Bravo to Rep. Greg Walden for the JOBS Act of 2011. He has correctly recognized the importance of investment to create job growth.

“The JOBS Act will advance wireless broadband service, spur billions of dollars in private investment, create thousands of jobs…”

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Other states should take notice — Mobile voting for disabled voters introduced in OR.  Mobile technology continues to impact our lives and overcome challenges.

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Broadband has the potential to be the “great equalizer” in our society (to quote FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski) – but unequal adoption and use of broadband can institutionalize economic and social inequality.  If nearly two-thirds of low-income minority households do not have broadband at home, what does that mean for their educational and employment prospects five and ten years from now?

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According to CTIA, every dollar spent on wireless Internet generates $7-$10 for US GDP.  Access to more wireless spectrum will drive economic growth: CTIA Letter.

AT&T and T-Mobile combination will boost bandwidth to better serve consumers

PacTech member and business technology leader, Laurie Simon, commented in the Seattle Times about the proposed AT&T / T-Mobile merger. Read full article on Seattle Times website

On March 10, Senator Wyden re-introduced the Mobile Tax Fairness Act saying, “policies should be encouraging new innovations in these technologies not holding them back.” The Act will institute a five year moratorium on new taxes on mobile service from state and local governments.

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SB 5441 Will create new taxing authority for counties in Washington allowing them to heap even more taxes on wireless technology.

WA now has the highest wireless tax rate in the country at 23.64%. Keep in mind, King County wants more. They’re asking the legislature for additional taxing authority on utilities — including your cell phone.

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In the last few years the discussion over Net Neutrality has been quite heated. Some have claimed the internet must be “free and open” and cannot be burdened with regulation. Others worry the system is broken and the internet as we know it is on the precipice of failure, and must be saved with a stringent regulatory approach. Until a few days ago, it appeared the FCC had bought into the latter notion. For the last year they’ve sought to “reclassify” the internet and apply antiquated regulations that were designed for rotary telephone service in the 1930s, all in an effort to gain regulatory authority – a move that generated significant opposition from both sides of the aisle in Congress.

However, in a speech earlier this week FCC Chairman Genachowski seems to have recalibrated on Net Neutrality and appears to be seeking some common ground. He laid out the FCC’s forthcoming proposal on Net Neutrality and he highlighted some key goals. They would like to ensure innovation in both available content and network growth, maintain consumer protection, create market certainty and spur investment. And most importantly, they’ve moved away from efforts to “re-classify” the internet.

These are welcomed changes.

Most of us think of cell phones primarily as a convenient tool to stay in touch with people and store information. But increasingly, scientists are exploring ways to use cell phones to deliver critical health care to people in developing countries…

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