Predictions for a Post-COVID-19 World

While it might still be too early to make predictions, there are dozens of articles on the web predicting how the COVID-19 pandemic might change our long-term behavior. Here are some of the more interesting predictions I've seen that involve broadband and telecom... Millions of people were sent home for work or school to homes that didn't have good broadband. These folks have been telling the world for years that they don't have good broadband... more

It’s Time for a Better Vision of Internet Governance: From Multistakeholderism to Citizenship

We are experiencing a time of global challenges. How to mitigate global warming, fight a global pandemic, and prevent the spread of totalitarianism and war, are just some of the most urgent questions. Digital technologies offer us the tools to unite and face these challenges, instead, we have experienced the deterioration of the Internet into a Splinternet. Is Multistakeholderism, the currently dominant guiding principle of Internet Governance, still up to the task? more

Impartiality of Dot Pharmacy TLD Questioned

Catherine Saez and William New reporting in Intellectual Property Watch: "New generic top-level domain names seem set to be a constant source of discussions and dissension. The domain '.pharmacy' has been awarded to a United States pharmacy association with industry backing, stirring concerns among civil society and others. But the association insists it will work in an impartial manner to ensure safety of online pharmaceutical sales..." more

IT Security Guide: “Financial Impact of Cyber Risk” Released by ANSI and ISA

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) released today a new action guide to assist business executives in the analysis, management and transfer of financial risk related to a cyber attack. In 2004, the Congressional Research Service estimated the annual economic impact of cyber attacks on businesses -- which can come from internal networks, the Internet or other private or public systems -- to be more than $226 billion. In 2008, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff named cyber risks one of the nation's top four priority security issues. more

Public-Private Cooperation Policy for Cyber Security Suggested by Commissioner Kroes

At a speech during the Security and Defense Agenda meeting on 30 January Vice-President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, showed how the Commission envisions public-private cooperation on cyber security. more

A New Busy Hour – One of the Many Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

One of the many consequences of the coronavirus is that networks are going to see a shift in busy hour traffic. Busy hour traffic is just what it sounds like -- it's the time of the day when a network is busiest, and network engineers design networks to accommodate the expected peak amount of bandwidth usage. Verizon reported on March 18 that in the week since people started moving to work from home that they've seen a 20% overall increase in broadband traffic. more

Battle for .eco Top-Level Domain Not Over Yet

Sources recently had reported that Al Gore had dropped his bid to win control of the proposed new Top-Level Domain (TLD), leaving the door open for a rival Mikhail Gorbachev-backed consortium. But according to a report from Adam Vaughan in the Guardian, the company that Gore's Climate Reality group was working with remains in the running. "Despite losing the vice-president's backing and switching off its campaigning website, Dot Eco LLC tells me it's hopeful of winning a tussle with its main public rival, the Canadian company Big Room, which is supported by Gorbachev's Green Cross." more

Proposal Aims to End US Control of ICANN

A proposal involving removal of root zone management functions from ICANN and creating an independent and neutral private sector consortium is to be presented at the Singapore ICANN meeting March 21, and then formally submitted to the "NETMundial" Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance in SaoPaulo, Brazil. more

China, Russia Posing More Aligned Cyberattack Threats to the US, Says Chief of National Intelligence

Dan Coats, Director of US National Intelligence warns China and Russia are increasingly using cyber operations to steal information, influence citizens and to disrupt critical infrastructure. more

Fixing the Supply Chain

Almost everybody in the broadband industry is now aware that the industry is suffering supply chain issues. ISPs are having problems obtaining many of the components needed to build a fiber network in a timely manner, which is causing havoc with fiber construction projects. I've been doing a lot of investigation into supply chain issues, and it turns out the supply chain is a lot more complex than I ever suspected, which means it's not going to be easy to get the supply chain back to normal. more

NY Tech Companies Visit FCC to Express Net Neutrality Concerns

On Friday, May 2, 2014, representatives of the companies Kickstarter, Meetup, and Tumblr, along with representatives of the New York City Tech Meetup and Engine Advocacy, met with FCC staff to express their strong opposition to the FCC Chairman's draft proposal concerning network neutrality... "While the Chairman's proposal may look good on paper, it provides no certainty or effective remedy for smaller entrepreneurs building real businesses on the internet." more

Dozens of U.S. Government Websites Rendered Either Insecure or Inaccessible Amid Government Shutdown

Dozens of U.S. government websites have become insecure or inaccessible during the ongoing U.S. federal shutdown. more

Montenegro Election Day Disrupted by Several Cyberattacks

The Ministry for Information Society and Telecommunications of Montenegro has confirmed several key websites were targeted by cyberattacks on Sunday (16 October), the day of the country's parliamentary elections. more

The Next International Policy Battlefield Will Be ICT Policy

I am currently in Hyderabad, attending the Internet Governance Forum, IGF. With hours before the official opening, it might be worth reflecting a bit on Internet Governance and the general discussion on the role of international policy and ICT (information and communication technologies). I have several times before said, and written, that the real difference that governments could make (assuming that Governance is in relation to Governing) in Internet policy is close to their traditional roles.  more

Support Plug-and-Play with On-Boot Firmware Updates

Have you ever purchased a new electronic device, taken it home, excitedly unwrapped it and switched it on, only to discover that something is wrong and you need to phone customer support? This scenario is all-too-common in the broadband services industry, and unfortunately, it's usually the service provider who takes the blame. New customers will often purchase gateways from third parties or redistributors without knowing that the device's firmware is out of date. more