LedeTree News
The Lede, Tuesday, April 17, 2018
By David Royse
Good Day
The LEDE
胜利 – SHENGLI
That’s how you say “Winning” in Mandarin
China appears to be winning the race for 5G, according to a new report from …. the American wireless industry. We’re also behind South Korea.
OK, keep in mind that the American wireless industry has a vested interest in convincing Americans that it is losing out to Asian competitors – because the organization’s stated mission is to convince the government to make legislative and regulatory policies that help the American industry out. So…. “we are losing to those government-backed guys in China,” might help their cause.
And clearly their report is aimed at spurring some action from Washington, because CTIA President Meredith Atwell Baker basically says so.
“Today’s research highlights the importance of policymaker action in 2018 to reform local zoning rules and unlock access to mid-band spectrum as part of a broader spectrum pipeline plan,” Baker says in a statement put out with the report. “I’m optimistic we will leapfrog China because key leaders in the Administration, on Capitol Hill, and at the FCC are focused on the reforms needed to win the race.”
But in fairness, the group does make some effort to back up the claim, including noting that other countries are moving more quickly to make spectrum available for 5G and that, in China, “all major wireless providers have conducted extensive 5G trials and committed to 5G commercial launches while the government has opened up significant amounts of both mid- and high-band spectrum.”
Other highlights:
“The U.S. can further improve its position by bringing mid-band spectrum to market and by establishing a clear spectrum pipeline as seen in China and South Korea.”
About fourth place Japan (behind China, South Korea, USA): “Wireless providers are investing in 5G testing, and Japan’s regulatory authorities have committed to releasing mid- and high-band spectrum by early 2019 — aided by a national 5G roadmap policy adopted in 2016.”
“America’s wireless industry leads the world in its pursuit of 5G leadership but winning the race to 5G will also require timely government action. Specifically, the federal government needs to move forward on releasing hundreds of MHz of new spectrum, and every level of government needs to act to modernize infrastructure rules. America’s wireless providers and equipment vendors have conducted dozens of 5G trials across the country. Thanks to those trials and industry investment in the technology and people that will enable 5G, the U.S. will see these nextgeneration networks soon — as early as this year.”
Some background reading:
The Christian Science Monitor recently had a decent read on the background in the race for 5G between the USA and China. It notes that China will be the biggest market for the technology,and gives a clear outline of how if China wins it could dictate how the technology develops in the future in the United States. (the biggest customer gets to choose the design of the product).
And more background from The Aspen Institute
The FOLLOW
One Thing You Probably Haven’t Seen
Organic Photovoltaics
Organic photovoltaics can be printed and molded, creating a low-weight, flexible, semi-transparent film that turns solar energy into electricity. Could they change the way we power the world?
Watch Hannah Bürckstümmer’s talk about this from a November TedX event in Germany
LEDE ON EDUCATION
What’s New in Education?
VIRTUAL REALITY IN EDUCATION
“Since teachers are always looking for new ways to excite students, some innovative, well-supported educators have been experimenting with VR thanks to relatively low cost platforms like Google Cardboard or any of a number of sub-$100 budget headsets If you’re one of these pathbreaking educators, or just VR-curious, how can you make sure your lessons are grounded in best practices?”
The story, From Common Sense
Also, Apps for using VR tech in classrooms
The Cost of School Security
Florida’s Sarasota County School District will discuss today how to cut $3.1 million from next year’s budget. It’s just one of several districts in the state that’s going to have to grapple with difficult spending decisions in the wake of a new law that followed the Parkland shooting aimed at making schools safe and secure. Lawmakers required more school resource officers, but didn’t earmark enough money for all schools to do so.
A good story here from the Sarasota Herald Tribune’s @djinisinabottle
SCIENCE MEETS MINDFULNESS
Common, traditional therapies for depression don’t work the same for every patient, and some patients don’t experience relief from any of them. Scientists are working on a new idea – mindfulness-based meditation.
“’Individual cognitive behavioral therapy is helpful for many people; antidepressant medications help many people. But it’s also the case that many people don’t benefit from them as well. There’s a great need for alternative approaches.’ Shapero is working with Gaëlle Desbordes, an instructor in radiology at HMS and a neuroscientist at MGH’s Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, to explore one alternative approach: mindfulness-based meditation.”
MORE ON IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR LUNG CANCER
I included a link yesterday to a story about how immunotherapy is changing cancer treatment. The NYT has a similar story today, but it makes the point even stronger that immunotherapy has revolutionized some cancer treatments.
“I’ve been treating lung cancer for 25 years now, and I’ve never seen such a big paradigm shift as we’re seeing with immunotherapy,” said Dr. Roy Herbst, Chief of Medical Oncology at the Yale Cancer Center. He was not involved in the pembrolizumab study.
More from the NY Times
NOTES FROM THE AGE OF DISRUPTION:
Nomadica
Meet the millennial breaking the rules of selling wine – in cans. Inc.
Tesla
Has paused Model 3 Production. LedeTree
Vicis
Has the safest helmet in the NFL. Inc.
SpaceX
Will build its Mars rocket at the Port of LA. CNN
CB Insights
Has its List of the “top” 100 VCs. CBInsights
Adecco
Aquires programming startup General Assembly. TechCrunch
YOUR CAREER
LIFE IN AMERICA’S CITIES
Young People Increasingly Can’t Afford LA
LA Times
San Francisco is more vulnerable to earthquakes than you might think because of building practices
NY Times
App of the Week?
Is there an app that you really, really like – like, you use it all the time – AND that you think most people you know don’t know about? I’m not talking about Google maps, or Waze, or Messenger, or something most people already use, or at least know about. But something you’ve come across that you’d like to let people know about? What is it? Why do you like it? I’d like to tell other people about cool things they should know about.
Let me know: dave.royse@ledetree.com
