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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Bill</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">Converged Communications Steering Committee Discussion List</st1:PersonName>
[mailto:CCSC@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf
Of </span></b>Wendy Wigen<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2:23 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> CCSC@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [CCSC] Wired in
Washington - 4G in the news</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h6 style='background:white'><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
9.5pt;font-family:Arial'>WIRED IN <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">WASHINGTON</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h6>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:9.0pt;line-height:95%;background:white'><font
size=6 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:26.5pt;line-height:95%;font-family:
Georgia'>Gee Whiz<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=articlebyline1 style='background:white'><b><i><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Wednesday, March 25, 2009<br>
by <a href="mailto:dhatch@nationaljournal.com"
title="mailto:dhatch@nationaljournal.com" cmImpressionSent=1><font
color="#b7001e" title="mailto:dhatch@nationaljournal.com"><span
title="mailto:dhatch@nationaljournal.com"><span style='color:#B7001E;
text-decoration:none'>David Hatch</span></span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>4G is not the newest MG
roadster or the latest energy drink fortified with ginkgo biloba and ginseng
root. It's not a motor oil and you can't order one at a bar (expect perplexed
looks if you do). The "4" refers to "fourth" and the
"G" is for "generation," but that still doesn't tell you
much.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>So what is 4G?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>It's the next big wave in
telecommunications. It won't be long before we're awash in advertising about
the wonders of this advanced wireless technology. 4G is poised to revolutionize
the communications landscape with Internet surfing at breakneck speeds.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>There's already hype
about the coming crop of 4G-enabled devices, including digital cameras that let
you instantly e-mail photos and portable digital video recorders that download
movies during long car trips.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>In fact, 4G is already
here: in <st1:City w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:City> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Portland</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Ore.</st1:State></st1:place>,
fourth-generation broadband for computers is available from Clearwire and
Sprint, which owns 51 percent of Clearwire and uses its network. Clearwire also
is backed by Bright House Networks, Comcast, Google, Intel and Time Warner
Cable.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>"It's [the] third
channel into the home we've all been waiting for," said FCC regulator
Jonathan Adelstein, placing it on a par with cable and phone wires. He said 4G
offers the hope of competing "in a real way with wireline networks."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>David Redl, an attorney
with the wireless association CTIA, described 4G as up to 10 times faster than
some 3G services available today. Videos now cumbersome to view on cellphones
and laptops should display seamlessly. But those are speeds under optimal
conditions. Sprint touts 4G as three to five times faster, while Clearwire says
two to three times -- yet they use the same network. The claims leave wiggle
room for slowdowns during peak periods, plus it's always best to exceed
expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>As the industry revs up
its deployment, regulators are playing catch-up. "There are a lot of
issues still to work through," acknowledged Adelstein, who is leaving the
FCC to lead a USDA agency that will play a key role in expanding broadband
service in rural areas. "It's still a fairly new territory in terms of how
it's going to be overseen."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>That's an understatement.
Like any new technology, 4G is being introduced at higher price points, and
customers will need to buy new hardware. In a familiar refrain, large markets
already awash in choices are first to receive service as rural folk wait.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>This year, Clearwire will
extend 4G to Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Honolulu; Las
Vegas; Philadelphia and Seattle. <st1:City w:st="on">Boston</st1:City>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Houston</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">New York</st1:State>, <st1:City
w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place>
will be added in 2010. Other carriers are pursuing a similar strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>All this as <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place> spends
billions of dollars to spur broadband to rural areas bypassed by some of the
same corporations skipping them now. Industry sources counter that they need to
recoup investment costs by building large subscriber bases before expanding to
sparsely populated regions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>And the 4G technology
being adopted by AT&T and Verizon -- called LTE -- has exceptional reach in
the countryside. "You get more bang for the buck," said Verizon
Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson, noting that the FCC conditioned the spectrum
both companies are using on meeting rural build-out requirements.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Sprint's 4G service in
Baltimore for laptops will set you back $80 a month, plus another $80 for the
aircard, yet on the West Coast, Clearwire offers the same connectivity for $50
a month.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>"For pricing,
wireless is a deregulated service. That is market pricing," Redl
explained, insisting that competition is sufficient to keep phone rates low.
Clearwire's network utilizes WiMax, considered less expensive to deploy than
LTE.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Verizon Wireless is
testing 4G and plans to unveil the technology in late 2010 while AT&T will
wait until 2011, boosting its 3G speeds in the interim. "It's all about
mobility," said AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson during a speech in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State></st1:place> earlier this
month. "We're on an evangelical tear, if you will, to ensure that
everything we offer our customers is mobile."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Both companies still need
to construct their LTE networks, prompting skepticism over whether they can
stay on schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>The path to 4G was
cleared when AT&T and Verizon walked away with the lion's share of frequencies
from an auction the FCC concluded a year ago of airwaves now being vacated by
analog broadcasters. Clearwire's network includes spectrum it acquired from
Sprint.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>4G, it turns out, won't
be the only game in town. The FCC has permitted companies such as Google,
Intel, Microsoft and Motorola to harness unused television frequencies called
"white space" to offer mobile broadband and other services. New
products using these frequencies could begin appearing in late 2010 or early
2011.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>While 4G spectrum is
licensed to specific carriers, reducing the potential for interference, white
space is open to all, increasing the risk. "We're a long way from having
to deal with that issue," responded Jake Ward, spokesman for the Wireless
Innovation Alliance, noting that unlicensed frequencies encourage more
innovation and competition, which can mean lower prices.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;background:white'><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>In case you were
wondering, there was a 1G and a 2G and someday there will be a 5G with enough
G-force to blow 4G away.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><font size=4 face="Brush Script MT"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Brush Script MT"'>Wendy Wigen</span></font></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Government Relations Officer</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>EDUCAUSE</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>1150 18th St. NW
Suite 1010</span></font></st1:address></st1:Street><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Washington</span></font></st1:City><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">DC</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">20036-3824</st1:PostalCode></span></font></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>202-331-5372</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:wwigen@educause.edu">wwigen@educause.edu</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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