AT&T to build data center in Kings Mountain
Global telecommunications company ATT is opening a new data center in Kings Mountain, a project that could have an estimated economic impact of $935 million over ten years, state and company officials said today. The center will create 106 full-time jobs.
The company also plans to build a $200 million facility in the city, which could create more than 1,000 construction-related jobs, Gov. Bev Perdue announced today. The facility is scheduled to open in 2014.
Cynthia Marshall, president of ATT North Carolina, said the company hopes to make the Kings Mountain facility a model facility in the country. She added: “my company, on a global level, is community to North Carolina.”
ATT’s facility will join the T5 data center park on Countryside Road in Kings Mountain. Three other data parks are planned or under construction, with room remaining for three more centers, according to county officials.
Officials said they have been working on the ATT project for nearly two years. It included local and state incentives, including some tax rebates.
It’s the second jobs announcement in as many weeks in the county. Last week, Kendrion FAS Controls said it would add 57 jobs and invest $7.3 million as part of an expansion to its manufacturing plant in Shelby. The company makes electromagnetic systems for vehicles and other products.
Also in January, Baldor Electric Co. said it would add 166 jobs as part of an expansion to its plant in Kings Mountain.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/02/22/3035357/gov-bev-perdue-to-make-jobs-announcement.html#storylink=cpy
Article source: http://www.wcnc.com/news/business/ATT-to-build-data-center-in-Kings-Mountain-140014823.html
Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Equinix, AT&T, Verizon, Qualcomm and Apple – Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – February 22, 2012 – Zacks.com announces the list
of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity
Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting
stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the
blog include
Equinix Inc.
(
EQIX
),
ATT Inc.
(
T
),
Verizon Inc.
(
VZ
),
Qualcomm Inc.
(
QCOM
) and
Apple Inc.
(
AAPL
).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the
free Profit from the Pros newsletter:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
Equinix Adds Capacity in U.S.
Leading data center solutions provider
Equinix Inc.
(
EQIX
) announced its intention to set up a new 232,000 square foot
customer floor space International business Exchange (IBX) data
center (DC11) in Washington, D.C.
The first phase of the IBX, which is scheduled to start
operation by 2013, will cost $88.0 million. With a total work area
of 42,800 square feet, the first phase of DC11 will accommodate
1,200 cabinets. The subsequent phases will allow the setting up of
an additional 1,800 cabinets.
Apart from scheduling a new data center, Equinix also announced
plans to proceed with the second phase of another local data center
(DC10). Development costs are estimated to be $21.0 million, with
the extension expected to be operational by March 2012.
The expansion was expedited upon sensing the high demand for
Equinix’s colocation platform in the region. Washington, D.C.
serves as the eastern hub of Internet traffic exchange in the U.S.,
and is therefore an important business area for Equinix. Increasing
data exchange through Internet calls for the development of more
data centers in the region. Now, with the tenth operating IBX and
the eleventh one underway, it will be easier for Equinix to meet
the growing business needs.
Equinix boasts a presence across various geographical regions
and is increasingly becoming popular among major players in the
tech industry. The company’s worldwide presence has resulted in
high network density with a vertically focused approach, which will
continue to support demand growth.
During the last quarter (fourth quarter 2011), the company
witnessed substantial year-over-year revenue growth of 25.0% on
solid geographical contributions partially offset by foreign
exchange headwinds. The U.S. was the strongest of all the regions,
with relatively strong growth.
In the Americas, the average monthly recurring revenue (MRR) per
cabinet increased to $2,133 from $2,110 in the third quarter of
2011. In the Asia-Pacific, MRR per cabinet was $1,863, relatively
flat with $1,868 in the previous quarter. In Europe, cabinet
pricing decreased slightly to $1,199 from $1,210, on account of
foreign exchange weakness.
We believe that the favorable pricing trend in the U.S. coupled
with the planned expansion will boost revenue growth in the
upcoming quarters. Apart from the U.S., Equinix is planning to
capture share in the emerging markets. The company is now targeting
China, India, Japan and Australia for further expansion.
We are also optimistic about the company’s recurring revenue
model and future expansion plans. Despite all the positives,
competitive threats from the likes of
ATT Inc.
(
T
) and
Verizon Inc.
(
VZ
) raise our apprehension. European exposure and industry
consolidation are also causes for concern.
Equinix has a Zacks #3 Rank, implying a short-term Hold
rating.
Earnings Scorecard: Qualcomm
Qualcomm Inc.
(
QCOM
) reported record first-quarter fiscal 2012 financial results,
where both the earnings per share (
EPS
) and revenues exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimates. The out
performance was primarily attributable to the surge in demand for
high-end 3G smartphones and tablets.
The company’s Snapdragon platform and product diversification
strategy induced management to significantly raise the company’s
outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 and beyond.
First Quarter Highlights
On a GAAP basis, quarterly net income was $1,401 million or 81
cents per share compared with $1,170 million or 71 cents per share
in the year-ago quarter. However, adjusted (excluding special
items) EPS in the reported quarter came in at 85 cents, surpassing
the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 81 cents.
Total revenue of $4,681 million in the quarter was up 40% year
over year, and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4,569
million. During the first quarter of fiscal 2012, Qualcomm shipped
approximately 156 million CDMA-based MSM chipsets, up 32% year over
year and 23% sequentially.
Gross margin was 62.5% compared with 68.9% in the year-ago
quarter. Quarterly operating margin was 33.1% compared with 37.3%
in the prior-year quarter.
Agreements of Analysts
Of the eight analysts covering the stock in the last 7 days,
seven analysts revised the estimates upward for the second quarter
of fiscal 2012. Likewise, for the third quarter of 2012, all the
seven analysts covering the stock raised their EPS estimates.
Similarly, for fiscal 2012, all the seven analysts covering the
stock in the last 7 days raised the estimates. Likewise, for fiscal
2013, out of the eight analysts covering the stock, seven analysts
increased the estimates.
Most analysts raised the EPS estimate on the back of increased
penetration of 3G-based smartphones into the huge Chinese market.
Moreover, the growing popularity of new Snapdragon S4 processors
has made the analyst more bullish on the stock.
Currently, the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate for the second
quarter of fiscal 2012 is pegged at 85 cents. The projected annual
growth is 9.74%. Similarly, for the third quarter of fiscal 2012,
the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate of 78 cents indicates an annual
gain of 24.04%.
Magnitude of Estimate Revisions
During the last 7 days, the current Zacks Consensus Estimates
for the second and third quarter of 2012 remained in line with the
previous estimates of 85 cents and 78 cents, respectively.
Likewise, for fiscal 2012 and 2013, the current Zacks Consensus
Estimates were in line with the prior estimates of $3.35 and $3.78,
respectively.
Earning Surprises
With respect to earnings surprises, the company’s consistent
track record of beating the estimates in the last four quarters is
expected to persist in the coming quarters. In the last quarter,
Qualcomm outpaced the Zacks estimate by a whopping 6 cents or
7.59%.
No surprises are expected for the ongoing and the third quarter
of fiscal 2012. EPS growth potential for fiscal 2012 is also at
breakeven. However, in fiscal 2013, there is an upside potential of
1.32%.
Our Recommendation
We believe Qualcomm’s record-high earnings; strong balance
sheet, huge product pipelines and better market segmentation by
introducing chipsets for mid-tier and upper-tier smartphones and
tablets segment will act as positive catalysts in the long run.
Moreover, Qualcomm chipsets are recently being used in most
CDMA-based iPhone 4S from
Apple Inc.
(
AAPL
) will further bolster the company’s top-line growth in the
forthcoming quarters.
We maintain our long-term Outperform recommendation on Qualcomm.
Currently, Qualcomm has a Zacks #1 Rank, implying a short-term
Strong Buy rating on the stock.
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Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO , Takes $2 Million Pay Cut Over Failed T-Mobile Deal
NEW YORK — ATT Inc.’s board cut CEO Randall Stephenson’s 2011 pay by $2.08 million because he engineered the failed deal to buy T-Mobile USA, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday.
Opposition from federal antitrust regulators forced the Dallas-based phone company to give up on the $39 billion deal in December. That meant it had to hand over $4.2 billion in cash and spectrum rights to T-Mobile as a so-called “break-up fee” to compensate T-Mobile for the failure.
Looking at that $4.2 billion charge, ATT’s board cut Stephenson’s cash bonus by 25 percent, and cut his stock award by 6 percent, for a total of $2.08 million.
That left Stephenson’s 2011 total pay package at $18.7 million, according to the Associated Press formula. His compensation was down from $20.2 million in 2010.
It’s unusual for company boards to cut CEO compensation for specific missteps. But the cost of the failed T-Mobile deal was exceptional. It’s standard practice to offer break-up fees to get acquisition targets to sign on to a deal, but the one ATT promised was unusually large.
The AP’s compensation formula includes Stephenson’s salary, bonus, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards granted during the year.
The calculations don’t include changes in the present value of pension benefits, and they sometimes differ from the totals that companies list in the summary compensation table of proxy statements filed with regulators.
For all of 2011, ATT earned $3.9 billion, or 66 cents per share, on $126.7 billion in revenue. That compares with net income of $19.9 billion, or $3.35 per share, on $124.3 billion in revenue in 2010.
Related on HuffPost:
The collapse of ATT’s proposed buyout of T-Mobile ranks among the biggest tech disasters of the past year. See the slideshow (below) for the worst flops and flubs in technology in 2011.
If there is one lesson to be learned from The Great Qwikster Debacle of 2011 it is this: Don’t take your perfectly good service and make it more expensive and then harder to use.
In July, Netflix unbundled their DVD rental and streaming plan, effectively forcing customers to pay $6 more for the combo plan they had grown accustomed to.
Then, in September, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced that DVD rentals and streaming would become two totally separate services. The streaming service would retain the name “Netflix,” while the DVD branch would be called “Qwikster.” Reactions were predictably negative, and on October 10, before Qwikster had even launched, Netflix ended the failed experiment.
But the company has paid dearly. In October, Netflix announced that it had lost 800,000 subscribers during the July – September quarter. In November, the AP reported that the company had lost 75 percent of its market value. Hastings, who is largely blamed for the blunders, will see his 2012 stock options awards cut in half.
Image via AP
If there is one lesson to be learned from The Great Qwikster Debacle of 2011 it is this: Don’t take your perfectly good service and make it more expensive and then harder to use.
In July, Netflix unbundled their DVD rental and streaming plan, effectively forcing customers to pay $6 more for the combo plan they had grown accustomed to.
Then, in September, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced that DVD rentals and streaming would become two totally separate services. The streaming service would retain the name “Netflix,” while the DVD branch would be called “Qwikster.” Reactions were predictably negative, and on October 10, before Qwikster had even launched, Netflix ended the failed experiment.
But the company has paid dearly. In October, Netflix announced that it had lost 800,000 subscribers during the July – September quarter. In November, the AP reported that the company had lost 75 percent of its market value. Hastings, who is largely blamed for the blunders, will see his 2012 stock options awards cut in half.
Image via AP
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Kim Dotcom Bail Granted: Megaupload Founder Not Flight Risk, New Zealand Judge Rules (UPDATE)
Watch The Top 9 YouTube Videos Of The Week
iPad 3 Release Date And Specs, ‘iPad 4G’, And An iPad Mini: This Week In Apple Rumors
If there is one lesson to be learned from The Great Qwikster Debacle of 2011 it is this: Don’t take your perfectly good service and make it more expensive and then harder to use.
In July, Netflix unbundled their DVD rental and streaming plan, effectively forcing customers to pay $6 more for the combo plan they had grown accustomed to.
Then, in September, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced that DVD rentals and streaming would become two totally separate services. The streaming service would retain the name “Netflix,” while the DVD branch would be called “Qwikster.” Reactions were predictably negative, and on October 10, before Qwikster had even launched, Netflix ended the failed experiment.
But the company has paid dearly. In October, Netflix announced that it had lost 800,000 subscribers during the July – September quarter. In November, the AP reported that the company had lost 75 percent of its market value. Hastings, who is largely blamed for the blunders, will see his 2012 stock options awards cut in half.
Image via AP
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Article source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/randall-stephenson-att-ceo-pay-cut-tmobile_n_1292231.html
Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
Verizon’s HTC Rezound and LG Spectrum Now Only $99.99
Article source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Verizon-s-HTC-Rezound-and-LG-Spectrum-Now-only-99-99-254256.shtml
Categories: All Business Tags: cwa, verzpon
AT&T vs. Verizon: LTE showdown in the Big Apple
Computerworld -
Roughly a year after Verizon Wireless established LTE-based 4G mobile phone and data service in New York City, ATT’s rival LTE network is up and running here and in several other cities. Although its average speeds lagged behind Verizon’s in my tests, ATT’s 4G LTE service has a lot going for it.
That’s because in a few spots the ATT network wasn’t just fast, it was blazingly fast, with a peak throughput of over 40Mbps. More details on the strengths and weaknesses of each network later. First, let’s take a look at the technology.
ATT’s new network is based on the same Long Term Evolution protocol that Verizon’s 4G network uses. As the latest upgrade of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), LTE has a theoretical top speed of over 100Mbps.
At the moment, both ATT and Verizon take advantage of the 700MHz spectrum band that was used for analog TV broadcasts prior to 2008, when it was auctioned off by the FCC. As its LTE rollout proceeds in other cities, ATT plans to use the 1.7GHz and 2.1GHz bands as well, according to a company representative.
Network availability
So far, ATT has set up its 4G LTE service in 28 major metropolitan areas, from Boston to San Diego. By comparison, Verizon, which has a year’s head start, offers LTE service in nearly 200 cities — some as small as Dover, Del. — as well as in 122 airports.
Neither network has much in the way of LTE service in rural areas such as the upper Midwest and plains states, although Verizon recently added Duluth, Minn., to its list. Look for both networks to continue to broaden their reach, but don’t expect 4G service in places like West Texas that haven’t even gotten 3G service yet.
In the New York metropolitan area, Verizon’s network reaches beyond the five boroughs into parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, while ATT’s LTE network is restricted to New York City. In fact, my office, which is a couple miles north of the city border, sometimes has access to ATT’s LTE service, other times not.
Speed tests
To see how these two mobile networks stack up, I ventured in and around New York City for three weeks in January and early February. I had with me two Android smartphones — an LG Nitro and a Motorola Droid Razr — which I used to gauge the ATT and Verizon LTE networks, respectively.
While Verizon was outfitting its cell towers with 4G LTE equipment in 2010 and 2011, ATT was upgrading its 3G HSPA network to work with evolved high-speed packet access (HSPA+) technology, which brought a speed boost to much of its existing data network.
Like T-Mobile, ATT refers to its HSPA+ service as 4G, but its theoretical peak download speed of 84Mbps falls short of LTE’s 100Mbps theoretical peak. What’s more, HSPA+ enhances networks originally built for voice traffic, while LTE networks are built especially for data traffic. Thus, HSPA+ is regarded by many industry watchers (including me) as more akin to 3.5G technology than 4G.
Now ATT is rolling out its own LTE network, which in my book can more legitimately be called 4G. The problem is that ATT is still calling its HSPA+ service 4G in ads and in icons on HSPA+ phones. The new service is called 4G LTE — a difference that may not be obvious to consumers.
To do this, I first loaded Ookla’s Speedtest.net app on each phone. At eight separate locations, I took readings for download and upload speeds as well as latency. To eliminate variations due to Internet bottlenecks, I took simultaneous, side-by-side readings for each network. After noting the highs and lows, I averaged all the results.
In some places, ATT’s brand new 4G LTE network was remarkably fast — for instance, it hit a scorching peak speed of 42.8Mbps in the Wall Street area. That’s nearly 50% faster than Verizon’s top speed of 28.2Mbps and more than five times what I typically see from a wired cable modem in my office.
Granted, that was in just one location, and ATT’s LTE network struggled in other places, such as 79th Street and West End Avenue, where throughput was only 250Kbps — about one-tenth the speed you’d expect from a 3G connection. It’s clear that ATT needs to build out its network more fully and work on delivering consistent bandwidth. In contrast, Verizon’s slowest download reading was 8.4Mbps, showing how mature and dependable its network has become over the past year.
Article source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9224364/AT_T_vs._Verizon_LTE_showdown_in_the_Big_Apple?source=rss_latest_content
Categories: All Business Tags: cwa, verzpon
T-Mobile asks FCC to block Verizon-cable deal – AP
NEW YORK — T-Mobile USA, which just had its acquisition by ATT blocked by regulators, is urging the federal government to block another deal in the wireless world: Verizon’s planned purchase spectrum from cable companies for $3.9 billion.
In a filing late Tuesday, T-Mobile USA said the Federal Communications Commission should stop the deal between Verizon Wireless, Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Bright House Networks and Cox Communications because it would place an “excessive concentration” of wireless spectrum in Verizon’s hands.
With more wireless spectrum, a phone company can raise download speeds and serve more data-hungry devices like smartphones and laptops with cellular broadband.
Verizon Wireless, the country’s No. 1 cell phone company, already has a relatively large amount of spectrum, while T-Mobile, the No. 4, does not.
MetroPCS Communications Inc., the fifth-largest cellphone company, also urged the FCC to block the deal. It said the parties had not provided enough information to prove that the acquisition was in the public interest.
Nine public interest groups filed their own motions to block the deal on Tuesday, ahead of a filing deadline on Wednesday.
Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 carrier, took a more measured stance. It didn’t ask the FCC to block the deal outright, but said the agency should look closely at the wider implications of the deal, including the provision that Verizon Wireless and the cable companies market each other’s products in their stores.
The cross-marketing has already started in some areas, with Verizon Wireless stores selling Comcast cable service and Comcast stores touting Verizon cellphone plans.
Analysts hailed the co-marketing agreement as a historical shift, because phone companies and cable companies are usually bitter rivals. Verizon Communications Inc., the New York-based majority owner of Verizon Wireless, still competes with the cable companies in providing pay-TV and broadband service.
Last week, a New Jersey’s Division of Rate Counsel, a state agency that advocates for consumers, asked the FCC to block the deal, also citing the spectrum accumulation issue.
Verizon Wireless has defended the deal, saying it means unused spectrum will become available to wireless subscribers.
In early December, Verizon Wireless announced a deal to buy spectrum from Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for $3.6 billion. The cable companies had bought the spectrum jointly at an FCC auction in 2006, with loose plans to start a wireless company or form a joint venture with one. Those plans never came to fruition.
The parties said they hoped to close the deal by the middle of this year.
Verizon later struck a similar but separate deal to buy spectrum held by Cox for $315 million. Cox had started setting up its own wireless service, but gave up last year, saying it would be too small to compete against the big cellphone companies.
Shares of Verizon Communications slipped 27 cents to $38.22 in morning trading Wednesday.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Article source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46480633
Categories: All Business Tags: cwa, verzpon
UN Arms Trade Treaty: It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘consensus’ is
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Article source: http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/un-arms-trade-treaty-it-all-depends-on-the-meaning-of-the-word-consensus
Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
U.S. Must Stand Its Ground on U.N. Arms Trade Treaty
The final Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was held last week. The purpose of this PrepCom was to adopt rules of procedure for the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, which will be held in New York July 2–27. This conference is intended to complete the negotiation of the ATT and thus open the treaty for signature and ratification. The outcome of the PrepCom makes it even more vital for the U.S. to establish its red lines and stand its ground before and during the July conference.
The Conference Will Make Decisions on the Basis of Consensus
When the Obama Administration announced in 2009 that it would support the negotiation of an ATT, it did so with an important caveat: The treaty conference had to operate “under the rule of consensus decision-making,” meaning that a formal objection from any national representative to the chair on any matter of substance prevents agreement. But the U.N.’s draft rules of procedure allowed two-thirds majority voting on all matters of substance except the adoption of the final treaty text, as well as on amendments to the rules themselves. This opened the way for the July conference to amend the rules by a two-thirds majority and then to adopt the treaty by a similar majority, over any U.S. objection.
When the PrepCom considered the draft rules of procedure, the U.S. and a number of other nations urged that all matters of substance at the July conference be subject to a strict consensus requirement, while other delegations—including Mexico—supported the U.N.’s weaker proposals. In the end, the PrepCom adopted rules that require the July conference to “take its decisions, and consider the text of the Treaty, by consensus.” In other words, the U.S. will not be limited to an up-or-down vote on the final treaty text. Instead, it will have the opportunity throughout the July conference to object to and block progress on any portion of the ATT that it finds unsatisfactory.
The Conference Will Be Held Mostly in Closed Session
At the July conference, the U.S. will be pressed to accept an unsatisfactory treaty. One way to counter this is to use the conference to show that the U.S. is not the only nation that has concerns about the effectiveness and scope of an ATT. But if the conference is to serve this purpose, it must be public. If it is not, other nations with concerns will be able to hide behind any U.S. objections in the final plenary session.
Before the PrepCom, the U.N. planned to hold only the conference’s plenary meetings and meetings of its Committee of the Whole in public. Unfortunately, the PrepCom did not significantly alter the relevant provisions of the draft rules of procedure, and thus most of the July conference will be open only to national delegates, intergovernmental organizations, and U.N. officials, not to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In general, diplomatic negotiations should not be open to NGOs, which do not have the legitimacy of representatives of democratic governments. But the closure of most of the July conference’s sessions means that the objections of most nations will receive little publicity; thus, the attacks of the activist NGOs that support the ATT is likely to be concentrated on the United States.
The Dilemma the U.S. Faces in the Negotiations
The U.S. strategy so far has been to try to avoid playing the role of treaty spoiler, on the grounds that this will prevent the U.S. from serving as a rallying point for the activist NGOs and nations that support the ATT. This strategy will be difficult to use at the July conference, where the consensus requirement and the number of closed sessions will place the U.S. in the position of having to object repeatedly and in private to unsatisfactory treaty provisions. If the U.S. does not object, the treaty will be adopted by consensus. If it does, it will be depicted as the treaty spoiler.
One press report quotes a senior U.S. official as stating that the U.S. wanted decision-making by consensus so that it would have the ability to “block a weak treaty.”[1] If this report is accurate, then the U.S. dilemma is acute: The stronger the U.S. tries to make the treaty, the more the U.S. will have to use its power to block consensus on weaker versions, and the more it will be depicted as the spoiler. Furthermore, many nations will demand a treaty that they will characterize as strong but the U.S. will find unacceptable. For example, Mexico wants to impose a national gun and ammunition registry on the United States.
In the same report, the U.S. official also states that vetoing the final treaty at the July conference is “the nuclear option,” i.e. the last resort. Signaling the U.S.’s unwillingness to veto is poor negotiating strategy, but, more fundamentally, the official’s statement implies that the U.S. is going to try to get a treaty it can accept. This means the U.S. has to have clear red lines for the July conference, as well as the willingness to uphold them during the negotiations by breaking consensus. It will not be easy for the U.S. to get what it wants if it is unwilling to use the “nuclear option” or to play the role of spoiler.
What the U.S. Must Do
The PrepCom chair originally proposed that the U.N. be entrusted with the responsibility of editing the views of the member states on an ATT into a background document to be distributed in advance of the July conference. The PrepCom sensibly rejected this idea, which would have allowed the U.N. to skew the terms of the conference debate, and it has instead invited U.N. member states to submit statements of no more than 1,500 words on the provisions of an ATT by March 31. The U.N. Secretary-General is to compile these statements into a background document for the July conference.
The U.S. must use this opportunity to establish its red lines for the July conference. In particular, the U.S. should make clear in its March submission that it will not accept the inclusion of hunting and sporting weapons or ammunition in the ATT. Nor will it accept treaty language that impinges on rights protected by the Second Amendment, requires any new internal controls, legitimates arms trafficking by dictators or terrorists, inhibits its ability to support friends and allies, or creates any additional burdens for U.S. manufacturers, importers, or exporters.
Finally, the U.S. must state clearly that if the July conference does not reach consensus on a treaty text, it will resist any effort by one or more nations to break away from the U.N. process and negotiate an ATT outside of that process. The national interests of the U.S. would be best served by having no ATT, because any ATT negotiated through the U.N. will begin by assuming that dictatorships and democracies possess the same sovereign rights. The only advantage the U.N. process has is that the U.S. has the power to say no. The U.S. should use that power to limit the damage the ATT does to its interests, the rights of its citizens, and the responsible conduct of diplomacy.
Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation.
Article source: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/02/us-must-stand-its-ground-on-un-arms-trade-treaty
Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
Att.General Dampens Nationalist Hopes for Outposts Team
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he informed him that he will not be bound by any recommendations made by the new “outposts team” that Netanyahu appointed.
According to Maariv, which reported on the letter Tuesday, Weinstein wrote:
“Let it be clear that the team’s work will not, in itself, serve as a reason for changing an opinion submitted by the state to the court regarding the removal of illegally built structures. A decision about the need and justification for requesting a postponement of court session dates will be made by me, in each case according to its merits.”
Maariv calls Weinstein’s letter “a slap in the faces of the settlers” who hope that the “outposts team” will change the way the state’s legal mechanism treats Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, in cases where there is a conflict with leftists and Arabs regarding land ownership.
The newspaper also diagnoses a power struggle within the Justice Ministry between Weinstein – who is both Attorney General and Legal Advisor to the Government, a combination considered a contradiction in terms by many legal experts – and the newly appointed outposts team.
The team is headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Edmond Levi – and nationalists hope it will undo the damage wreaked by the infamous Sasson Committee, which defined “illegal outposts” through an ultra-leftist prism.
Weinstein has already warned told the government that the outposts team will not be able to discuss homes that were built on private land and communities on which there is already a court ruling.
Article source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/152983
Categories: All Business Tags: att, verizon
Verizon, Motorola Mobility, BoxTone Unveil New Mobile Solution for Health Care Industry
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Motorola Mobility Inc. and BoxTone are collaborating to develop a comprehensive mobile solution to help satisfy the unique security, reliability and usability requirements of the health care industry. By providing health care practitioners with secure mobile devices and apps, patient care can be improved through the sharing of clinical data in near-real time to help speed decision making and control costs.
The jointly created offering leverages BoxTone’s automated Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) software platform on select Motorola devices, such as the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX smartphones, as well as DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and 8.2 tablets, all of which tap the power of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. Health care organizations can now reliably deploy Android-based mobile devices and apps that are designed to help them meet strict compliance requirements, including privacy measures outlined in the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
This comprehensive solution from three leaders in mobile health proactively addresses mobile security and privacy by incorporating a new layer of data protection with automated mobile device and application management, thereby helping to enable widespread Android adoption in health care. Motorola Mobility and BoxTone are both Verizon business Solutions Alliance partners.
“This solution underscores the important role mobility is playing in transforming health care,” said Dr. Peter Tippett, vice president and chief medical officer, Verizon Connected Healthcare Solutions, the company’s health IT practice group that is part of Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “Mobile devices and health care apps represent one of the biggest IT opportunities of the decade to improve and transform care delivery. Working with Motorola Mobility and BoxTone, we have brought together complementary capabilities to create an easy-to-deploy and manage mobility solution for our health care customers.”
Motorola Mobility smartphones are well-suited for health care environments, incorporating coatings of water-repellent nanoparticles, brilliant displays using Corning® Gorilla® Glass for scratch-resistance, and innovative materials for strength such as KEVLAR® fiber for DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX. Easy to slip into a lab coat pocket, the smartphones and tablets also feature pre-loaded Citrix® software for access to electronic medical records, 3LM software for embedded device security and the BoxTone EMM software for automated lifecycle management.
Christy Wyatt, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola Mobility’s enterprise business unit, said: “Mobile technology has the potential to bring greater efficiencies and more robust capabilities to the health care industry. The combination of Motorola devices with BoxTone’s software solution and Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network can significantly enhance health care providers’ ability to deliver enhanced care to patients.”
BoxTone’s automated EMM platform provides high levels of service and security at a low cost and risk for health care organizations. BoxTone’s full lifecycle EMM platform incorporates enterprise-grade mobile device management for automated provisioning, security configuration, compliance monitoring and enforcement, change management, and retirement. It also includes mobile support management for remote service-desk support through real-time views into mobile status, automated diagnostics, embedded knowledgebase and click-to-fix, as well as mobile operations management for continuous real-time service monitoring, proactive alerting and system tuning.
“Working with Verizon and Motorola Mobility, we have developed a comprehensive solution to securely deploy, manage, monitor and support the Android-based mobilization of health care,” said Alan Snyder, chief executive officer of BoxTone. “When smartphones, tablets and mobile apps are securely and reliably managed centrally, health care organizations gain the freedom to deliver significant point-of-care enhancements and increased patient satisfaction.”
(Note: Verizon, Motorola Mobility and BoxTone will demonstrate this health care mobility solution in the Verizon booth (#2463) at HIMSS 2012, Las Vegas, Feb. 20-24. For more information, including available promotional offers, contact your Verizon business specialist or visit www.verizonwireless.com/contactrep.)
About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with nearly 109 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 194,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
About Motorola Mobility, Inc.
Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI – News) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit www.motorola.com/mobility.
About BoxTone
BoxTone is the innovator of automated Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM). With millions of devices under management, BoxTone’s automated EMM platform is trusted by more of the world’s leading enterprises, Managed Service Providers and government agencies than any other – including 41 of the Fortune® 100 and 8 of the Top 10 MSPs – to ensure maximum mobile performance and security at the lowest cost and risk. Only BoxTone’s single unified mobile management platform powered by patented real-time automation technology addresses the entire mobile lifecycle: mobile device management, application management, support management and operations management. And only BoxTone delivers real-time centralized control of all mobile smartphones and tablets as well as the enterprise apps that run on them. Learn more at www.boxtone.com, or call +1 410.910.3344.
VERIZON’S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon’s News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.
BoxTone and the BoxTone logo are trademarks of BoxTone. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related entities. Used under license. Android is a trademark of Google, Inc.
Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verizon-motorola-mobility-boxtone-unveil-050100210.html
Categories: All Business Tags: cwa, verzpon
