Category Archives: News Center
Coming up: Securing Cyberspace, a Stanford symposium
The Stanford Journal of Law hosts experts in business, law, and technology to delve into global cyberthreats and cybersecurity in its annual symposium.
“The Virtual Battlefield: Securing Cyberspace in a World Without Borders,” is the topic and it will kick off Thursday night with a keynote address by Hamadoun Touré, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, who presided over December’s controversial World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT).
Next week’s Stanford cybersecurity symposium to include high-profile names
Articles on cybersecurity and hacking have been making the news increasingly frequently in the past few years, with high-profile victims including the U. S. Army, the Federal Reserve, Facebook and the New York Times.
An upcoming Stanford Journal of International Law symposium on cybersecurity, “The Virtual Battlefield: Securing Cyberspace in a World Without Borders,” has several presentations and panels with cybersecurity experts to discuss how international law may or may not address these issues.
Mike Montgomery: President Obama’s State of the Union Address Should Offer Hope for the New Economy
Today, speechwriters in the West Wing will put the finishing touches on President Obama’s State of the Union address. The State of the Union provides every President an unparalleled opportunity to showcase his policy priorities. And the opportunity is never more valuable than in an inaugural year, when it can set the tone for the next four. This year I hope the President speaks to the digital economy and, specifically, California’s burgeoning tech sector.
In my dream scenario, the President’s speech will sketch a blueprint for building a stronger future for America. To me that means focusing some policies on Silicon Valley and San Francisco, still the headquarters of the new economy, a fact that Washington seems to forget from time-to-time. Tech-friendly policy initiatives will directly benefit the new economy, California, and the U.S. Take these, for example:
Give the app economy a boost. As consumers and businesses use more and more data, California’s burgeoning app economy could use a digital infrastructure upgrade, which could be accomplished by moving to all-IP networks across the country. A new Brookings Institution book by Robert Litan and Hal Singer, The Need for Speed: A New Framework for Telecommunications Policy for the 21st Century, offers a potential roadmap for a regulatory re-think that could help expedite the delivery of broadband to consumers and keep the new economy humming. Meanwhile, the federal government, under President Obama’s leadership, needs to speed the reallocation of underutilized spectrum, the invisible radio waves over which our connected devices communicate. If our telecommunications infrastructure clogs up like our freeways at rush hour, either because of inadequate spectrum or insufficient private investment, then our app economy will suffer.
CALinnovates and California-Based Tech Groups Ask FCC to Speed Modernization of Nation’s Communications Networks
| For Immediate Release Wednesday, January 30, 2013 |
Contact: Mike Montgomery mike@calinnovates.org 415-494-8626 |
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Mike Montgomery: Two Internets may be reality after United Nations treaty
Back in 2000, George W. Bush was lambasted for butchering the English language by making up the word “Internets.” He may have unintentionally predicted the future of the Web, which, under its current governance structure, has played a vital role in creating this amazing and interconnected online world in which we live.
Unfortunately for everyone who enjoys the Internet as a free and open platform for innovation, communications and commerce, the rug may have been pulled out from underneath us. When the United Nations’ World Conference on International Telecommunications ended last week, the idea of two “Internets” became plausible.
Regardless of how well the current multi-stakeholder approach is working for most of us, conference participants charged forward with new regulations that should alarm every tech company, aspiring entrepreneur, Skype lover, blogger or Etsy shop owner in the world. In an 89-54 vote, the United States, Canada, most Western European countries and Japan came up short against the likes of China, Iran and Russia, countries not necessarily known for eagerness to enact sensible regulations on behalf of their citizenry. The vote approved the text of a treaty that would put the Internet on the road to reckless regulation in two short years.
Mayor’s report suggests ways to attract high-tech industry to Los Angeles
For Los Angeles to develop and expand its high-tech industry, the city must change its public perception, a new report commissioned by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says.
The Los Angeles Mayor’s Council on Innovation and Industry, formed by the mayor last March, released its 24-page report on Wednesday listing ways the city can work with the high-tech industry to develop it further in L.A.
$14 Billion Additional Investment in Broadband Networks Means Big Things for Consumers and Innovators
| For Immediate Release Tuesday, November 13, 2012 |
Contact: Mike Montgomery mike@calinnovates.org 415-494-8626 |
$14 Billion Additional Investment in Broadband Networks Means Big Things for Consumers and Innovators
CALinnovates’ new infographic says evolving consumer behavior demands private sector investment to expand communications infrastructure and support tech innovation
SAN FRANCISCO – California’s economic recovery will be bolstered by a recent announcement that AT&T plans to invest an additional $14 billion to expand and enhance its wired and wireless Internet Protocol (IP) broadband networks. For Californians looking for expanded access to the benefits of the Internet, this development signals great optimism for the future of communications, according to CALinnovates, a San Francisco-based high-tech advocacy group.
According to their 3-year investment plan, 300 million people will be covered by AT&T 4G LTE by the end of 2014, and millions more will have access to next-generation wireline IP broadband networks. CALinnovates Executive Director Mike Montgomery stated, “Connecting virtually everyone in the U.S. with high-speed Internet is a long stride in the right direction toward meeting the goal of President Obama’s National Broadband Plan. And we know that high-speed Internet connections, both wired and wireless, create the kind of jobs we urgently need right now.”
“Consumers, entrepreneurs and people everywhere are clamoring for more connectivity and faster speeds. It takes this kind of multi-billion dollar private sector investment to give people the high-speed connections they want and need,” said Montgomery. “Investment is the linchpin to staying ahead of the massive growth in consumer demand for speed, data capacity and devices and apps that are now central to our lives.”
A new CALinnovates infographic on its website documents how consumers are driving the market that is revolutionizing communications and creating skyrocketing demand for new technology that can handle more data than ever before. In describing the infographic, Montgomery said, “Consumers today want to be connected everywhere in every way possible. But, we can’t take for granted the robust high-speed networks that are necessary to carry the innovations that are driving the economy and improving our lives. Those networks require mega investments to keep them growing and improving.”
“Continued investment to build the communications infrastructure of the future is what will keep the U.S. and Silicon Valley ahead of the innovation curve,” he said.
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Transformational Transportation – The Rideshare Revolution
Yesterday, I joined the rideshare revolution. Today I’m writing about it. I downloaded this app on my iPhone and took three short car trips yesterday courtesy of SideCar, a San Francisco-based ridesharing company that connects people who need a ride with drivers already on the road. Simply put, it’s a reinvention of carpooling through smartphone technology.
SideCar, founded by visionary cleanweb venture capitalist Sunil Paul, is only available in San Francisco at this time.
Transformational Transportation — The Rise of Uber
On my penultimate trip to D.C., it took far longer to find a cab to Dulles than I anticipated. Once I flagged one down, I thought the stress of the mad dash was essentially over. I was wrong. About a mile away from the airport, I asked my driver if he accepted credit cards, as I couldn’t cover the fee in cash. Much to the surprise of few in Washington, the gruff cabbie said “no,” that he did not take credit cards. He did, however, offer me one option, which felt more like an ultimatum. I could get out of the taxi, shuffle down a flight of stairs, bank left and use an inconveniently-placed ATM. After withdrawing my cash, I could sprint back to the car and exchange my money for my luggage. What a deal.
On my last trip to Washington, I had learned my lesson. Two lessons, actually. The first was to carve out time for an anticipatory trip to the ATM. The second lesson was to download the Uber app on my smartphone.