April 2016

A new nationwide poll, “,” identifies a significant gap between African-Americans’ enthusiastic embrace of mobile technology as consumers and the community’s ability to recognize and capitalize on mobile technology as a vital tool for economic empowerment. The survey, conducted for Mobile Future by Cornell Belcher, president of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, surveyed 800 African-Americans nationwide to gain an understanding of why this gap exists and how to create future opportunities for diverse communities.

Some of the survey's findings:

• Progress on Access: 72% say they live in households with three or more connected devices.
• Engaged consumers. A full 79% of respondents say mobile technology makes their lives easier. And, 68% say they use their smartphones frequently—either multiple times a day (43%) or multiple times an hour (25%).
• Lack of Skills/Awareness: A majority (53%) identify lack of skills and low awareness of mobile tech economic opportunities as the biggest barriers to participation.
• Local, Affordable Training Can Help: Low-cost training (47%) offered in communities (31%) and schools (26%) would increase interest in mobile tech careers.
• Significant Gender Gap: African-American women were far less likely to be interested in mobile tech jobs. For example, while 45% of men expressed interest in becoming mobile app developers, just 31% of women said the same.

Former Montana Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT), a former cattle auctioneer whose folksy demeanor and political acumen earned him three terms and the bitter disdain of his opponents, died April 28. He was 81. Burns died of natural causes at his home in Billings (MT).

As a Republican senator, Burns used his influence on the powerful Appropriations committee to set the course on energy development and public lands management across the rural West. But he was ousted from office in 2006 under the specter of scandal after developing close ties to “super-lobbyist” Jack Abramoff, who was later jailed for conspiracy and fraud. No charges were ever filed against Burns, who dismissed criticism over the affairs as “old political hooey.” After working as a livestock auctioneer, Burns in 1975 moved into broadcast radio, founding four stations known as the Northern Ag Network. The network eventually grew to serve 31 radio and TV stations across Montana and Wyoming, offering agricultural news to rural areas. He sold the network in 1985 and — capitalizing on his name recognition — made his first foray into politics a year later, when he was elected commissioner for Yellowstone County in south-central Montana.

Verizon workers on the East Coast are continuing to strike after the company gave unions what it called its “last, best and final” offer. The drama played out on April 28 weeks into a strike that has been nationally prominent and drawn the attention of Democratic presidential candidates. In videos explaining the offer, the company laid out its proposals on benefits and compensation, among other issues raised by labor leaders. “The company is committed to achieving new labor agreements, and we have put all of our cards on the table,” said Marc Reed, the company’s chief administrative officer. “With the company having provided its last, best, final offer, the ball is now in the hands of the union leaders.”

One of the unions representing the almost 40,000 workers on strike said in response to the offer that the work stoppage was continuing. Leaders with the Communications Workers of America said in a statement that "Verizon workers remain on strike and are standing strong on the picket lines" and that “executives refused to back off of callous proposals that would hurt working families and destroy middle class jobs, including shipping jobs overseas and outsourcing work.” "The union is currently considering its next steps in the bargaining process,” they said.

Rural operators could find it easier to obtain spectrum licenses in the citizens broadband radio service (CBRS) band as the result of CBRS auction plans adopted by the Federal Communications Commission at April 28's commission meeting. Previously the FCC had said it would only issue licenses where at least two operators bid on spectrum in the auction. But the commission on April 28 said that licenses will be issued in rural areas even if only a single company bids for a license.

The CBRS band, also known as the 3.5 GHz band, consists of spectrum between 3550-3700 MHz. Previously the FCC determined that licenses in the band would be issued on a census tract basis. That decision may have been driven, at least in part, by the expectation that large national operators would use the spectrum for small cells to augment coverage in high-traffic urban areas. But the small size license areas also could benefit small rural operators by making it more affordable for them to obtain licenses. The most likely business case for the rural carriers may be to support fixed broadband wireless service. Jeff Kohler, a co-founder of rural broadband wireless provider Rise Broadband, who was very enthusiastic about the opportunities that he expects to see as a result of the CBRS auction. Kohler noted that in addition to having potentially more affordable licenses, the CBRS band can support faster broadband speeds than some other spectrum bands.