TIA Member Connect, March 23, 2015

Message from TIA CEO Scott Belcher

Scott Belcher on TIA NOW at Mobile World Congress

This month is turning out to be one of the busiest at TIA. Responding to one of the top issues of concern in our industry, I have represented TIA in numerous media and TV interviews on Net Neutrality and the Federal Communications Commission's recently released Open Internet Order.

The order imposes "Title II" utility-style regulation on broadband Internet Service Providers. The rules become effective 60 days after Federal Register publication, and TIA is concerned that as these new rules are challenged in court, the resulting uncertainty will produce a slowdown in telecommunications capital investment.

As a result, TIA is working closely with Congressional allies toward a bi-partisan alternative that will clarify the FCC's authority, but also produce a "light touch" approach to net neutrality. The FCC's fact sheet on the order is at this link.

I hope you are planning to attend the important upcoming events we are hosting for you in the upcoming weeks - their diversity offers something for everyone. The Internet of Things Roundtable next week in Washington, DC (March 26); the Connected Car Workshop in Concord, CA (March 30); the Annual Spring Policy Summit in Cambridge, MD (April 17-19); and of course, the Annual TIA Conference on the Network of the Future in Dallas, TX June 2-4. These are described in more detail below.

As always, feel free to contact me with comments or ideas at sbelcher@tiaonline.org or (703) 907-7702.

Major Keynotes Announced for TIA 2015 Include AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, NTT, General Motors, the FCC, DoD

TIA has confirmed an impressive lineup of keynotes and speakers for the Annual TIA Conference on the Network of the Future. They include:

AT&T: Andre Fuetsch, SVP, Domain 2.0 Architecture and Design; Susan Johnson, SVP, Global Supply Chain; Chris Penrose, SVP, Emerging Devices; Robert Quinn, SVP, Federal Regulatory and Chief Policy Officer; (invited) Krish Prabhu, CTO
Verizon: Brian Higgins, VP Network Planning; Kathleen Grillo, SVP, Federal Regulatory and Legal Affairs
Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Commissioner Michael O'Rielly and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn
Department of Defense: Frederick Moorefield, Jr., Director, Spectrum Policy and programs, Office of the DoD Chief Information Officer
NTT Communications: Joe Corvaia, VP
NTT Innovation Institute: MJ Petroni, Cyborg Anthropologist in Residence; Principal, Causeit
Sprint: Ron Marquardt, CTO
General Motors/OnStar: Tim Nixon, Executive Director, CTO and Applications Delivery
RideScout: Joseph Kopser, CEO and Co-Founder

This Conference is of vital importance to you and to the entire industry - we are covering everything relating to the future of the network, including the Internet of Things, Next-Generation Mobility, Software Defined Networks, Connected Cars, e-Health, Smart Retail, Digital Oilfields, Unified Communications and much more.

The AT&T Suppliers Conference will be held on Thursday, June 4 in conjunction with TIA's Conference. Be sure to stay for the reception starting at 4 pm on June 4.

For a deep dive into Software Defined Networking, Wireless and Cellular Networks, and the oneM2M Global Interoperable Standard, sign up for the Pre-Conference Workshops on June 1.

Hurry to register, and book your accommodations at TIA's Conference Hotel, the Hyatt Regency in downtown Dallas, at TIA's special rate before Tuesday, March 31.

Finally, thank you to our sponsors, and if you are looking for excellent thought leadership and branding visibility, look into the many sponsorship options available and contact us at events@tiaonline.org.

TIA Staff Contact: Taly Walsh, 703-907-7744.

Innovators Wanted: Apply for TIA Startups Competition

Startup companies in ICT are invited to pitch their innovations to judges and attendees at TIA 2015: Network of the Future, this June in Dallas.

Prizes for winning startups include cash, introductions and exposure through TIA media channels. Find criteria and entry form at this link. (The Startups Competition has been highlighted in the Dallas Business Journal.) Contact: Bennett Kobb, 703-907-7002.

Internet of Things Roundtable Features Dell, Panasonic, ILS and IIC Presenters

The Roundtable, which will be hosted by Microsoft in downtown Washington, DC, will feature Panasonic CTO Todd Rytting, Industrial Internet Consortium CTO Stephen Mellor, ILS Technology / Telit CIO/CSO Mihai Voicu, and Dell Fellow and Client Computing Group Executive Director Liam Quinn.

The free event takes place on March 26, and is followed by a reception. Find the agenda and register at this link. Contact: Danielle Coffey, 703-907-7734.

Connected Car Workshop Brings Together US DoT, Telematics, Automakers & Autonomous Vehicles

TIA's Connected Car Workshop, to be held March 30 in Concord, CA in conjunction with the unveiling of the world's largest connected and autonomous vehicle test bed by Contra Costa Transportation Authority, is your opportunity to meet senior representatives from the automotive ecosystem. Presenters include world-renowned auto designer Michael Robinson, Qualcomm Technical Standards Director Jim Misener; Cisco Director of Connected Vehicles Andreas Mai, and others from the transportation and ICT community.

With the support of Workshop sponsor NXP and in collaboration with the Association of Global Automakers, TIA is exploring new ICT business opportunities in this exciting emerging arena. Find agenda and registration at this link. Contact: Avonne Bell, 703-907-7711. To sponsor the Workshop, please contact TIA Events.

Meet Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda and Key Policymakers at Spring Policy Summit

TIA's Annual Spring Policy Summit, being held April 17-19 in Cambridge, MA, is an excellent way for members to hear from and interact with Congressional and government leaders on issues of importance to our industry.

Among the many policymakers scheduled to appear at the Summit are Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and U.S. Coordinator, International Communications and Information Policy; Meredith Broadbent, Chairman, U.S. International Trade Commission; Julius Knapp, Chief, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology; Matt DelNero, Deputy Chief, FCC Wireline Competition Bureau; Dr. Chris Greer, Director of Smart Grid and Cyber-Physical Systems Program Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); and T.J. Kennedy, Acting General Manager, First Responder Network Authority.

Please join us April 17–19, 2015 for the Spring Policy Summit at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, Cambridge, Maryland. The Summit is for TIA Members and their invited guests. Find agenda and registration at this link. Contact: David Gray, 703-907-7710.

TIA Members Launch Tower Design and Construction Standards Initiative

TIA’s TR-14 Engineering Committee voted to begin work on ANSI/TIA-322, which will become a standard for analysis and design related to the installation, alteration and maintenance of communication structures.

The intent of this standard is to provide appropriate engineering criteria related to construction of communication structures and to transfer related means and methods criteria into the forthcoming ANSI/ASSE A10.48 Standard, Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification and Maintenance of Communication Structures.

The TR-14 committee is developing the new ANSI/TIA-322 Standard based on the engineering criteria in the ANSI/TIA-1019-A Standard. TIA is actively seeking participation in this project from the user and general interest communities. For information about TR-14 and how to participate in standards development with TIA, contact Marianna Kramarikova, 703-907-7743.

TIA's 2015 Policy Innovation Agenda Calls for Action

This annual Agenda, created with input from TIA members and directors, presents TIA's policy recommendations to advance ICT innovation and promote jobs and economic growth. The Agenda calls for action on cybersecurity, trade promotion authority, tax reform, health IT and next-generation broadband infrastructure, all aimed at driving investment, accelerating competitiveness and access; and enabling forward-looking technologies. Find the 2015 Innovation Agenda at this link.

TIA Applauds FCC Adoption of CSRIC’s Cybersecurity Best Practices

The Federal Communications Commission's Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) has adopted cybersecurity risk management guidance and best practices, which TIA’s Director of Government Affairs, Brian Scarpelli, served a co-leadership role in shaping.

The FCC's adoption of the CSRIC’s landmark report on cybersecurity risk management and best practices is a very important move towards improving cybersecurity for communications infrastructure. It uses a voluntary, public-private partnership model to combat the complex cybersecurity threats our country faces in a dynamic and scalable way.

TIA played an integral role in developing the CSRIC’s recommendations. Voluntary collaboration between private and public stakeholders, rather than one-size-fits-all, top-down mandates, is essential to comprehensively evaluating and addressing evolving information security threats. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners on the next iteration of the CSRIC, and all stakeholders, to improve national cybersecurity. Contact: Brian Scarpelli, 703-907-7714.

TIA’s Accessibility Expert Appeared before the Access Board

TIA made an oral statement before the U.S. Access Board on March 11, 2015. The statement was at the Board’s public hearing on its recent proposal to update the standards under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that govern the type of information and communication technologies (ICT) that federal agencies can procure or use.

TIA’s statement focused on the need for U.S. rules to be more aligned with the European Commission’s ICT accessibility standards. TIA raised concerns regarding the significant infrastructure impact on manufacturers and carriers of a real-time text functionality requirement on all two-way voice calls. TIA encouraged the Board to adopt outcome-based, rather than technology-specific, solutions. Contact: Avonne Bell, 703-907-7711.

TIA Engages at Mobile World Congress

Scott Belcher, along with TIA staff, attended Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. More than 50 meetings were held with member companies, prospective members and sponsors, highlighting member and sponsor benefits and TIA’s 2015 priorities.

TIA NOW produced executive interviews and industry panels from the show floor, with Affirmed, Dell, DragonWave, Fujitsu, Intel, Red Hat, Telstra, Nokia, Cisco and many more. Topics included NFV, Internet of Things, Smart Homes, Open Stack, Cloud-RAN, small cell technologies and other hot subjects at MWC.

Check TIA NOW and TIA NOW's Twitter for much more coverage of MWC and latest ICT developments. Contact: Claire Johnson, 703-907-7742.

Optical Trends and LAN Standards Webinars Available

On March 17, the Fiber Optics Technology Consortium (FOTC) hosted a webinar on Optical Trends in the Data Center, featuring Doug Coleman from Corning Optical Communications. The webinar covered the use of VCSELs to drive multimode fiber as a value proposition, the migration to 100 GE, the evolution of VSR computing optical interconnects, and data center architectures.

The webinar is now available to view on demand at this link. Viewers of the webinar are eligible to earn one BICSI Continuing Education Credit (CEC).

The next FOTC webinar will be LAN Standards, News and Trends: 2015 Update which will take place on Thursday, April 9 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT. You can register for the webinar on TIA’s BrightTalk Channel at this link.

The TIA Fiber Optics Technology Consortium represents technology leaders committed to providing the most current, reliable, and vendor neutral information about fiber optics and related technologies for advancing new and better communications solutions.

TIA Staff Represented the Association at Wireless Expo

TIA’s Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs Mark Uncapher, and Manager of Standards and Technology Marianna Kramarikova represented TIA at the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) March 16-20, 2015 in Las Vegas. IWCE is a leading venue for public safety communications, including law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical and 911.

Mark Uncapher, along with Alizera Shahnani of ACD Telecom, a TIA member; and John Haynes, Deputy Director for Chester County PA Department of Emergency Services presented a short course on Wireless IP Best Practices. TIA’s remarks on the IP Transition and Public Safety focused how a surge in data communication enabled by the transition to all IP networks will impact first responders.

IWCE 2015 launched with a thrilling presentation from TIA’s Project 25 panelists with a P25 update for 2015. DHS Office of Emergency Communications Deputy Director Chris Essid stated DHS’ continuing support for Project 25. The session was attended by over 80 public safety officials and users. DHS announced launch of a Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program with a single point of contact on Firstresponder.gov. Contact: Marianna Kramarikova, 703-907-7743.

Coming Events

Please consult the TIA Standards Calendar for meetings of the Engineering Committees. For policy events, see the Washington Weekly Advance, available to TIA members. Contact: David Gray, 703-907-7710.

March 26, 2015: TIA Internet of Things Roundtable, Washington DC
March 30, 2015: TIA Autonomous & Connected Vehicle Workshop, Concord CA
April 17-19, 2015: TIA Spring Policy Summit, Cambridge MD
June 1, 2015: Understanding RF and Cellular: Workshop and Certification, Dallas TX
June 1, 2015: Software Defined Networking 101: Workshop and Certification, Dallas TX
June 1, 2015: oneM2M Showcase & Workshop, Dallas TX
June 1-4, 2015: TIA 2015: Network of the Future, Dallas TX

Contact Your Membership Team

For any membership concerns, and to take full advantage of your TIA connection please contact:

John Jacobs, VP, Membership & Industry Relations: 703.907.7747
Ancilla Brady, Director, Member Relations & Services: 703.907.7713
Lois Parks, Manager, Member Relations: 703.907.7739

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