EoW November 2010

Transat lant ic Cable

increase broadband usage among the Native American tribes in San Diego County. (“US Puts $1.8 Billion Into Broadband Projects,” 19 th August) The projects receive the funds under a programme jointly administered by the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture. By some estimates, as many as 34% of Americans – especially in remote areas of the country – do not have broadband Internet access. The public safety grants are aimed at improving response times and inter-agency communication in emergencies. That push derives from such experiences as 9/11, when police and re ghters in New York City found themselves out of touch with one another in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. In announcing the broadband awards, Vice President Joe Biden emphasised the Obama administration’s dedication to “bringing twenty- rst century infrastructure to underserved communities and rural areas.” But he also cited the commercial potential of the awards. “[This] investment in broadband technology will create jobs across the country and expand opportunities for millions of Americans andAmericancompanies,”Mr Bidensaid ina statement. “The awards are another great example of how the Recovery Act is creating jobs upfront, while also building a foundation for sustainable job creation and global competitiveness.” Now that Telefónica of Spain has won full control of the ❈ mobile phone joint venture it had with Portugal Telecom in Brazil, a long tussle comes to an end between two operators increasingly reliant on earnings from the fast-growing Brazilian mobile phone market to o set sluggish sales at home. The deal, worth about $9.75 billion, was announced 28 th July. Brazilian mobile phone subscriptions rose to 187 million in July, up 1% from June, according to gures released by the telecom regulator Anatel. The Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Negócios reported on its website that Portugal Telecom planned to use part of the proceeds from the sale of Vivo to buy a stake in another Brazilian phone operator. If completed, such a deal would allow Portugal Telecom to maintain a Brazilian presence in Brazil. Elsewhere in telecom . . .

As if this were not remarkable enough, Hydro-Québec is ❈ looking beyond it to robots that not only inspect but also repair faulty transmission lines.“That would be the beginning of what we call intervention or manipulation tasks,” Mr Montambault said. “It’s a challenge, because the robot has to be stable, precise, and have enough dexterity.”But here, he told the Star ’s Mr Hamilton, is an area in which their countrymen can shine. He said,“Canada is truly a leader in this.” Andrew Phillips, a scientist at the Electric Power Research ❈ Institute (Palo Alto, California) pointed out that robot line inspectors can also help bridge the coming skills gap in the industry. The average age of power transmission workers in Canada and America is 48, and many of the most skilled linemen are nearing retirement. Mr Phillips told the Star , “We just don’t have those people any more.” With thousands of federally nanced stimulus projects already under way across the US, broadband comes in for some funding The “economic stimulus” – o cially, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – allotted $787 billion to create jobs and promote investment, on the Keynesian principle that government spending must take up the slack in consumer spending during a recession. Now Washington is coming through with $1.8 billion in Recovery Act money for broadband access and adoption. Focused mainly on rural telecommunications, 94 contracts have been awarded to projects in 37 states. The amounts range from the hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. Jesse Emspak noted in International Business Times that Motorola got $50.6 million to set up a public safety wireless broadband network in the San Francisco area. But some smaller companies were among the recipients. Zerodivide, a California service provider, got $686,000 to Telecom

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EuroWire – November 2010