AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile asked for sharp limits on the use of the 2155-2175 MHz band, which the FCC is considering selling in a proposed third advanced wireless service (AWS-3) auction. But Sprint Nextel disagreed with its peers and called for rules that would allow more flexible use of the spectrum. The band is the same that M2Z sought as part of its plan to offer free nationwide wireless broadband. In August, the FCC rejected petitions of forbearance by M2Z and NetFreeUS (CD Sept 4 p1) seeking to use the band, but agreed to seek guidance on its best future use. Reply comments were due this week.
Howard Buskirk
Howard Buskirk, Executive Senior Editor, joined Warren Communications News in 2004, after covering Capitol Hill for Telecommunications Reports. He has covered Washington since 1993 and was formerly executive editor at Energy Business Watch, editor at Gas Daily and managing editor at Natural Gas Week. Previous to that, he was a staff reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Greenville News. Follow Buskirk on Twitter: @hbuskirk
Except for the public safety D-block, a headline magnet since Frontline Wireless disclosed it won’t bid, the 700 MHz auction seems to be on track, industry and regulatory sources said Tuesday. They cited the number of large entrants still in the running. Some 214 potential bidders made requisite down payments, including heavy hitters AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Google. Besides Frontline, U.S. Cellular and the Alaska subsidiary of Leap Wireless, most bowing out on down payments were small players not expected to play major roles in the sale.
The FCC late Monday sought comment on a petition by various public interest groups asking that the FCC declare that short text messages are protected by the anti- discrimination provisions of Title II of the Communications Act. CTIA disputed the groups’ complaints and said Tuesday it will set the record straight. Public interest groups filed a petition at the FCC in December in the aftermath of Verizon Wireless’s initial refusal to issue a text messaging short code to abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America. Verizon Wireless relented after being hit by a wave of bad publicity.
Neutral Tandem (NT) ended a longstanding open-access fight with Verizon Wireless, with Verizon agreeing to provide NT with a direct interconnection to its network across the United States. The FCC was ready to find for NT, but delayed a vote on an order amid reports that the companies were in talks (CD Oct 16 p2). Verizon Wireless was the sole major national carrier that refused to give NT a direct connection. As a result, in August 2006 NT filed a petition asking the FCC to order an interconnection.
LAS VEGAS -- Ultra-wideband won’t have a break through year in 2008, but gear with UWB chipsets finally is hitting store shelves, executives said at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show. UWB equipment was displayed on the CES show floor in clusters of booths under the WiMedia Alliance and elsewhere in stand-alone displays by larger Alliance members. But UWB’s breakthrough may not come until 2009 or 2010, industry officials said. Denizens of WiMedia booths told us they sense disappointment among some at CES about the number of products expected for the 2008 holiday buying season.
LAS VEGAS -- The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show saw huge FCC interest, thanks to the DTV shift, now 13 months away, and the impending 700 MHz auction. Few CES sessions focused on regulation but four of five commissioners plus numerous top staffers were in Las Vegas this week. Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein planned to go but couldn’t make it.
LAS VEGAS -- FCC Commissioner Michael Copps plans to meet with Chairman Kevin Martin to make his case for testing how the DTV transition will work in at least a few trial markets before the February 2009 deadline for the nationwide changeover. Martin on Tuesday said he didn’t think there was enough time left to launch pilots to test for unanticipated problems, and that no cities have volunteered to participate (CD Jan 9 p3).
LAS VEGAS -- Testing of devices designed to surf the Internet using the white spaces without causing harmful interference to TV broadcasts could take months to complete and analyze, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin Kevin Martin told CES here. Martin fielded audience queries on the topic during the session and afterwards from the press. Some industry and FCC officials have said in recent weeks they worry that consideration of the item may be on hold.
LAS VEGAS -- Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, predicted House Democrats will reopen the DTV coupon program with an eye on consumers who obtain coupons but don’t use them in time. Otherwise, Barton as well Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Daryl Issa, R-Calif., said during a CES congressional panel here they hold little hope for legislation of any kind, including bills that would be of interest to the high-tech sector during the last year of the current Congress.
The FCC was expected to release at our deadline a further 30-day extension as it considers a Sept. 4 filing by Sprint Nextel, the Association for Maximum Service TV, NAB and the Society of Broadcast Engineers seeking a 29- month extension on the 2 GHz broadcast auxiliary service relocation, agency sources said. A previous extension expired Saturday.