Carl Weinschenk

One of the ongoing issues in telecommunications is the way broadband should be extended to rural communities. Government funding is one approach. FairPoint has finished rural broadband projects in 25 Vermont communities with funding from the FCC’s Connect America Fund II (CAF II) rural broadband expansion program. The project will feature increased speeds to 4,500 […]

The Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), often supported by Big Data, will combine, overlap and in other ways systematically drive telecommunications and enterprise IT forward during the coming years. Today, IBM Watson and Harman Professional Solutions unveiled an offering that illustrates the potential of these new tools. Voice-Enabled Cognitive Rooms, which are […]

Ransomware hits a particularly raw nerve because of its brazenness. A criminal breaks into a computing device and simply takes over, demanding money – usually paid in bitcoins – for providing the owner the privilege of accessing his or her own data. The reality is that the ransomware story is more nuanced than the pure […]

The activity in the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) unified communications (UC) sector is happening against the backdrop of the continued migration from on-premises data centers and data closets to the cloud. Last week, business telecommunications provider Windsteam Holdings said that it has agreed to acquire cloud UC provider Broadview Networks Holdings in an all-cash […]

Over-the-top (OTT) video services have been a factor for several years, and the category is evolving and maturing. comScore released research earlier this month that suggested OTT use is showing healthy growth beyond Netflix, which is by far the dominant player. The category is also adding the ability to stream and store, and new providers […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has scrapped a proposal to allow cell phone calls during flights. Ars Technica says the proposal was initially floated in 2013. The concerns that led to the ban in 1991 were safety related, and those concerns have abated due to the evolution of the technology.  The reason the ban will […]

Augmented reality (AR) is in a good position because it has strong potential in both the enterprise and consumer sectors. Though most of the media attention has naturally flowed to the consumer side, substantial progress has also been made on using AR on the factory floor, on the loading dock, at remote worksites and elsewhere. […]

There is good news and bad news as networks move to 5G. The nature of the new protocol will make it necessary to deploy huge numbers of antennas and towers. This is good news because dead spots and performance issues within buildings and at crowded indoor and outdoor venues will be alleviated. The bad news, […]

The long-time goal of first responders and the ecosystem supporting them to create a nationwide broadband network is close to fruition, though it likely will fall short of expectations. On March 30, AT&T announced that it had been selected by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to build the network, which it said will cover […]

As experts have noted, the era of 5G is approaching faster than initially anticipated. That reality is illustrated by a bit of news and a bit of commentary released during the early days of April. The bottom line is that the frequency characteristics of 5G will make this a particularly interesting transition. The news, reported […]

A major philosophical difference between Democrats and Republicans is the way in which goals are accomplished: The former favors government intervention and control while the latter thinks that market forces are better able to get the job done. Generally speaking. That distinction could come into play as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moves to roll […]

Moving from hardware-centric networks to those that rely mostly on software is a monumental task. It is especially difficult for a network as massive as AT&T. AT&T said this week that on March 28, it completed a trial of a multi-supplier open source white box switch carrying live network traffic. This is a significant step. […]