing after the crackdown -- was shuttered Monday. Noor, too, is back online, and Egyptians are back on the streets.

Protesters Jury-Rigging Workarounds for Egypt's Internet 'Kill Switch' January 31, 2011 Governments are at it again, trying to stifle online communication with a major disconnect in Egypt and a reintroduced Internet "Kill Switch" bill in the U.S. Fax machines, ham radios, and dial-up modems are riding to the rescue as Egyptian citizens revolt against the government of Hosni Mubarak.

How IT Is Changing Healthcare for Better and for Worse January 27, 2011 Healthcare technology has really made incredible advances over the last several years. However, while there is an app for almost everything, much still seems to be stuck in the Fred Flintstone era. Doctors still carry around thick folders with years of patient history. Yesterday, this was the only way to capture all of a patient's information.

Verizon, AT&T Dig In for Battle of the iPhone Plans January 27, 2011 As Feb. 10 nears, more information is coming regarding the pricing plans Verizon Wireless will offer customers who use the iPhone, which the carrier will make available on that date. Meanwhile, AT&T appears to be reworking its own plans, perhaps in a bid to convince some users not to run into the arms of its arch wireless rival.

Verizon Goes for FCC's Jugular in Net Neutrality War January 21, 2011 Verizon Communications Thursday picked a legal fight with the Federal Communications Commission over its recently announced Net neutrality rules. "We are deeply concerned by the FCC's assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation," said Michael Glover, Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel. "We believe this assertion of authority goes well beyond any authority provided by Congress..."

Comcast OK With Feds' Conditions for NBC Merger January 19, 2011 After a year-long review, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice have approved Comcast's proposed merger with NBC Universal -- but only if a variety of conditions are met. Chief among them is that Comcast must give up management control of the video website Hulu.

Different Strokes: Sharpening CRM Strategies for Specific Mobile Segments December 28, 2010 Today, when we look at the mobile phone/services market, the trend/focus is toward smartphones, along with mobile Internet/data services. We see mobile phone companies launching new-model smartphones and mobile service providers offering various mobile data services, supported by 3G/4G technologies.

Google to Take Its Time Crowning Fast City December 16, 2010 Google has put off making a choice on which city to use as a test for ultra high-speed broadband, according to a Wednesday blog post by Milo Medin, vice president of access services. The company had planned to announce the selected city by the end of 2010, but it was not prepared for the level of interest from communities vying to be part of the experiment, said Medin.

Level 3 Cries Foul Over Comcast Streaming Fee November 30, 2010 Level 3 Communications on Monday complained when Comcast demanded the content delivery network pay a recurring fee for transmitting online moves and games to Comcast customers. Level 3 said the move violates the principles of Net neutrality. Comcast notified Level 3 on November 19 that it would begin charging for streaming and asked for a recurring fee to transmit online movies and other content.

How Cable Television Can Stop Losing Customers November 26, 2010 Competition has been increasing in the cable television world in recent years, and we have been expecting prices to come down, but they haven't. I have been scratching my head wondering why competition from satellite and telephone companies wasn't working. Well, it's taken years, but apparently the wait is over.

FCC Could Be the Winner in Fox/Cablevision Standoff October 20, 2010 FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has weighed in publicly in the dispute between the Fox broadcasting empire and cable provider Cablevision over payments for broadcasting Fox programming. The scuffle could wind up giving the agency greater power to regulate such standoffs. Genachowski's agency released a letter to Fox and Cablevision executives on Tuesday in which he expressed dismay over "petty gamesmanship."

Political Nerves Derail Net Neutrality Bill September 30, 2010 Congress is unlikely to pass legislation regulating the activities of broadband Internet service providers this year. And it's not clear when -- or if -- such rules will be enacted. Democratic California Congressman Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has pulled a bill that was supposed to enforce the concept of Net neutrality from consideration.

Telecom and Wireless in 5 Years: Who Will Lead and Who Will Follow? August 26, 2010 This is one of the times of the year that wireless and telecom CEOs invite me to speak at an upcoming meeting of directors or executives or employees or customers. Over the years, I have learned they have one of the toughest jobs. First, they have to accurately see the changing industry. Second, they have to understand how their company must change. Third, they must bring everyone else up to speed.

Can Apple Make It Big in Television? August 25, 2010 Apple is reportedly negotiating with some major entertainment companies for television content consumers can lease to watch on Apple TV for 99 US cents a pop. These deals might give Apple TV users access to some of their favorite TV shows and would help drive the sales of Apple TVs, iPod touches, iPads and iPhones. The content will be leased through the iTunes store.

Google Adds Another Brick to Its Communications Monolith August 25, 2010 Google has rolled out a new service that allows Gmail account holders to make voice calls to any traditional phone number from their Gmail account. It will require the installation of a voice and video plug-in, but users won't need to have a special phone number assigned to them.

How iTV Will Kill Cable: The Long, Slow Way August 24, 2010 I'm a big fan of sunshine and the outdoors, but I'm anxiously awaiting September and the indoor tech gadget screen time it now represents to me. Why? Since Apple first introduced the iPad nano in September of 2005, the company has delivered a new iPod and some raging new features to its iTunes ecosystem around that time every year. Big announcements. This September will be no different.