The Broadband Initiatives Program has disbursed more than $3.5 billion in loans and grants and created some 25,800 jobs, the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. The Rural Utilities Service and the NTIA have improved broadband access for 7 million Americans by 297 infrastructure projects, four satellite awards and 19 “technical assistance” grants, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. But Hill leaders and industry lobbyists are voicing skepticism about the way the Obama administration is measuring the impact of broadband stimulus.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski will announce Thursday that the commission will act at its Nov. 30 meeting to seek comment on spectrum-related proposals affecting wireless carriers and broadcasters, the chairman said in an interview Wednesday. Genachowski, scheduled to headline the commission’s Spectrum Summit, will also warn that the nation’s spectrum deficit will hit 300 MHz within five years if, as analysts predict, mobile broadband traffic grows to as much as 35 times recent levels.
A group of TerreStar affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to restructure hefty debt obligations, the company said. EchoStar, the largest secured debt-holder, will provide $75 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) funding allowing TerreStar to continue operations and backstopping a $100 million rights offering, raising speculation by industry analysts of increased EchoStar involvement in future operations. TerreStar warned investors this summer it was considering filing for bankruptcy (CD Aug 10 p5). The filing Tuesday may allow for large spectrum acquisitions in the 2 GHz band, observers said.
New York City, Seattle and others that received FCC waivers in May to build local public safety networks in 700 MHz spectrum, but were left out when the NTIA awarded Broadband Technology Opportunities Program money, told the commission they're re-evaluating what to do next. The NTIA gave grants to Los Angeles County, the San Francisco Bay area, Mississippi and a few others, but most of the 21 waiver recipients were left empty-handed. Waiver recipients were required by the FCC to provide updates on progress in building systems.
Ensuring deterrence and resilience to enhance cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, government officials said at the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Cybersecurity Conference at Gallaudet University. The administration recognizes that “this is not just a government issue,” said Howard Schmidt, White House cybersecurity coordinator. “We need to fully engage and use the intellectual capital we have … to develop the right mechanisms for managing the risks that we have out there.” No one is naive enough to think “we'll have 100 percent security” or that there'll be no disruptions, Schmidt said. But the administration wants to ensure that when an attack happens, “the effect is minimal, duration is as short as possible and we're able to recover and get back to full operations as soon as possible,” he said.
Telephone companies in states like Wisconsin and Maine have contacted state legislators as they challenge local stimulus projects. The companies cited competition issues, but their efforts aren’t likely to go far, officials and experts said in interviews.
Operators who want to offer service in the 3.65 GHz band have yet to ask the FCC to change its rules, two attorneys active in wireless issues said late Monday, at the Wireless Communications Association show. Until operators come forward, the FCC won’t have anything to act on even if it chose to make changes, said Steve Coran, who represents WISPs among his clients, and Paul Sinderbrand, longtime counsel to the WCA.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski urged CEOs of Fox and Cablevision to end their retransmission consent dispute, he said, saying he spoke to officials at both companies by phone Tuesday. “I reminded the companies that they share responsibility for consumer disruption, and that they shouldn’t punish consumers because of their unwillingness to reach a deal. I also insisted that they negotiate in good faith,” Genachowski said in a statement e-mailed to reporters. He also said he was “deeply troubled” that the companies have spent more time attacking each other through lobbyists and ads than in negotiations. “The time for petty gamesmanship is over.” Meanwhile, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sent Genachowski a copy of a draft bill that would implement many of the changes some pay-TV distributors want made to the retransmission consent rules.
The Republican who may lead the House Commerce Committee next year said FCC regulations “are only further smothering the economy.” In a Washington Times op-ed piece Tuesday, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., urged congressional oversight of the FCC and other federal agencies next year. Upton has expressed interest in becoming the next Commerce Committee chairman, and some telecom industry officials say he’s the favorite. Current Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, must step down under GOP term-limit rules unless he gets a waiver from the Republican leadership.
The Obama administration deserves high marks for the speed and aplomb with which it doled out Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grants, but BTOP was too narrow and conservative in the kinds of projects it picked to fund, said two speakers on a panel Tuesday at the monthly Broadband Breakfast in Washington.