The Maritime Administration (MARAD) has recently released a transcript of its October 3, 2011 public meeting on how it should implement its cargo preference regulations going forward (46 CFR 381-382), in accordance with the President's Executive Order on independent agency regulatory review1. Statements provided by participants in the marine cargo industry urged MARAD to, among other things, improve enforcement of the cargo preference laws and promulgate a regulation to implement a 2008 amendment that granted MARAD greater authority over the program.
Changes to law and technology are hurting public, educational and governmental (PEG) cable channels, the Congressional Research Service said in an Oct. 7 report released Wednesday by American Community Television. “More than 100 PEG access centers … have closed since 2005, and many more may close when provisions in recently enacted state laws that eliminate requirements for cable companies to provide funding support take effect,” CRS said. The FCC also has adopted rules “that may limit the amount of PEG financial support for non-capital costs that local franchise authorities can require of cable providers,” CRS said. “Driven by technological changes, some cable operators have begun to offer PEG channels in a fashion that may reduce consumer access to, and the quality of, those channels, and may raise consumer costs to obtain PEG channels,” said CRS, citing the AT&T U-Verse service. ACT President John Rocco said the CRS report shows that “PEG access television has been under attack and is in desperate need of a Congressional fix.” ACT urged passage of the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act (HR-1745), which would allow local governments in states that pass franchise laws to require cable companies to provide PEG support.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a proposed rule to increase the informal entry limit from $2,000 to $2,500. CBP also proposes to remove the language requiring formal entry for certain articles, because with the elimination of absolute quotas under the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, CBP no longer needs to require formal entries for these articles. The proposed rule would also make what CBP describes as nonsubstantive, editorial and nomenclature changes.
The Rural Cellular Association questioned both the timing and findings of an FCC Wireline Bureau staff white paper released last week on where mobile service is available only from a small provider receiving high-cost support (CD Oct 24 p1). “RCA is troubled that the Commission would submit a study addressing something as critical as rural consumers’ access to mobile voice and broadband services on the eve of the Commission’s Sunshine period,” the group said in a letter to the agency (http://xrl.us/bmgwa4). “The Commission released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on February 9, 2011, yet the staff did not make available its study until the 252nd of 253 days leading up to the Sunshine period. Allowing such minimal time for interested parties to analyze and comment on the Staff Study raises significant due process and other legal concerns.” RCA also questioned the conclusions drawn. “The Staff Study concludes that relatively few areas would have no service at all absent a supported wireless provider, and in turn suggests that only approximately $45 million in support is necessary for wireless carriers going forward. The study is flatly inconsistent with the extensive record evidence ... regarding the actual cost to deploy ubiquitous wireless broadband service.” Eight carriers also filed a joint letter criticizing the staff study. “The Bureau’s introduction of such a complex analysis that appears relevant to the substantive outcome of the proceeding is objectionable and violates the letter and spirit of the Administrative Procedure Act,” said U.S. Cellular, C Spire, Allied Wireless, Commnet Wireless, MTPCS, NE Colorado Cellular, Nex-Tech Wireless and PR Wireless (http://xrl.us/bmgwbv).
A nascent proposal for TV stations to act as broadband content delivery mechanisms (CD Oct 14 p14) for Internet Protocol traffic drew skepticism on technical and policy grounds from some industries whose support may be necessary for the proposal to succeed. Wireless companies, who want the FCC to voluntarily auction some broadcaster spectrum to free up frequencies for mobile broadband, declined to back the parts of the plan unveiled Thursday (http://xrl.us/bmgm8e) by the Coalition for Free TV and Broadband. An engineer who has worked for carriers and TV stations and a lawyer for full-power TV broadcasters told us the plan may face economic and equipment hurdles. Proponents said the economic analysis they paid for to show their plan would raise more money for the U.S. than an auction will be complete in a week, and standards for carriers to send traffic broadcasters’ way don’t fully exist.
Industries and disabled advocates seek changes to what the FCC proposed for rules requiring broadcast and pay-TV videos to be captioned when they're delivered by Internet Protocol. Wireless carriers, makers of consumer electronics, multichannel video programming distributors, broadcasters and advocates for those with trouble hearing sought changes to a rulemaking notice. The notice is on implementing the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, under which the commission must complete rules for IP captions by Jan. 12 (CED Sept 21 p12). Comments are in docket 11-154(http://xrl.us/bmgjgj).
Industries and disabled advocates seek changes to what the FCC proposed for rules requiring broadcast and pay-TV videos to be captioned when they're delivered by Internet Protocol. Wireless carriers, makers of consumer electronics, multichannel video programming distributors, broadcasters and advocates for those with trouble hearing sought changes to a rulemaking notice. The notice is on implementing the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, under which the commission must complete rules for IP captions by Jan. 12 (CD Sept 21 p12). Comments are in docket 11-154 (http://xrl.us/bmgjgj).
Industries and disabled advocates seek changes to what the FCC proposed for rules requiring broadcast and pay-TV videos to be captioned when they're delivered by Internet Protocol. Wireless carriers, makers of consumer electronics, multichannel video programming distributors, broadcasters and advocates for those with trouble hearing sought changes to a rulemaking notice. The notice is on implementing the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, under which the commission must complete rules for IP captions by Jan. 12 (WID Sept 21 p2). Comments are in docket 11-154(http://xrl.us/bmgjgj).
Dish’s proposed waiver that would clear the way for the company to launch wireless broadband service in the 2 GHz band is meeting resistance from wireless carriers, led by CTIA. In a further demonstration of how difficult it will be to bring any new band online for wireless broadband, CTIA said in light of questions that have arisen over LightSquared’s network, the FCC should look closely at interference issues before granting a waiver.
BOULDER, Colo. -- Charging spectrum fees for terrestrial use of mobile satellite service spectrum is bad policy and could slow investment in services there, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said Monday at a Silicon Flatirons event. Dish is buying DBSD and TerreStar and hopes to make use of their terrestrial spectrum. The issue of spectrum fees was recently raised as a revenue generating component of President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act.