All assignments are due at 2pm (before start of class) on the due date. Please see grading policy on course homepage for additional details regarding early/late submissions.

Please refer to individual assignments for specific submission instructions.

Assignment 1 (assigned 1/28; due 2/4)

Assignment 2 (assigned 2/9; due 2/16) Solutions

Assignment 3 (assigned 2/23; due 3/2) Solutions

Assignment 4 (assigned 3/11; due 3/18) Solutions

Assignment 5 (assigned 4/1; due 4/13) Solutions

Assignment 6 (assigned 4/15; due 4/27) Solutions

---

Mini-Project

The mini-project is an individual (not team-based) assignment that will give you an opportunity to research and present a networking technology or issue of your choice. It will also give the class an opportunity to be introduced to a diverse set of networking technologies and issues beyond the formal lectures.

You can choose either Scenario A or Scenario B for your mini-project.

Scenario A: You are working as a resident technology expert at a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, CA. Your supervisor, a managing partner, has recently received a number of funding pitches in the area of Network Technology X. As part of the due diligence process, she would like you to prepare an assessment of the technology.

Where appropriate, your assessment might include: the fundamental concept behind this technology (i.e., how does it work); its strengths/weaknesses compared to existing or other competing alternatives; broader contexts (e.g., market trends) that may influence the potential success of this technology; and your recommendation of whether the VC should invest in this area.

Deliverables:

• a 5-minute oral presentation, using a single presentation slide (or none), plus answering any questions that the partners might have about the technology; and
• a concise written report that provides an executive summary of your technology assessment. You must cite the references that you used in your research. The report must be 800 words or shorter, excluding references.

You are free to propose your own choice of Network Technology X. The possibilities are limitless, but here are some examples: software radio, optical router, MVNO, network processors, ad hoc or mesh networking, smart dust, Internet-connected TVs, datacenter energy management, smartphones for developing regions, onion routing systems.



Scenario B: You are working as an analyst at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in Washington D.C. The Chair of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet has been receiving calls from various interest groups to sponsor a new bill on Network Technology Issue Y. His congressional staffer has contacted you and asked you to prepare an independent assessment of the key considerations surrounding this issue.

Where appropriate, your assessment might include: the motivation for potential legislation; the basics of any relevant technologies; non-legislative alternatives to address this issue; your evaluation of the merits of any legislative action.

Deliverables:

• a 5-minute oral presentation, using a single presentation slide (or none), plus answering any questions that the Representative and his staffers might have about the issue; and
• a concise written report that provides an executive summary of your assessment. You must cite the references that you used in your research. The report must be 800 words or shorter, excluding references.

Examples might include: FCC authority on network neutrality, wireless spectrum auction rules, allocation of additional unlicensed spectra, open access rules for mobile communications, consumer protection against spam and phishing, prohibition of use of SSN as authenticator, definitions and rules for declaration of cyber-war.

Important Dates:

2/11: Last Day to submit your topic proposal for approval (though the earlier you submit, the earlier you can get approval and begin your work)

2/18: Presentation schedule published

3/2: Mini-project presentations begin (three presentations per class meeting)


Instructions for uploading your presentation slide and report:

Submit your presentation slide (one slide, in PDF) via email to i250hw@ischool.berkeley.edu before 12 noon on the day of your presentation. You will be eligible for 5% early submission bonus if you submit your slide more than 24 hours ahead of your scheduled presentation, i.e., before 2pm on the day prior to your presentation. Please name your file 'firstname_lastinitial_slide.pdf', e.g., 'john_c_slide.pdf'.

Submit your report (in PDF) via email to i250hw@ischool.berkeley.edu within seven days after your presentation. Your report will be posted on the course website unless you indicate in your email submission that you do not wish to have your report posted. Please name your report 'firstname_lastinitial_report.pdf', e.g., 'john_c_report.pdf'.