LAS VEGAS -- The number of TV stations that chose not to sell their spectrum in the TV incentive auction demonstrates that broadcasting is the "highest and best use of spectrum," NAB President Gordon Smith said, officially opening NAB 2017 Monday. He also discussed ATSC 3.0 and chips in smartphones.
Some satellite interests and the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition (FWCC) disagree about recommended changes to the spectrum frontiers order. The satellite interests, in a docket 14-177 filing Friday, rejected some FWCC proposals for spectrum frontiers changes (see 1704170045). They said the FWCC-proposed tiered population limits ignore the size difference between counties in 28 GHz licensing, and partial economic areas in 38 GHz licensing requires two parallel sets of tiers, not the single set as FWCC proposes. They also said they were using Transportation Department road classifications when determining a road is a principal arterial. They said FWCC's proposed definition of an urban mass transit route "is vague and overbroad," and FWCC actions to use a database in earth station/upper microwave flexible use system (UMFUS) facility coordination ignores that earth stations would be eligible for licensing on a protected basis as long as they comply with siting restrictions and coordinate with existing UMFUS facilities. Signatories of the satellite letter were Boeing Senior Director-Frequency Management Services Audrey Allison, EchoStar Senior Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Manner, Inmarsat Director-Regulatory Giselle Creeser, Intelsat Associate General Counsel Susan Crandall, O3b Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Suzanne Malloy, SES Senior Legal and Regulatory Counsel Petra Vorwig and OneWeb Director-Spectrum Affairs Marc Dupuis. FWCC didn't comment.
Top tech sector firms and groups lobbied during Q1 against several of President Donald Trump’s policy proposals, most notably the Trump administration’s immigration executive orders, disclosure filings show. Tech’s monthslong battle against some Trump priorities intermingled with the sector’s more traditional policy interests, notably Copyright Office modernization, emerging technologies and privacy protections. Q1 lobbying filings were due Thursday. Many tech companies increased their Q1 lobbying expenditures over what they spent during the same period last year, though Google, Intel and Yahoo reported lower spending. AT&T led the telecom sector in Q1 lobbying, spending more than $1 million more than rival Verizon (see 1704210046).
An Electronic Frontier Foundation report raising concerns about students' privacy being compromised by major tech companies without parents' knowledge underlines worries shared by others even as one tech/privacy advocate noted many parents are OK with such tradeoffs. U.S. schoolchildren who use apps, devices and services provided at heavily discounted prices or for free have names, birth dates, browsing history, search terms and behavioral information collected and kept indefinitely, EFF's report said (see 1704130064). Google said it takes privacy concerns seriously, and other companies didn't comment.
Customs and Border Protection seized counterfeit mobile phone accessories March 14 at the Charleston seaport that would be worth about $1.1 million if legitimate, the agency said on Tuesday in a news release. CBP said the merchandise, which included phone cases, chargers, cables and headphones, "arrived into the port from China and was destined for upstate South Carolina." Some 38,000 counterfeit power adapters with FCC marking, "signifying they’d been tested in an accredited FCC laboratory and met certain operating standards," were also seized, said CBP. "These were found to be unauthorized markings as well -- a potentially significant safety risk to unwitting consumers."
The Iowa Utilities Board got support for proposed revisions to the Iowa's Chapter 38 local exchange competition rules in Friday comments in docket RMU-2016-0028. In an order seeking comment last month, the IUB said some of the rules may be obsolete, including some on number portability and intercarrier compensation. The Office of Consumer Advocate said it has no objections. AT&T and Windstream generally supported changes, but separately said there's no need to revisit whether the board should regulate IP-based services. The board ruled recently it has no authority over retail IP-based services, though it may still regulate wholesale services (see 1702160038). The Iowa Communications Alliance said that decision "does not by itself limit or restrict the Board’s independent statutory duties or federally-delegated authority to promote competition, oversee interconnection and resolve inter-carrier disputes."
FirstNet CEO Mike Poth told Competitive Carriers Association members Thursday there's significant momentum behind FirstNet. “Now, we don’t have to talk about what’s possible; now we’re into action mode,” he said. Thursday marked a week since an AT&T-led team was named FirstNet’s partner to build the network (see 1703300050). Poth's remarks were streamed from Las Vegas.
Liberty Interactive's proposed $1.12 billion buy of Alaska-based General Communication Inc. likely faces few regulatory approval challenges, because of assets of the parties and the current regulatory climate, experts told us. Cable consultant Steve Effros said there likely won't be any major issue for the deal under this administration.
Multiple small ISPs and NTCA are pushing the FCC to revise the network overbuild requirement that was a condition on Charter Communications' buys of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The condition "undermined" plans for network expansion or improvement investments, 38 cable operators said in a letter to the FCC posted Tuesday in docket 15-149. "Mere threat of government-mandated, uneconomic entry undermines our ability to make investments that would benefit existing subscribers ... or expand our networks to reach unserved households," the 38 said, seeking elimination of the overbuild condition. Among them were MCTV, USA Communications, Cable America Missouri, TVC and Reach Broadband. NTCA also pushed for eliminating that condition when it met with an aide to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and made much the same arguments it had made in a previous meeting with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly’s office (see 1703020068), according to an ex parte filing Monday. The FCC didn't comment Tuesday on the status of a draft order on circulation to lift the overbuild condition (see 1702240029).
The 115th Congress likely will have to address the Rural Utilities Service broadband loan and grant programs, said the Congressional Research Service. “With the 2014 farm bill expiring on September 30, 2018, the 115th Congress is expected to consider reauthorization of the broadband loan program,” said CRS, detailing the history, changes and legislation on the matters in a 38-page report dated Feb. 27.