2014 Newsletters

Joint Venture Urges CPUC to Update Utility Pole Wireless Access
Joint Venture joined with the California Wireless Commission last month in urging the California Public Utilities Commission to simplify rules governing attachment of wireless antennas to utility poles. Natasha Ernst, director of Joint Venture’s Wireless Communications Initiative, testified with the CWA that the proposed rules would remove anti-competitive restrictions on wireless carriers as well as provide predictability regarding access and cost to attach wireless antennas to utility pole tops.

The growth of smart phones has increased the need for additional wireless infrastructure, including placement of “small cell” equipment on utility poles. Read Joint Venture’s comments to the CPUC.

Our August Spotlight

Jeffrey Hamel

Electric Power Research Institute

If Jeff Hamel has his way, the new 48-station electric vehicle charging center going into the Tasman Parking Garage next door to the new Levi’s Stadium will add one more plug.

“We’re working on a way to get that 49th station,” says Hamel, an executive with the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto and a Joint Venture board member.

Read Jeff’s full profile.

Summer Interns at Joint Venture
Every summer Joint Venture does its part to incubate Silicon Valley’s future leaders by offering local college and high school students interested in public policy the opportunity for hands-on experience as interns in our San Jose office. This summer we are pleased to have four interns working with us: Rohan Dhoopar, a senior at Bellarmine College Preparatory, Emily Sun, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, Joshua Vadaketh, a fourth year student at the University of Delaware, and Ray Whelan, a sophomore at Santa Clara University.

Read more about our interns on our staff page.

Article of the Month “The Government as Venture Capitalist” Project Syndicate
America’s distrust in government, contradicted by growing frustration with gaping holes in goods and services traditionally provided by government, has created a surge in private activity to address social problems, notes Laura Tyson.

In her article from Project Syndicate, which provides commentary on the world’s economics, politics, science and culture, Tyson, a former chair of the U.S. President's Council of Economic Advisers and a professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, argues for the government to support private sector initiatives by acting as a venture capitalist. Read the article.

Summer reading list for Joint Venture enthusiasts
Are you a Joint Venture supporter looking for more substance in your vacation beach reading? With your laptop, tablet or smart phone you can access a suite of Joint Venture websites from anywhere to learn more about our initiatives and programs, the people behind them and the latest trends in Silicon Valley’s economic health and quality of life.

In addition to our comprehensive main site, where you can read the latest news and reports and watch videos about our work in the region, Joint Venture maintains separate but related domains for the Silicon Valley Index, the Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance and the Grand Boulevard Initiative for improving El Camino Real. Read the 2014 Silicon Valley Index. Get business help from the Silicon Valley EDA. Learn about the Grand Boulevard Initiative.

This August on “Inside Silicon Valley”

Two Silicon Valley journalists’ views, arts in Silicon Valley, online marketing and sales trends, the Internet of Things and Santa Clara County government are among the topics this month on Joint Venture’s weekly public affairs radio program, “Inside Silicon Valley.”

Scheduled guests include Los Angeles Times Silicon Valley correspondent Chris O’Brien (Aug. 1 & 3), San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art executive director Cathy Kimball (Aug. 8 and 10), San Jose Mercury News personal technology columnist Troy Wolverton (Aug. 15 & 17), Deloitte vice chairman Eric Openshaw (Aug. 22 & 24) and Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager (Aug. 29 and 31).