The Junior Community College Student Personnel Association of Texas convened in Houston, Texas on October 16, 2008. I had the honor of being asked to participate on a panel discussion regarding campus security. The clear message I conveyed to the audience is that the demand for due diligence regarding campus security, especially after the Virginia Tech incident, does not leave any room for complacency. The critical mindset to guard against is "that won't happen on my campus." Sadly, it can happen on any campus. Since the tragic death of Jeanne Clery at Lehigh University in 1986, both state and federal legislators have passed statutes and regulations to address this critical issue.
The mandates emanating from every report regarding these tragedies clearly demands that administrators not only report crime but also implement security measures to minimize crime. Struggling with budgetary constraints, in most instances, adding security personnel is typically not possible. The alternative is to utilize technological support systems to augment security personnel. The first step in any security assessment is to conduct a thorough environmental design study and determine what landscaping and structural changes need to be made to minimize crime.
The wireless industry has numerous product applications to help with security demands. Most commonly used are automated notification systems, which enable administrators to send out an alert via email, SMS text message, and updates to university web sites. Also, safety experts agree that the texting alert system should be "just one part of comprehensive notification systems that can include sirens, loudspeakers, security cameras, website announcements and more," according to USA Today.
Regardless of the security any campus has, periodic tests of the system should be made to help identify any security factors that need upgrading or replacement. Additionally, it is of utmost importance for each campus security director, if not already in place, to have a close collaborative working relationship with their local police agencies
For more information, the report I found to be the most comprehensive in addressing campus security is the National Association of Attorneys General (http://naag.org/publications.php) - Task Force On School And Campus Safety (September 2007 Report and Recommendations).
If Tom Kalil has his way, mobile technology and services will be at the heart of American global development policy.
So says his visionary and timely new report, "Harnessing the Mobile Revolution," published recently by NDN, the innovative Washington D.C. policy group.
The next Administration, says Kalil, a science and technology policy advisor at Cal Berkeley, has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage advances and investments in the mobile sector to catalyze critical development goals such as providing safe drinking water, new vaccines, therapies, point-of-care diagnostics, clean energy, and improved crops that are more productive, nutritious, and drought-resistant. And not a moment too soon, he warns, as to date, the U.S. government has largely overlooked the power of mobile services to help improve the human condition. It is time, argues Kalil, for the blinders to come off.
Says Kalil: "Even in the absence of enlightened U.S. government leadership, mobile services will become more ubiquitous, affordable and versatile. But the missed opportunity will be to leverage this large and growing private sector investment (in mobile technology and services) for public purposes, such as ensuring fair elections, helping a community health worker save the life of a mother or young child, and giving a farmer or small business owner access to the credit they need to build a path out of poverty."
Kalil argues that policy-makers in Washington have a historic but limited window of opportunity to work in partnership with the private sector to ensure that mobile technologies increasingly can be agents of productive social, economic and political development. The use of mobile technologies has exploded, particularly in the developing world, where there are now more subscribers than in the developed world. Some forecast that there will be over 5 billion mobile subscribers in the next two years - a fact that has encouraged the development economist Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University to conclude that "the cell phone is the single most transformative technology for development."
Here are some of the statistics the report cites:
A rise of 10 mobile phones per 100 people is associated with a growth in GDP of 0.6 percent;
Every 1 percent increase in mobile penetration boosts foreign direct investment as a share of GDP by 0.5 percent;
Telecommunications investment in African countries such as Kenya and Senegal accounts for more than 10 percent of private sector investment in fixed capital;
The mobile industry has created 3.6 million jobs in India, not only through mobile operators, but through retail sales of airtime, handsets and SIM cards;
Chinese workers who travel for their work (e.g. taxi-cab drivers, plumbers, salespeople) have been able to reduce traveling by 6 percent - a productivity payoff worth $33 billion in 2005.
So what is to be done?
First and foremost, Kalil recommends that the U.S. government should establish new public/private partnerships to ensure that advances in mobile technologies and services - especially in the areas of public health, education, civil engagement, human rights, and financial services - can be more systematically accessed by communities which need them most. Creative examples of these partnerships in mobile technology have been implemented in countries like Zambia and Kenya. It is time for American engagement and leadership as well.
Second, official donors - the U.S. included - must direct more investment to increase the number of developing country entrepreneurs, programmers, researchers, government agencies, and non-profit organizations that are capable of designing and implementing mobile applications that address local needs. Kalil also argues that the private sector itself can do more to support the use of its technologies and applications as vehicles for positive development.
Last, Kalil argues that governments must move quickly to lower or eliminate the punitive taxes that have unwisely and disproportionately targeted the mobile industry so the industry can flourish, entrepreneurs can innovate, productive new jobs can be created, and consumers can gain access to better and less expensive services. Mobile and wireless technology is not a luxury and should not be taxed as such.
Indeed, as Kalil's important paper presciently establishes, mobile innovation is now more than a necessity; it increasingly is a vital vehicle for improving the lives, health, and well-being of the least powerful around the world.
Whether it's a back-to-school shopping trip or just an afternoon ski run, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, even when we're apart, cell phones have enabled my family to stay close and connected with each other. And it appears that our family is not alone.
On Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released poll results that found that 25 percent of respondents said cell phones and online communications made their families closer, 60 percent of adults said the new technologies did not affect the closeness of their families and only 11 percent said the technology had a negative effect
The year 2000 marked the first decade in which a majority of Americans used Internet and cell phone technology. The advances in these technologies have certainly corresponded to increases in multi-tasking and general activity, but it has also allowed me the freedom to live my life as I choose. Whether that means texting my daughter to see what she's up to without being too much of a "helicopter mom," or starting a business in the mountains of Montana - technology and cell phones have kept me close to my loved ones.
The Austin Wireless Alliance recently hosted its annual Texas Wireless Summit and there is no doubt that AWA is fulfilling its mission to bring together the key leaders in wireless from Austin and Central Texas. Participants included representatives from the business, academic, community, and government sectors and the presence of aspiring entrepreneurs was readily evident.
From the perspective of someone who is dedicated to providing youth as many opportunities as possible for them to reach their full potential, AWA truly sets the benchmark for other cities. Their effort in providing an opportunity for University of Texas engineering students to exhibit their wireless application concepts and have them receive feedback from field practitioners is to be commended. It was indeed a pleasure to meet such bright young people. Since my youngest son received an engineering degree from UT, I had to contact him and let him know that his alma mater is doing very well, not only in football, but also in engineering.
Even though this was the first time I have attended AWA's wireless summit, it was evident to me that this concept can be a viable vehicle to generate business opportunities for all sectors of the wireless industry. In discussing AWA's mission with CEO Erin Defosse', I stressed how important it is that AWA is filling the technology niche of the local chamber of commerce. It takes the foresight of business leaders like these to recognize this business necessity. Through AWA, they have filled a critical niche in the technology sector and are helping to better position Austin and Central Texas to compete in today's global economy.
Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for the Mobile Future Elections Forum on "How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections." If you weren't able to attend, you can still watch C-SPAN's coverage of the event by clinking on the link at the top of our home page.
The event began with an introduction from our Chairman Jonathan Spalter and followed with a panel discussion and presentation from pollster Peter Hart.
Some interesting highlights from the discussion:
Mobile Future member Jed Alpert stressed how mobile technologies are the best form of communication to reach the most disenfranchised populations with a real-time channel of communications to voters. This November, Jed's company, Mobile Commons, expects to send out 1 million text messages on Election Day on behalf of his clients.
Former Giuliani campaign official Katie Harbath discussed how campaigns need to go beyond just text messaging. Mobile applications like Twitter and Qik really represent the next, important phase of communications because it enables rapid responses. She hopes that the next class in the House and the Senate utilize these tools to connect with constituents and interact with the media.
Michelle Mayorga announced Rock the Vote's new initiative with ChaCha, a free mobile answers service, to respond to voters questions via text message. The ChaCha Guides will provide informed, non-partisan answers to questions like polling locations, voting deadlines, and even the candidates' positions on issues from energy to taxation.
Casey O'Shea from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee explained that mobile technologies are not only crucial as a campaign tool but also as a government application. During Hurricane Katrina when O'Shea was a Chief of Staff for a Louisiana representative, constituents who were trapped on their roof by the storm sent text messages to relatives who then called the congressional office to coordinate rescue efforts for their relatives. It was the first time O'Shea truly realized the power of mobile technology and how it can save lives.
Finally, Peter Hart's presentation explored the latest poll findings on the election and the economy. He also discussed the effect that cell phone-only voters are having on polling. Because the sample of cell phone-only voters is a relatively new but growing part of the populace, pollsters are having trouble judging their effect on the polls but are working on ways to engage them. Additionally, a number of researchers are attempting to predict and study the voter turn-out of cell phone-only users so that they can adjust the polls accordingly.
On Tuesday, October 14th, Mobile Future will be hosting a forum on "How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections." The forum is a hosted luncheon open to the public and you can rsvp by registering at www.mobilefuture.org/elections.
"How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections"
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
12:00 PM
National Press Club
529 14th St NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC
One of the leading pollsters in the U.S., Peter Hart, Chairman of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, will give an update on the 2008 landscape and discuss how analysts collecting data for the 2008 elections are factoring in consumers who rely solely on their wireless phones.
The forum also includes a panel discussion moderated by Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter with representatives from some of the leading organizations and companies using these technologies today.
Panelists include:
Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons
Michelle Mayorga, Rock the Vote, Mobile Programs
Casey O'Shea, DCCC National Field Director
Katie Harbath, Former Deputy eCampaign Director, Giuliani for President
As a former cell-only user and a political junkie, I was especially intrigued by the latest study on cell-only users' effect on polling. The Pew Research Center's latest finding rebuts prior claims that cell and landline users have similar enough views that excluding cell-only users would not have a significant impact on poll results. Instead, it found that "this assumption is increasingly questionable" particularly in regard to younger cell phone users who rely heavily on their wireless devices.
For the past five years, I was a cell phone-only user and I loved it. After all, why would I pay for a landline when my cell phone was always at my side letting me make calls from almost anywhere? While there were a few times a landline would have come in handy, (i.e. letting me call my cell phone so that I could find when I misplaced it, having an alternative when my cell battery was dead, and for times when my cell couldn't seem to get reception) I was still very proud of being a cell-only girl. That all changed when, in February, I bought a condo with my fiancé. Due to the location of our condo and a deal from our cable company, we decided to buckle down and get a landline. I will admit it's been very helpful, but I still rely almost solely on my cell phone for my calling needs. So it was with great interest that I found my transition from cell to landline corresponded with the variables that could result in skewed polling data between the groups.
Working from polls conducted in August and September, Pew found "that of people under age 30 with only cell phones, 62 percent were Democrats and 28 percent Republicans. Among landline users the same age, that gap was narrower: 54 percent Democrats, 36 percent GOP." The reason for that gap - young people with landlines were more likely to own homes and be married than young cell-only users, and those factors are associated with "being somewhat more conservative and more Republican", said Scott Keeter, Pew's director of survey research.
Little did I know when I bought a house, got engaged and ordered a landline that in doing so I would be joining a more conservative group than my cell-only peers. However, even with the skewed data, Pew reported that the results usually were within the poll's margin of error. Though the implications are not readily felt, this finding could have a dramatic impact on the way future polls are conducted as cell-only households continue to grow each year.
For more insight into this topic, come to our forum, "How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections" on October 14th. Pollster Peter Hart will be delving into this topic with a special presentation followed by a panel of leading experts using wireless technologies. Hope to see you there!
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in a technology panel presentation in Arizona with Larry Irving, President of the Irving Information Group and former Assistant Secretary of NTIA, and Debra Berlyn, President of Consumer Policy Solutions. Having known and admired both Larry and Debra for many years, it was great fun to see them and hear more about what they are up to these days.
Larry Irving is an expert on broadband delivery and is more qualified than just about anybody to speak about the coming exaflood. The term "exaflood," refers to the torrent of data the Internet will have to handle in the very near future. The amount of information we upload, download and share is growing at an exponential rate. As explained by Larry, this is exciting, but it's also a challenge. The capacity of the Internet, its "bandwidth," is limited, and more bytes consume more bandwidth. By way of example, Larry explained that today, over 1/3 of entertainment is being viewed on our computers, not our televisions. He pointed out the exponential growth of YouTube, where in 2007 over 65,000 videos were uploaded every day, while millions were downloaded daily. He believes that we are soon to see the end of linear television, television that is broadcast at a set, predetermined time. Indeed he noted that our youth believes that the idea of "timed tv" is silly.
Larry worries that the exaflood will cause the internet to become less efficient over time and proposed that policymakers take two steps. First, to determine what communities in America have access to broadband delivery systems. Second, to take steps, working along with private industry, to ensure that unserved communities deploy broadband.
Debra Berlyn is an expert in internet safety issues. She pointed out that there are significant differences in perception based on age regarding internet safety. For example, 52% of parents say that they sit alongside their teenager whenever they're online, but only 33% of kids confirm that position. She proposed four steps to promote internet safety:
o Recognize that what goes online - stays online,
o Have an ongoing conversation with your family about online safety and privacy,
o Go to consumerpolicysolutions.com for guidance and additional information, and
o Be vigilant about what you put online
And, of course, I spoke about the indispensable uses of wireless in entrepreneurship, sharing my new favorite factoid - "A 2008 survey by IDC found that more than 38% of workers would choose their mobile phone over their wallet, keys, laptop or other digital music player if they had to leave the house for 24 hours and could only take one item".
Arizona State Rep. Chad Campbell did a great job chairing the program. It was a terrific audience, smart and committed to economic development for the state of Arizona and the western region. Indeed, the audience astutely wondered whether our current practice of asking our students to leave technology outside the schoolhouse should be modified so that we can better produce truly technologically savvy students - an inquiry certainly worthy of further discussion.
With more and more elected officials using text messaging to speak directly to voters and an increasing challenge for pollsters to reach the growing community of voters who have cut the cord, Mobile Future will host a forum exploring the significant role that mobile technologies play in the 2008 election.
"How Mobile Technologies are Changing Elections"
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
12:00 PM
National Press Club
529 14th St NW, 13th Floor
Washington, DC
One of the leading pollsters in the U.S., Peter Hart, Chairman of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, will give an update on the 2008 landscape and discuss how analysts collecting data for the 2008 elections are factoring in consumers who rely solely on their wireless phones.
The forum also includes a panel discussion moderated by Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter with representatives from some of the leading organizations and companies using these technologies today.
Panelists include:
Jed Alpert, CEO of Mobile Commons
Michelle Mayorga, Rock the Vote, Mobile Programs
Casey O'Shea, DCCC National Field Director
Katie Harbath, Former Deputy eCampaign Director, Giuliani for President
The forum is a hosted luncheon open to the public and you can rsvp by registering at www.mobilefuture.org/elections. Check back for more blog posts discussing how mobile technologies are changing elections in the weeks leading up to the event.
Well, I didn't think how much I would appreciate being connected to the outside world after our region was devastated by hurricane Ike. Having access to the internet has been a life saver. Not only can I keep up with safety alerts via the internet, I have been in ready contact with my extended family. Forget about "land lines". The cell sites withstood the 110 mile per hour winds. The devastation is awesome. One hundred year old oak and pine trees were uprooted and strewn about like kindling. Houston, our beautiful city looks like a war-zone. But even with the devastation we experienced, it is nothing of what happened along the coast. This area has literally been razed. Many once thriving communities are no more. With the start of the mountains of degree, the projections are that there will be a number of bodies recovered.
The one thing that really stands out is the basic human compassion of neighbors helping neighbors. With God's help and the perseverance of our citizens, this great city will recover. May God continue to bless our great country.
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Tags: Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Art Contreras, Mobile Phone, News, Public Safety, Text message, TX