Technology “can be a force for good,” but parents, the academic and medical community and lawmakers need better understanding of how tech use and media consumption by youth is affecting attention spans, sleeping, eating and exercise patterns, said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Tuesday. He and co-sponsor Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., rolled out the reintroduced Children and Media Research Advancement (CAMRA) Act. Markey said the bill would fund a five-year, $95 million National Institutes of Health initiative on the impact of various tech and media on cognitive, physical and socio-emotional development. They said the research was to look at the effects of mobile devices and apps, social media, movies, TV and videogames.
Matt Daneman
Matt Daneman, Senior Editor, covers pay TV, cable broadband, satellite, and video issues and the Federal Communications Commission for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications in 2015 after more than 15 years at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, where he covered business among other issues. He also was a correspondent for USA Today. You can follow Daneman on Twitter: @mdaneman
The Supreme Court's decision on the operator of Manhattan's public access channels being sued for allegedly violating the First Amendment rights of content producers banned from it (see 1810170027) could largely depend on the meaning of first come, first served. That was a central issue in oral argument Monday. A decision is likely in May or June, both sides told us. April is possible though that would be notably quick, said respondents' counsel Paul Hughes of Mayer Brown.
The FCC North American Numbering Council, which isn't recommending use of a three-digit dialing code for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline (see 1902140044), is being asked to revise its draft report with answers to new questions. In a letter dated Friday from Wireline Bureau Chief Kris Monteith, posted Monday in docket 18-336, NANC is directed to answer such questions as, if the FCC does go the three-digit dialing code route, what N11 or non-N11 code would it recommend and which existing N11 code would it recommend for expansion if it opts to go that route. It also told NANC to consult with the North American Numbering Plan administrator about what codes might be best suited and how that would affect North American Numbering Plan exhaust. It said if NANC recommends repurposing an existing N11 dialing, the answer of which should be accompanied with use data for that code compared to other codes from as large a service provider sample as possible. It said NANC should detail actions needed to implement whatever three-digit code it recommends and a timeline for implementation. NANC's Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group has an April 11 deadline for getting that information to NANC, with NANC then having a May 13 deadline for getting the report to the bureau. A Veterans Affairs Department report posted Friday said since its 2016 expansion of its 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line call centers, calls no longer are routinely routed to a contracted backup center and the rollover rate went from 39.16 percent of calls in FY 2016 to 0.16 percent in FY 2018, as call volumes grew. It said 98.05 percent of calls are answered within 20 seconds and 1.7 percent of calls disconnected more than five seconds before being responded to. A Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report to the FCC posted Friday said average longest wait for an answer at the federally funded Lifeline 10-digit national hotline rose 29 percent April 2017-April 2018. It said an N11 would be easier to remember, leading to higher volume, and be more effective than the 1-800 number used now. It said high-performing crisis center to responding to a crisis call costs roughly $25 per call, so an N11 system -- if it doubled the volume of calls Lifeline handles now -- would necessitate $50 million in additional funding.
The FCC expects to act this year on a small satellite authorization streamlining draft NPRM adopted by commissioners in April (see 1804170038), Karl Kensinger, International Bureau Satellite Division deputy chief, said at an American Bar Association panel Friday. An increased area of concern is the potential for interference to incumbent operations from experimental and university satellites owners interested in using low-band frequencies, he said.
An FCC order on opening the C band to terrestrial 5G services is likely to come by midyear, with the agency indicating it wants to see that happen in Q2, Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said during an analyst call Wednesday. He said the rival T-Mobile band-clearing plan isn't serious but seems designed specifically to slow down the band-clearing process for anti-competitive reasons -- probably related to the pending T-Mobile/Sprint merger and protecting their C-band position, Spengler said. But it's not clear if the FCC also sees it that way, he said. T-Mobile didn't comment.
Faced with overlapping basic cable rate regulation proceedings -- proposed changes to basic tier regulation by local franchise authorities (LFAs) (see 1810230037) and Charter Communications' effective competition petition in Massachusetts and Hawaii (see 1809170020) -- the FCC is likely to handle them separately, though timing and order isn't clear, experts tell us.
The FCC North American Numbering Council is leaning toward handing the agency a list of what it doesn't recommend regarding feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code for a suicide prevention and mental health hotline, including opposing repurposing any existing N11 number. It likely won't recommend to the agency what it should do, though some members say repurposing 611 makes sense.
The FCC warned staff it lacks reserve funds to stay open in the event of another partial federal shutdown. Trade groups said they're hopeful government stays open, with some concerns if it doesn't. The agency confirmed Wednesday (see 1902130018) it sent memo to all workers saying most FCC operations would shut down at midnight Friday absent a budget agreement.
Satellite interests are backing the FCC NPRM proposing to let earth stations in motion (ESIM) communicate with non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites operating in the fixed satellite service -- with caveats. EchoStar/Hughes in docket 18-315 comments posted Monday said ESIM operations in Ku- and Ka-bands on a secondary basis should be paired with interference protections of geostationary orbit (GSO) FSS operations via equivalent power-flux density limits and control of ESIM terminals by a network control center that can disable operations during harmful interference to GSO. It said the FCC should require ending or reducing ESIM emissions to prevent harmful interference. Kymeta said existing licensees holding blanket authority for ESIMs to communicate with GSO satellite systems should be allowed to file streamlined modification applications to add blanket authority to communicate with non-geostationary satellite systems in the relevant Ku- or Ka-band. The National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Radio Frequencies said approvals of ESIM operations should be paired with protections for radio astronomy service in adjacent or overlapping bands. Replies are due March 13. Commissioners approved the NPRM in November (see 1811150028).
The FCC won't stay open longer than other parts of the federal government in the event of another partial federal shutdown, the agency told employees and confirmed to us Wednesday. It said it has insufficient reserve funds to delay largely shutting down when the continuing resolution funding it expires at midnight Friday.