Monat: Januar 2017

Here's How Cell Carriers Are Prepping For The Inauguration’s Data Overload

Verizon

One million people — Trump supporters, protesters, politicians, dignitaries, and members of the press — are expected to attend Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20.

These crowds of people are going to be sending iMessages, Snapchatting, tweeting, and streaming video nonstop. And when a large number of people gather in an area covered by only one or a handful of cell service sites — say, at an event like the inauguration or a music festival — that infrastructure quickly becomes overwhelmed by network traffic jams. Here&039;s how major cell carriers have been preparing to handle the deluge of calls, texts, and data at the 2017 inauguration.

Scott Mair, AT&T senior vice president of network planning, told BuzzFeed News in a statement, “During the 2013 Inauguration, our customers in the National Mall area set what was then a record on our network for a single-day event: more than 527 gigabytes of data, with the peak level of traffic on the National Mall hitting 110 gigabytes of total traffic during the 11 am hour, leading to the swearing in ceremony.”

It&039;s likely that twice as many of the million attendees will own smartphones than did in 2013. AT&T said that mobile data usage in Washington, DC increased 16-fold from 2009 to 2013, coinciding with a rise in smartphone ownership. And in a nationwide survey, Pew Research said that 35% of American adults owned a smartphone in 2012, whereas more than 72% did in 2016.

Those extra smartphone owners will likely be using more data per capita than the inauguration attendees of 2013, too. According to AT&T, mobile data usage has skyrocketed 250,000% since 2007 in the US. The company also expects that people using Snapchat and other photo/video sharing apps will take up a large portion of the mobile data usage during the inauguration.

AT&T has spent $15 million on improving its mobile data infrastructure over the past two years to get ready, Mair told BuzzFeed News. The company plans to permanently upgrade LTE capacity to more than 20 cell sites, and before January 20 it will deploy seven mobile towers — dubbed Cell On Wheels (COWs) — designed for short-term use with large crowds along the National Mall. It&039;ll be the carrier&039;s largest temporary network setup yet.

The phalanx of COWs will equal the capacity of 20 traditional cell towers, which AT&T confirmed during a test on the National Mall during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival last year. The mobile towers have at least 10 antennae each, according to AT&T, which allows them to segment big crowds and respond to demand, whereas a traditional cell tower often only has one.

T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray tweeted that his company would add new sites, improve old ones, and bring in temporary cell towers for “~10X more capacity!” T-Mobile declined to offer further details.

Verizon, too, is taking measures to improve its mobile data infrastructure during the inauguration. In a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News, Verizon said it planned to upgrade all permanent cell sites around the Mall with to boost coverage and capacity. Verizon has also upgraded data capacity at Dulles airport, Union Station, and convention centers around the city. Like AT&T, Verizon will use equipment to divide coverage demands within crowds and respond in sections.

Verizon also said it has made adjustments to its temporary towers that will allow engineers to change their capacity, allowing them to respond to demand as it surges among different sections of the city. Engineers will also be on the ground during the inauguration to test cell data capabilities.

Internet providers are hopping on the bandwagon, too. In a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News, Comcast said it will open more than 6,800 Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Washington, DC for public use during the inauguration festivities.

Quelle: <a href="Here&039;s How Cell Carriers Are Prepping For The Inauguration’s Data Overload“>BuzzFeed

Oracle Sued By Department Of Labor For Paying White Men More

Michael Short / Getty Images

Just two weeks after filing suit against Google, the Department of Labor has brought suit against another big tech company: Oracle. On Wednesday morning the agency filed a complaint of racial discrimination against the database giant, which employs some 45,000 people in the US.

The complaint alleges that Oracle engaged a “systemic practice of paying Caucasian male workers more than their counterparts in the same job title,” resulting in pay discrimination against women, African-American and Asian employees, especially in technical and product development positions.

The complaint further alleges that Oracle favors Asian applicants — specifically, Asian Indians — when hiring, in part because “targeted recruitment, and referral bonuses … encouraged its heavily Asian workforce to recruit other Asians.”

In a statement, Oracle spokesperson Deborah Hellinger denied allegations of discrimination, decrying the Department of Labor&#039;s complaint as “politically motivated, based on false allegations, and wholly without merit. Oracle values diversity and inclusion, and is a responsible equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, Our hiring and pay decisions are non-discriminatory and made based on legitimate business factors including experience and merit.”

Oracle CEO Safra Catz joined President Elect Donald Trump&039;s transition team last month, following a meeting between Trump and leaders in the tech industry. “I plan to tell the president-elect that we are with him and will help in any way we can,” Catz said ahead of the meeting. “If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology industry will be stronger and more competitive than ever.”

Oracle has many contracts with the federal government which are worth hundred of millions of dollars. As such, the company has to meet certain requirements when it comes to equal employment opportunity and the provision of certain data. The Department of Labor in its complaint alleges that Oracle “refused to produce” compensation data, hiring data, and “any material demonstrating whether or not it had performed an in-depth review of its compensation practices.”

If government contractors don&039;t provide necessary information, the government can sue — and it has, filing similar suits against Google earlier this month, and Palantir last fall. The agency also sued JP Morgan today over similar allegations of gender pay discrimination.

The Department of Labor itself is in a transitional moment, with President Elect Donald Trump&039;s inauguration coming up on Friday and the Obama administration on its way out. The confirmation of Trump&039;s pick for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, has been delayed, following revived accusations of spousal abuse and reports that widespread criticism from unions and democrats has left Puzder less than enthusiastic about taking the job. (Puzder has more or less denied these claims.)

Oracle, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to a BuzzFeed News request for recent diversity numbers. According to the company&039;s website, less than a third of the company is female, but 37% of its staff are “minority employees.” Whether Oracle includes Asians in the “minority employees” category is unclear. Oracle&039;s diversity website makes no mention of compensation parity.

Quelle: <a href="Oracle Sued By Department Of Labor For Paying White Men More“>BuzzFeed

Trump's Proposed Labor Secretary Is On A Blocking Binge

Fast food CEO Andy Puzder has faced a rough few weeks since Donald Trump nominated him to become Secretary of Labor, with activist groups engaging in a blitz of criticism over his history of opposition to raising the federal minimum wage.

In response, Puzder is following a time-honored technique: One by one, he&#039;s blocking his enemies on Twitter.

The Hardees and Carl&039;s Jr. CEO has blocked the Twitter accounts of at least five labor advocacy groups. This week, he even blocked one of the country&039;s most prominent union leaders, Mary Kay Henry of the 2-million member Service Employees International Union.

“Yes, the Twitter news is true. A sentence I can&039;t believe I&039;m writing,” an SEIU spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday evening. The union is the second-largest in the country, and has been the main backer of the Fight For $15 movement to raise wages in the fast food industry.

As a veteran fast food leader opposed to wage hikes, Puzder&039;s beef with Henry and the SEIU seems clear. But he&039;s handing out the blocks more liberally than that. The cabinet nominee has also blocked the National Employment Law Project, the Economic Policy Institute, MoveOn.org, the Fight for $15, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights — all organizations that advocate on behalf of workers, especially low-wage workers and workers of color.

These groups have been critical of his nomination, tweeting at him and about him, and perhaps earning their block along the way. The Economic Policy Institute told BuzzFeed News it was blocked after this tweet:

MoveOn.org said it was blocked after this tweet:

The National Employment Law Project first noticed its block on Tuesday. The group has been engaged in “legitimate policy discussions,” said Judith Conti, its Federal Advocacy Coordinator. “We’re not name-calling. There are no ad hominem attacks. This is a man we don’t think is temperamentally or philosophically suited to be the nations’ chief advocate for working people.

“He can’t even handle a Twitter feed that has things in it that are legitimately and respectfully critical,” Conti told BuzzFeed News. “When faced with legitimate critiques, what does he do? He tries to shut it out and shut it down.”

Puzder may have learned the art of the block, but he&039;s no Donald Trump when it comes to Twitter: he has a little over 5,000 followers, and has tweeted just over 1,400 times since 2008. His last tweet, on Monday, was a minimalist seven-word response to a CNN report that said he may withdraw his nomination due to the intense criticism he is facing.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment. Puzder&039;s confirmation hearing for his position has been rescheduled for February 2.

Quelle: <a href="Trump&039;s Proposed Labor Secretary Is On A Blocking Binge“>BuzzFeed