The ITU’s Telecom World 2003 is set to open in Geneva next week on a far more modest scale than in 1999, with companies such as Deutsche Telekom, Lucent and Motorola not exhibiting. “It’s just tough,” an industry source said. The show, held every 4 years, has generated criticism in the past for lavish exhibits, including a multistory building constructed by Deutsche Telekom in 1995. But this year’s biggest controversy appears to be the increased attention focused on the ailing finances of the ITU itself.
Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thurs. he would oppose efforts to legislate a 35% broadcast ownership cap through appropriations legislation. After the Committee’s 7th hearing this session on media ownership, he said he still was unsure of how -- or to what limit -- to regulate media ownership. McCain said he had a hold on S- 1585, the Commerce Justice State appropriations measure and the bill would be rolled into an omnibus appropriations measure, to which he would introduce an amendment to remove the 35% cap.
CTIA, the Telecom Industry Assn. and the Satellite Industry Assn. raised concerns to NTIA Tues. on how some of the FCC’s spectrum reform ideas were being presented to international regulators. The groups said they backed the efforts of the Spectrum Policy Task Force, which delivered a report to the FCC last fall. But they said they were “alarmed” that recent U.S. submissions to the ITU could be misinterpreted as formal FCC policy rather than a staff report.
FCC Chmn. Powell declared Wed. that the Commission wasn’t backing away from the Nov. 24 deadline for wireless local number portability (LNP) in the top 100 markets, holding up enforcement efforts involving Enhanced 911 as an example of what carriers that didn’t comply would face. “I think the carriers ought to quit complaining about it and get ready to comply with it,” Powell said at a news conference on a broad range of upcoming FCC initiatives.
The FCC will enforce its national do-not-call (DNC) rules “to the extent legally permissible” against telemarketers that have obtained the DNC registry from the FTC, FCC Chmn. Powell told the Senate Commerce Committee Tues. The U.S. Dist. Court, Denver, ruled late Mon. that the FTC couldn’t share its list with the FCC, raising questions about the latter’ ability to enforce the registry. “To the extent the court’s ruling prevents the FCC from accessing the FTC’s database, our enforcement efforts may be hampered,” Powell said, but “it does not shut of other venues for the FCC to enforce its rules.”
Concerns about the cost of spectrum auctions, and potential lack of congressional oversight, are what prompted the Senate Appropriations Commerce Justice State (CJS) Subcommittee to cut the FCC’s current source of funding for auctions (CD Sept 11 p1), sources said. The FCC uses an auction fund created from the proceeds of auctions, but S- 1585, the CJS Appropriations bill, would prohibit the Commission from using the fund, which some have said could jeopardize the auction program. A spokesman for Sen. Hollings (D-S.C.), the CJS Subcommittee ranking Democrat, said the measure was pushed by Subcommittee Chmn. Gregg (R- N.H.), but also was supported by Hollings. A Senate source said the auction funding was likely to be returned before Congress finalized its CJS spending measures.
Saying RIAA shouldn’t have right to strip her anonymity without allowing her to contest order, Boston College student alleged to be engaged in unauthorized file-swapping is challenging attempts by recording industry to uncover her identity.
Work on hybrid disc that would have DVD layer on one side and CD on other has gotten to study-stage by DVD Forum working group -- where it’s stalled over issues that include testing for compatibility with CD players and compliance to CD specs.
Lawyers aren’t sure whether the U.S. Dist. Court, Denver, order against the FTC’s national do-not-call (DNC) list will stand up in the appeals court, they told us. The FTC said at our deadline it would file an appeal with the 10th U.S. Appeals Court, Denver, and said it expected “ultimately to implement the national registry” (CD Sept 26 p1).
Reps. Istook (R-Okla.) and Delahunt (D-Mass.) introduced legislation to authorize states-developed Streamlined Sales & Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) to allow sales taxation on Internet retailers. They're likely to be joined by Sens. Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Dorgan (D-N.D.), who plan to push similar bill soon in Senate.