Rural Telecommunications articles from March 2009

Rural Telecommunications archives from March 2009

Leaving your legacy.(FROM the Editor)(Editorial)
March 1, 2009... Many of you may have heard about Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who became famous for his poignant "Last Lecture" to students and faculty at the university. The lecture went viral on YouTube shortly thereafter. He also appeared on...

TV studio in a box.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... The process of creating live television can require massive amounts of expensive equipment and a large crew of people. NewTek's TriCaster packs an entire live television production studio into a cube and can be easily operated by one person to...

Truphone App.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... UK-based Truphone, a VoIP service provider for Wi-Fi/data-enabled handsets, unveiled its software for the latest version of the iPod Touch last December. The software turns the Touch into a mobile phone. Though calls are limited to where there...

Google mobile search experience.(SHORT Takes)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Google is gaining market share throughout the mobile industry. The company wants to offer a mobile-intelligent version of the desktop Google experience. Text the information you want, such as weather at a particular location, to 466-453...

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: consumer spending.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... Consumer spending was foremost on the minds of many business executives at the close of 2008. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to NPD, provider of consumer and retail market research information, spending on Black Friday (the day after...

Simple solar solutions.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... Citizenre RenU is taking steps to make solar energy solutions for homes simple. The company is positioning itself to lead in the development of renewable energy infrastructure, offering a cheap, solar panel rental plan that the company will...

Entertainment experience: boxee.(SHORT Takes)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Boxee is the developer of the first "social" media center. The software plays media from your computer and other devices in your home network, and connects you to various Internet sources that allow you to stream or download movies, TV shows,...

Twitter.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... According to ComScore, Twitter attracts about 1.9 million unique visitors a month, up tenfold from a year ago. The number doesn't include Twitter users who access the service via cell phone or from desktop applications such as Twhirl or...

Blackberry's bright spot.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... Mobile handset sales were off 10% in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to ABI Research. Nokia, the biggest manufacturer of mobile phones, registered 15% fewer sales during the same period. But mobile data services are seeing revenue and...

2008's most popular blog topics.(SHORT Takes)
March 1, 2009... Personal/Lifestyle 54% Technology 46% News 42% Politics 35% Computers 34% Music 31% Film 30% Travel 28% Business 27% Family updates 23% [Technorati's "2008 State of the Blogosphere Report";...

What's next in entertainment technology?(Perspective)
March 1, 2009... For those in the television industry, the migration to digital television and the discontinuation of analog broadcasting is the culmination of more than 20 years spent researching, discussing, trying and perfecting what is intended to be an...

What newer technologies are consumers embracing at the fastest rate?(FIRST Person)
March 1, 2009... Changing technology presents a constant challenge for rural telcos. Their customers, aware of the latest telecom trends and innovations, are looking to companies to provide new services and more robust data speeds. "Wireless appears to be...

Hello can you hear it? VoIP gains ground.
March 1, 2009... Ask your average phone customer what VoIP means. Those that can give you an answer are likely to say it's a service provided by the likes of Vonage and Skype. The more technological savvy will know the terms for the V-O-I-P letters and have a...

For fiber the future is now.
March 1, 2009... Although Verizon's massive fiber-to-the-home rollout gets the lion's share of mass-media attention, rural telcos have been the true innovators in this field. Several dozen began deploying fiber well before Verizon did, and today more than 300...

Internet-enabled TV: coming soon to a screen near you?
March 1, 2009... While watching TV--whether it's news, a talk show, or even a sitcome or commercial--it's not unusual for viewers to be directed to a Web site for more information. At the moment, this would involve getting off the couch and logging onto a...

A primer on pole attachments.
March 1, 2009... Late last year, NTCA sent letters to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asserting that broadband deployment will stimulate our national economy and urging elected officials to include provisions in a...

NTCA Annual Meeting & EXPO: Long Beach, Calif.(Conference news)
March 1, 2009... The beautiful port city of Long Beach, Calif., welcomed NTCA attendees for the February 8-11 Annual Meeting & EXPO. More than 2,200 attendees enjoyed dynamic and insightful presentations and thought-provoking general sessions. The meeting...

EXPO '09: the rural telecom solutions marketplace.(NTCA Annual Meeting & Expo)
March 1, 2009... NTCA'S EXPO '09, held February 10-11 in conjuction with the association's 2009 Annual Meeting in Long Beach, Calif., was the perfect venue for NTCA members to gain the resources necessary to maintain their advanced telecommunications networks....

The state of the association.(NTCA Annual Meeting & Expo)
March 1, 2009... Good morning. Welcome to Long Beach and your Annual Meeting. Given the times, perhaps it is appropriate that we meet in this great port city, this center of commerce. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As you well know, 2008 was a challenging year...

Awards.(NTCA Annual Meeting & EXPO)(Carrie Huckeby of Lomand Telephone honored)(Derek Barr and Franklin McPherson of Hardy Telecommunications awarded)(Awards list)
March 1, 2009... Heroism Award Franklin "Butch" McPherson, Outside Plant Engineer Hardy Telecommunications, Lost River, W.Va. Butch has been with Hardy for the past nine years. Butch is well known around the Hardy service territory. He is always...

Independents usher in the dawn of DVR.(MARKETING Matters)
March 1, 2009... For independent telcos, the age of the digital video recorder (DVR) has dawned. The technology, which allows viewers to digitally record and store programs that they can watch whenever they choose--"time shifting," in TV industry parlance--has...

Determine your liability exposure.(RISK Manager)
March 1, 2009... What liability exposures come with the technology services offered by telecommunications providers today and in the future? Do you or your insurance provider really understand all the exposures associated with the technology-related services...

Plotting a course for success.(EXECUTIVE Viewpoint)(Viewpoint essay)
March 1, 2009... Did you know that airplanes must constantly make course corrections in flight--besides just to avoid air traffic and bad weather? While on paper an airplane's course appears to take it directly to its destination, atmospheric conditions could...