The FCC is circulating an order setting performance rules for broadband radio service (BRS) and educational broadband service (EBS) licensees in the 2.5 GHz band, an agency source said. The “massive document” also addresses related issues raised on reconsideration, the source said. The item is among a few on the FCC’s end-of-year to-do list (CD Nov 10 p4).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently issued notices announcing the availability of a revised compliance policy guide on prior notice (PN) of imported food as well as the second edition of a questions-and-answers (Q&A) document regarding the final rule on establishment and maintenance of records under the Bioterrorism Act.
VoIP providers began reporting to the FCC late last week on their efforts to meet a mandate that service territories be fully E-911 compliant by today (Nov. 28). The FCC has told VoIP firms they must stop marketing to new customers if they can’t offer E-911 to all current customers by today. Dozens of VoIP companies are set to report by end of business today, giving a snapshot of how well providers are complying with the rule and the tools they're using to provide E-911. Some providers will miss the mark, due to trouble getting access to selective routers, reliance on 3rd-party vendors that can’t offer full compliance and other factors, sources say.
Long-standing concern over use and abuse of information logged into “Whois” databases of domain-name owners has prompted several groups to schedule a meeting during this week’s ICANN meeting in Vancouver. The debate over what contact information registrants should be required to provide and who should have access has spawned 3 task forces and consumed countless hours of discussion. With law enforcement agencies, intellectual property rights-holders and others increasingly relying on Whois information to track miscreants, several ICANN constituencies said it’s time to address the serious privacy implications of the database.
The FCC took up many arguments of Bells in seeking comments on the efficiency of how local franchise authorities (LFA) award video licenses. The notice of proposed rulemaking reflected some priorities of Chmn. Martin, who wants to speed the expansion of video services by firms including Verizon. In asking whether local mandates to build out service to an entire municipality instead of a smaller area currently served by a telecom firm hinder competition, the review reflects a major Bell concern.
A fight against pending FCC limits on kid commercials was moved to the U.S. Appeals Court, Cincinnati, by D.C. judges. Parties to the lawsuit said it’s shaping up as a battle over regulation of Web addresses on children’s TV shows. The decision by the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., to transfer Viacom v. FCC also denied Viacom’s bid to fend off rules set to take effect Jan. 1. While the new venue could still issue a stay of new rules stemming from the Children’s TV Act of 1990, broadcasters, including Viacom and Disney, are likely to try to return the case to D.C., participants in the case told us. Officials from the companies declined to comment on prospects for such a motion.
A fight against pending FCC limits on kid commercials was moved to the U.S. Appeals Court, Cincinnati, by D.C. judges. Parties to the lawsuit said it’s shaping up as a battle over regulation of Web addresses on children’s TV shows. The decision by the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., to transfer Viacom v. FCC also denied Viacom’s bid to fend off rules set to take effect Jan. 1. While the new venue could still issue a stay of new rules stemming from the Children’s TV Act of 1990, broadcasters, including Viacom and Disney, are likely to try to return the case to D.C., participants in the case told us. Officials from the companies declined to comment on prospects for such a motion.
Deep disagreement divides the broadcast and wireless industries on whether the FCC should make TV “white spaces” available for unlicensed wireless broadband after the DTV transition, as shown in a heated debate sponsored Tues. by New America Foundation (NAF) in Washington. The FCC last year proposed to let a new generation of wireless devices use the white spaces, subject to protections against interference for DTV viewers. That proposal has drawn fire from the broadcast industry, which fears harmful interference from new devices.
As CPB Chmn., Kenneth Tomlinson used “political tests” apparently at the behest of White House staff in hiring Pres. Patricia Harrison, a former chmn. of the Republican National Committee, said a much-awaited report from CPB Inspector Gen. Kenneth Konz. As expected, Konz said Tomlinson broke federal laws and violated CPB’s ethics code and contracting rules in trying to inoculate public broadcasting with what Tomlinson called “political balance.” However, Konz concluded, the former CPB Chmn.’s actions weren’t criminal (CD Oct 31 p1). Tomlinson quit the CPB board Nov. 3 after the IG presented his report to a closed session of the board.
FCC Chmn. Martin, stepping up his indecency battle, wants a cable family tier or a similar system to let consumers avoid paying for channels they don’t want. “That’s among a variety of things I've encouraged the cable industry to do,” he told the Federalist Society Thurs.: “They can give consumers more choice… some form of a la carte.” While targeting most of his criticism at cable, Martin also said broadcasters must do more on indecency, an issue gaining prominence on Capitol Hill. Broadcasters should “try to reinstate a family hour,” Martin said, adding that the current TV ratings system is “confusing to most parents” and “there are some practical things that can be done to improve the ratings system.”