Rob Frieden

Rob Frieden

Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications and Law
Joined on November 20, 2007 – United States
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Rob Frieden serves as Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications and Law at Penn State University.  Professor Frieden has written several books, published over fifty articles in academic journals and provided commentary in a variety of print, broadcast and Internet media. He has provided updates to two major communications treatises: Modern Communications Law (West Publishing) and All About Cable (Law Journal Press). 

Before accepting an academic appointment, Professor Frieden served as Deputy Director International Relations for Motorola Satellite Communications, Inc.  In that capacity, he provided a broad range of business development, strategic planning, policy analysis and regulatory functions for the IRIDIUM mobile satellite venture.

Professor Frieden has held senior policy making positions in international telecommunications at the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.  In the private sector, he practiced law in Washington, D.C., and served as Assistant General Counsel at PTAT System, Inc. where he handled corporate, transactional and regulatory issues for the world’s first private undersea fiber optic cable company.

Professor Frieden holds a B.A., with distinction, from the University of Pennsylvania (1977) and a J.D. from the University of Virginia (1980).

Featured Blogs

Who Makes the Any Apps Any Handset Call?

The Wall Street Journal today reported that FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to reject a Petition for Declaratory Ruling filed by Skype that would establish a wireless Carterfone policy, i.e., that wireless carriers must allow subscribers to use any compatible handset to access any application, content or software. Chairman Martin has confidence that the marketplace solutions obviate any necessary FCC intervention. Such optimism must derive in part from the apparently newfound willingness of one major wireless carrier, Verizon, to support aspects of open access. Perhaps Chairman Martin has confidence in the marketplace based on the magnanimous offer of most wireless carriers to pro-rate their early termination penalties by $5 a month. But here's the rub... more»

The Internet's Weakest Link

This week two major transoceanic cables experienced outages that may last several days. The outages provide a reminder that several Internet bottlenecks exist where these cables make landfall. When one thinks of bottlenecks in telecommunications the first and last mile come to mind. Yet equally vulnerable are the last few 1000 feet of submarine cable links. more»

Telecommunications Advocacy: Who's Behind That Blog?

An assignment in a Media and Democracy course I teach at Penn State invites students to select a telecommunications advocacy web site for analysis. I want my students to decode the message and attempt to identify whether a bias exists and who financially supports the site. The exercise typically fails miserably... Most students cannot infer that a site that advertises books by Ann Coulter trends to the right and one that talks about social justice trends to the left. more»

In Praise of Relatively Dumb Pipes

Comcast's furtive and undisclosed traffic manipulation reminds me of a curious, red herring asserted by some incumbent carriers and their sponsored researchers: that without complete freedom to vertically and horizontally integrate the carriers would lose synergies, efficiencies and be relegated to operating "dumb pipes."... Constructing and operating the pipes instead of creating the stuff that traverses them gets a bad rap. It may not be sexy, but it probably has less risk. But of course with less risk comes less reward, and suddenly no one in the telecommunications business is content with that. So incumbent carriers assert that convergence and competitive necessity requires them to add "value" to the pipes. more»

FCC Chairman Martin a Tireless Consumer Advocate - Who Knew?

In a counter-intuitive move for a Republican free marketeer, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has sought to impose substantial additional regulations on cable television. Chairman Martin ostensibly can retain his credentials by claiming that a 1984 law requires the FCC to act when cable television systems serve 70% or more of the U.S. population and 70% who can subscribe do so. more»

Topic Interests

BroadbandAccess ProvidersPolicy & RegulationNet NeutralitySecurityVoIPP2P

Recent Comments

In Praise of Relatively Dumb Pipes
In Praise of Relatively Dumb Pipes
In Praise of Relatively Dumb Pipes

Popular Posts

In Praise of Relatively Dumb Pipes

Telecommunications Advocacy: Who's Behind That Blog?

The Internet's Weakest Link

FCC Chairman Martin a Tireless Consumer Advocate - Who Knew?

Who Makes the Any Apps Any Handset Call?