Clarity Media asked the FCC to overturn a Media Bureau decision barring it from offering short-range, low-power TV in the 2025-2110 MHz band at Flying J truck stops nationwide. In a petition for reconsideration, Clarity called the Bureau’s may application denial “unbalanced and spectacularly flawed.” Attorneys for Clarity told us the service is a model for spectrum efficiency, operating at power levels below 0.5 w.
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
The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) called on regulators to reject the XM-Sirius merger. The think tank provides merger evaluations unusual for their independence. It has opposed other mergers, including AT&T-BellSouth. AAI said “the applicants have not met their heavy burden of demonstrating that the proposed merger is in the public interest… In particular, they have not demonstrated that the rationale for the Commission’s 1997 rule forbidding a monopoly in the satellite Digital Audio Service (DARS) has been undermined by subsequent developments.”
The FCC said in a rulemaking on E-911 location requirements all carriers -- GSM and CDMA -- likely will be required to meet the same accuracy standards. The text of the rulemaking also says the Commission believes it has the authority to order carriers to meet tougher testing requirements proposed by the Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials, but is seeking comment anyway “out of an abundance of caution.” The FCC approved the item (CD June 1 p2) last Thurs., but released the text late Fri.
The FCC approved the applications of Qualcomm to expand its MediaFLO service in 6 U.S. markets, including the key markets of N.Y., L.A. and Chicago. In each case, Qualcomm had to work out agreements with local broadcasters since expected interference will be slightly higher than the levels allowed by the FCC last Oct. in a waiver order (CD Oct 13 p3).
Sprint Nextel asked an administrative law judge to throw out an FCC ruling that the carrier must replace NPSPAC- capable radios in Tazewell County, Ill., in the 800 MHz rebanding. The Tazewell case has been among the most prominent disputes between Sprint and a licensee. The attorney for Tazewell told us Fri. the case shows why the FCC erred this week in denying that Sprint should have to pay postmediation litigation costs.
Better filters are helping to keep wireless spam from reaching Verizon Wireless subscribers, the company said Fri. The carrier last week filed suit in federal court in N.J., complaining that Nev.-based I-VEST Global and “John Does” sent wireless spam to Verizon customers. Thanks to spam filters and network monitoring, fewer than 5,000 of the 12 million pieces of spam sent were delivered, a company release said. “In some of the previous cases there were millions of messages getting through to handsets,” a Verizon Wireless spokesperson said: “In this case, we were able to prevent millions of messages from getting through.”
The FCC Thurs. approved a rulemaking proposing that wireless carriers be required to improve their systems so they can more accurately locate subscribers who make 911 calls. The FCC also began an examination of whether carriers should have to report by PSAP, rather than by statewide averaging, how they perform in reaching emergency callers rather than through statewide averaging. PSAP reporting is more lenient and is favored by carriers. The Commission is also examining requirements for VoIP providers.
Sprint was among 5 firms picked for the $20 billion GSA Networx Enterprise contract, a turnaround for a company shut out of the agency’s larger Universal competition in March (CD March 30 p1). AT&T, Level 3, Qwest and Verizon also are in on the 2nd big federal contract program, to provide voice, IP, wireless, satellite and IP services to 135 agencies.
The FCC’s handed down new mandates for carriers to prepare for emergencies, including requirements that larger carriers install backup power for critical facilities and file reports on the resilience of their 911 systems, in approving an order Thurs. following through on parts of last year’s Hurricane Katrina Panel report. The order extends by a year provisions exempting the Bells from a ban on sharing some information with their affiliates, to speed their disaster planning. The order also instructs the Public Safety Bureau to establish a clearinghouse to provide information to industry on best practices for preparing for disaster.
The FCC resolved a number of issues on 800 MHz rebanding in a cleanup order handed down Wed., but declined to address the main remaining issue - a Sprint request to extend the 18-month rebanding benchmark. The order instead addresses rebanding of enhanced specialized mobile radio (ESMR) licensees, assorted international issues and matters raised in pending petitions for reconsideration or clarification.