Upcoming Appearances: Net Neutrality Maven Paul Feldman To Speak At OTTcon East

Posted on April 5, 2010 by FHH Law

FHH’s Paul Feldman will soon be on the road again, speaking on Network Neutrality at OTTcon East in Atlanta on June 17.  OTTcon East is a conference focusing on “over-the-top” (OTT) services which rely on the Internet to deliver video content to the home.  (Think Internet-accessing game consoles, DVRs, disk players and the like, all of which permit content providers and consumers to by-pass traditional video service providers like cable.) 

Paul’s address (title: “Network Neutrality – Friend or Foe?”) will focus on – what else? – Net Neutrality.  In addition to providing an overview of the Commission’s 2005 Internet Policy Statement and its 2008 Comcast/BitTorrent Order, he’ll also address the FCC’s latest Net Neutrality proposals and related questions, including:

  • Would Net Neutrality rules help or hurt OTT video providers?
  • What impact, if any, will the proposed Comcast/NBCU merger have on Net Neutrality?
  • What impact, if any, will the FCC’s proposal to require Internet gateway set top boxes have on Net Neutrality?

The OTTcon event is dedicated to providing in-depth perspectives and critical analysis needed to address the challenges which OTT video pose for a range of traditional business models, such as those of pay TV operators, content owners, consumer equipment manufacturers, and over-the-air broadcasters.  For instance, among the featured speakers on June 16 will be:

  • Rick Ducey, Chief Strategy Officer of BIA/Kelsey, providing his take on the role of local broadcast TV in the development of OTT (sample grab: “adding free to air, local digital station into [the OTT] mix is becoming more attractive.”); and
  • Richard Yelen, Managing Director of Neulion, looking at the changing landscape of TV consumption and the pressure that is putting on cable, satellite and over-the-air providers to work OTT and IPTV into their distribution strategy.
  • Kevin Walsh, VP of Marketing for Zeugma Systems, getting technical about the “curse” of buffering of OTT video streams, which causes playback freeze-up.

More information about OTTcon East, including online registration, is available here.

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FHH On The Road: Paul Feldman In Florida (And On The Internet)

Posted on December 23, 2009 by FHH Law

FHH member and noted Net Neutrality maven Paul Feldman recently appeared at the TM Forum’s Management World America Conference in sunny Orlando. He spoke at the Conference’s keynote event, “Hype vs. Reality: What is the Role of Deregulation in Delivering a 21st Century Digital World?” (That's Paul on the right in the photo to the left.) For those of you who didn’t make it down to Florida for the festivities, no problem – you can catch Paul’s 15-minute Q-and-A presentation on net neutrality by clicking on this link.

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Upcoming Appearances: FHH Attorney Paul Feldman To Give Webinar On "Net Neutrality"

Posted on September 30, 2009 by FHH Law

Net Neutrality, a long-simmering issue, has exploded into the foreground of public debate as the future of broadband takes shape.  (If you have any doubt about that, check out our posts here, here, here and here, among others.)  And with the announcement that the FCC will be looking, in the very near future, to codify both existing and new Net Neutrality principles, we can expect it to stay in the foreground for some time to come.

If you’re looking for expert, in-depth, analysis of the Net Neutrality debate, FHH member Paul Feldman will be presenting a one-hour webinar on “Net Neutrality – What is it? Where is it going?” on Thursday, October 8, at 1:00 p.m. (ET). 

As an established telecommunications lawyer, Paul has been following the development of Net Neutrality closely for years.  He has written multiple analyses on the topic, including blogs here and here.  In his webinar he will be reviewing the debate over the substance of Net Neutrality proposals, and the FCC’s response – in its 2005 Internet Policy Statement and its 2008 Comcast/BitTorrent Order – to the evolving broadband landscape.  He will look at the Comcast conduct (some might say “misconduct”) that attracted the Commission’s regulatory attention last year, and the changes Comcast made to its network management practices as a result of that attention.  Paul will also address the Net Neutrality obligations which NTIA and RUS are tying to BTOP/BIP broadband stimulus funding.  Lastly, he will examine the new “Fifth and Sixth Principles” recently proposed by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to supplement the Commission’s Four Principles of Net Neutrality.

Clearly, the concept of Net Neutrality – however it is ultimately defined – will have an overwhelming impact on all aspects of the broadband industry.  Webinar attendees will come away with answers to important questions, including:

  • What practices have been focus of Net Neutrality discussions and regulations? 
  • What issues may trigger Net Neutrality concerns in the immediate future?

The webinar is being produced by Team Lightbulb.  A registration fee of $99 per computer will be charged.  For registration, go to https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=166037&sessionid=1&key=0B2AB783D63843E31A695E8145B8BFC9&sourcepage=register or call Mr. Sean Sullivan at 703-596-4133.

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