Industry groups and companies are increasing pressure on the FCC to act on a long-stalled item addressing what wireless carriers, state regulators and others see as too-long wireline and inter-modal porting intervals. A docket addressing porting appears ripe for FCC action, government and industry officials said last week, and could get attention as early as the May open meeting.
Time Warner Cable lifted broadband usage limits for tests to deal with increasing bandwidth use, after criticism from a freshman member of Congress whose district will soon see a trial (CD April 10 p6). The cable operator is boosting bandwidth tier sizes, limiting what it will charge subscribers for going over the caps and giving them a grace period before charging them more for heavy use. “We realize our communication to customers about these trials has been inadequate and we apologize for any frustration we caused,” Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs wrote late Thursday. “We've heard the passionate feedback and we've taken action to address our customers’ concerns.”
Time Warner Cable lifted broadband usage limits for tests to deal with increasing bandwidth use, after criticism from a freshman member of Congress whose district will soon see a trial (WID April 9 p4). The cable operator is boosting bandwidth tier sizes, limiting what it will charge subscribers for going over the caps and giving them a grace period before charging them more for heavy use. “We realize our communication to customers about these trials has been inadequate and we apologize for any frustration we caused,” Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs wrote late Thursday. “We've heard the passionate feedback and we've taken action to address our customers’ concerns.”
The FCC will likely get lengthy input on a vast array of controversial telecom issues, as it attempts to develop a national broadband plan, said industry officials we polled for reaction Thursday. In a 52-page notice of inquiry released Wednesday (CD April 9 p1), the FCC asks questions on universal service reform, open networks and nondiscrimination, the role of competition, how to define broadband, and several other big issues. The FCC is required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to deliver its national broadband plan to Congress by Feb. 17.
The FCC opened a rulemaking to revamp universal service high-cost support for non-rural carriers. In a notice of inquiry adopted 3-0 Tuesday and released Wednesday, the FCC asked how it should respond to a 2005 remand by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2005, the court called unlawful the FCC’s current non-rural rules, which address carriers like Qwest that serve high-cost areas with too many lines to be considered “rural” by the statutory definition.
The FCC opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan, at its meeting Wednesday. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The FCC opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan, at its meeting Wednesday. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The FCC, meeting Wednesday, opened a proceeding to develop a national broadband plan. Commissioners unanimously approved a notice of inquiry on the plan, asking a laundry list of questions on how to effectively and efficiently spur broadband deployment and adoption. The FCC must deliver a plan to Congress by Feb. 17, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
AT&T and Verizon are in agreement that the 700 MHz D- block should be allocated to public safety rather than offered at auction a second time. To make that happen would take an act of Congress, public safety and wireless industry officials said Tuesday. The plan is raising concern among public safety groups and outright opposition by small carriers who see the proposal as a way for the two heavyweights to guarantee that the 10 MHz of spectrum doesn’t fall into each other’s or competitors’ hands.
Pressure is growing on the FCC to issue a promised notice of inquiry allowing the use of high-power devices in rural areas for wireless backhaul. The issue surfaced last week at CTIA’s annual meeting in Las Vegas. Sources said Monday the status of the NOI is unclear, but it could potentially be released as part of the so-called consensus agenda under acting Chairman Michael Copps.