EoW January 2009

However, some lawmakers and technology regulators have opposed the idea of an open Internet, or net neutrality, calling it a ‘solution in search of a problem.’ The Federal Communications Commission does not oppose net neutrality, and has in fact attempted to provide broadband service in underserved areas by widening a $7 billion federal programme for phone lines to include broadband. Yet analysts acknowledge that reform has been difficult, even with impetus in both the FCC and Congress. The open Internet may be an elusive goal, even with a new, supportive administration in Washington and proponents in both leading political parties. Having put forth his Technology and Innovation plan during the run-up to Election Day, Mr Obama can be expected to tackle the net neutrality issue head-on. One of Ms Kang’s respondents, a partner in a tech public relations firm, asserted, “He understands that technology has a multiplier effect on the economy and that is something we’ve never needed more [than] right now.” Indeed, when the president-elect inaugurated his version of ❈ ❈ the fireside chat, his transition team had already announced a review of the FCC and appointed co-leaders with impressive credentials. Susan Crawford, a communications law and Internet law professor at the University of Michigan, was until recently on the board of directors of the private sector Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). And Ken Werbach, an assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, organises the annual Super- nova technology conference and has served as counsel for new technology policy at the FCC. So, in the matter of the open Internet, Mr Obama apparently means business – and the time is right. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States occupies an inglorious 15 th place in international ranking for broadband access. In a first, Samsung edges out Motorola as the top-selling handset manufacturer in the US Motorola (Schaumburg, Illinois) no longer commands the top spot in US market share for mobile phones, according to a report released 7 th November by Boston-based research firm Strategy Analytics. South Korea’s Samsung, with a market share of 22.4% in the third quarter, has wrested the lead away from the former leader of the pack. Motorola came in for a 21.1% market share in the same period. Writing in the Chicago Tribune , staff reporter Wailin Wong noted the acknowledgment by Motorola that it needs to produce more smartphones. These more sophisticated devices, like the BlackBerry, from Research In Motion (RIM), and Apple’s iPhone, now make up 30% of shipments in the US (“Samsung Topples Motorola From US Cell-Phone Leadership,” 7 th November). “One of the key challenges for Motorola is they don’t have a product in that segment,” Bonny Joy, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, told the Tribune . “They’re not part of the growth segment in North America and they’re paying the price.”

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EuroWire – January 2009