The FCC Media Bureau is seeking comment on the way “video clips” delivered via the Internet are closed captioned, the bureau said in a public notice Friday (http://bit.ly/1k9qSYh). “We ask whether, as a legal and/or policy matter, the Commission should require captioning of IP delivered video clips.” Though full video delivered over Internet Protocol is already required to be closed captioned, the commission held off on imposing the requirement on video clips (WID April 19 p6). But consumer groups representing the hearing impaired issued a report arguing that streaming news clips are a primary source of information on sudden calamities such as the Boston marathon bombing, and the lack of captions excludes the hearing impaired (WID May 17 p6). Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., authors of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, sent a letter to the FCC earlier this month asking the commission to require captions on IP video clips (http://1.usa.gov/1ejarJ3). The PN asks about the costs, benefits and technical challenges of captioning IP video clips. It also asks for information about the differences between captioning live or near-live clips -- such as news segments -- and prerecorded clips. The PN also raises the idea of requiring captions on only a subset of IP video clips. Comments are due Jan. 27, replies Feb. 26.

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee’s work on spectrum sharing in the 1695-1710 MHz and 1755-1850 MHz bands was a long, sometimes painful process, but yielded some good results, members of CSMAC and the industry working groups said during a lessons-learned meeting Friday. The process led to what is expected to be the eventual opening of the 1755-1780 MHz band for commercial use, a band long targeted by wireless carriers. Sharing, as opposed to exclusive use, has been a top focus of the Obama administration (CD June 17 p1).

Prometheus Radio Project urged the FCC to delay opening an FM translator filing window for AM stations until all LPFM applications have been resolved. Limited signal coverage remains a significant threat to the success of the low-power FM service, said the LPFM advocate in an ex parte filing in docket 99-25 (http://bit.ly/1kDklm5). Raising the maximum effective radiated power from 100 watts to 250 watts for LPFMs and holding an FM translator window exclusively for LPFM licensees “would significantly unburden LPFM stations while remaining faithful to the word and intention of the Local Community Radio Act,” it said. The filing recounted meetings with Peter Doyle, Media Bureau Audio Division chief, and staff from the offices of commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel.

January’s order on the IP transition will “invite, on a rolling basis, service-based experiments with short timelines for submission,” Jon Sallet, interim director of the FCC Technology Transitions Policy Task Force, told commissioners at Thursday’s agency meeting. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Michael O'Rielly have emphasized the need for speed, Sallet noted, so the deadline to submit experimental ideas will come up quickly. Later, companies can propose more experiments that the commission would process on a rolling basis, he said. By “service-based,” Sallet means trials where real customers with real services will see those services transition to IP, he said.

Major wireless carriers agreed to voluntary standards for unlocking both postpaid and prepaid wireless devices, FCC officials said Thursday during a presentation at the agency’s December meeting. The commission released a letter from CTIA President Steve Largent detailing the commitments (http://bit.ly/1fo0mrg). Carriers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular agreed to the pact, which had been the subject of talks leading up to the meeting (CD Dec 12 p1).

Hill pressure on the idea of cellphone conversation on airplanes while in-flight escalated Thursday as all five FCC commissioners faced the House Communications Subcommittee, hours before the agency took up an item to propose allowing such conversation from a technical perspective (see separate report in this issue). At the hearing, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler defended the proposal and said he’s talked with others in government about what will happen next. Members of both houses of Congress have raised the controversial issue, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is kicking off a process that may ban voice calls on planes, officials said.

The FCC approved a rulemaking notice (NPRM) seeking comment on modernizing rules to allow mobile wireless calls on airplanes while in-flight. The item was backed by Chairman Tom Wheeler and commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel at the commission’s monthly meeting Thursday. Rosenworcel approved letting the proposal move toward the comment phase, but she doesn’t support allowing such usage. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O'Rielly opposed it. The Department of Transportation, meanwhile, said it will look at whether to block such calls.

Major wireless carriers agreed to voluntary standards for unlocking both postpaid and prepaid wireless devices, FCC officials said Thursday during a presentation at the agency’s December meeting. The commission released a letter from CTIA President Steve Largent detailing the commitments (http://bit.ly/1fo0mrg). Carriers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular agreed to the pact, which had been the subject of talks leading up to the meeting.

Intelligence officials may be receptive to new alternative proposals to current surveillance practices if industry or other stakeholders bring them to the table, officials told Congress Wednesday. They outlined certain concerns with more aggressive pieces of legislation that would end major surveillance practices, but appeared receptive to implementing some updates. Eight major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook, outlined their own surveillance principles earlier this week, prompting the discussion.

Intelligence officials may be receptive to new alternative proposals to current surveillance practices if industry or other stakeholders bring them to the table, officials told Congress Wednesday. They outlined certain concerns with more aggressive pieces of legislation that would end major surveillance practices, but appeared receptive to implementing some updates. Eight major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook, outlined their own surveillance principles earlier this week, prompting the discussion.