NAB’s petition for reconsideration of the FCC repacking plan is deficient procedurally and on the merits, rehashes old arguments, and would lead to unnecessary delay, said T-Mobile, the Competitive Carriers Association and CTIA in opposition filings posted in docket 16-306 Thursday (see 1703170055). “The relief NAB seeks is not warranted on the merits and, if granted, will frustrate broadband investment and deployment,” said T-Mobile. All three entities attacked NAB’s assertion the FCC didn’t devote enough effort to creating the post-incentive auction transition plan. The broadcast association “can hardly claim that the FCC’s final rulemaking -- the result of which is the product of numerous years of advocacy by a variety of stakeholders -- can reasonably be deemed an ‘afterthought,’ and this assertion should be promptly rejected,” CCA said. Calling the repacking an afterthought “belies the thousands of pages of evidence on the record that Media Bureau carefully analyzed before releasing multiple detailed documents outlining the repacking process,” T-Mobile said. NAB’s claim wireless carriers aren’t truly interested in 600 MHz spectrum “is squarely contradicted by the fact that the auction generated the second most revenue ever for any Commission-held auction,” CTIA said. The wireless entities also condemned the petition as invalid for being late, “more than 900 days past the deadline for reconsideration,” T-Mobile said. NAB’s requested changes to the repacking plan are “based on arguments that either generally overstate the effect on broadcaster relocation or would unnecessarily delay the transition,” CTIA said. The broadcast association “already has tried, and failed, to challenge the Commission’s final rulemaking before both the FCC and the court,” CCA said. “NAB’s petition is an impermissible collateral attack on the 39-month repacking timeline disguised as a petition for reconsideration of the Media Bureau’s Post-Incentive Auction Transition Scheduling Plan,” T-Mobile said.

Free Press accused FCC Chairman Ajit Pai of "defaming" the group in announcing his open internet plans Wednesday to reverse Communications Act Title II broadband authority, but it vowed not to be intimidated and said millions of people will oppose his plans. "Pai recycled some out-of-context quotes to red-bait one of our co-founders and dismiss our decade-plus efforts to safeguard the open internet," said Free Press CEO Craig Aaron in a statement Friday to "clear up the record." In his speech (see 1704260054), Pai said the co-founder of the "spectacularly misnamed" Free Press "takes his inspiration from Venezuela" and acknowledged in 2007 that "the ultimate goal is to get rid of" phone and cable "media capitalists" so government could take over the internet. Aaron said that Pai doesn't want to debate net neutrality facts but "would have you believe we're secretly being guided by some offhand comments to an obscure Canadian socialist academic website by Robert McChesney," who co-founded Free Press but "isn’t involved in our day-to-day decisions or operations" as an emeritus board member. "Pai was also worked up about an Op-Ed McChesney co-wrote about U.S. coverage of the Venezuelan media a decade ago," wrote Aaron, denying Free Press or its staff had any role in either article. "It’s no coincidence that Pai highlighted these snippets. They’ve been circulating on right-wing conspiracy websites since at least 2010. These same quotes pop up every time Net Neutrality is back in the news. ... And now they show up in Pai’s speech. It shouldn’t be such a surprise. This is the Trump-administration playbook." Aaron said Free Press is "not so easily intimidated. We know we’ve got the facts on our side -- and the people, too." The FCC didn't comment.

Verizon said it didn’t bid in the TV incentive auction because the carrier just doesn't need more low-band spectrum. Changes in the industry mean the 600 MHz band just wasn’t that important to Verizon’s future, the company said in a Friday blog post. “The next big technological innovations are coming in 5G to serve the future needs of business, education, government and consumers,” Verizon said in its most complete comments yet on the recently concluded auction. “Enhanced fixed and mobile broadband, low-latency services and massive IoT scale will thrive on mid-band and millimeter wave spectrum, which is where we are focused for growth. This means more connected services and devices, and higher broadband capacity that can benefit our entire society.” Verizon said it already has “sufficient spectrum holdings below 1 GHz.” The carrier went big in the 2008 700 MHz auction, buying the entire C-band in the Lower 48 states, plus licenses in the A and B-bands. Verizon also cited problems with the TV spectrum. “Future use of 600 MHz spectrum -- only good in the U.S. and not globally -- will take some time to figure out and deploy widely, especially in busy urban locations,” Verizon said. The carrier mentioned T-Mobile, not by name. "One competitor spent $8 billion for 600 MHz spectrum to finally acquire a national low-band spectrum position," Verizon said. "They need it, desperately. And while they continue to play catch up in 4G, we’ve had the largest national LTE Advanced footprint on 700 MHz spectrum for seven years, and it keeps getting better." T-Mobile didn't comment Friday on the auction results. "We are investing in the future," Verizon said. "We have access to 28 GHz and 39 GHz spectrum that we will use for 5G. And the fiber we acquired through our XO and Corning transactions are enhancing our current networks with a keen eye toward future needs." Comcast meanwhile has no current plans for the $1.7 billion in spectrum it bought in the auction (see 1704130056), and that spectrum won't be cleared by the FCC and available for use for several years anyway, the company said in a statement Thursday, after the auction's quiet period ended. It said the spectrum isn't necessary for the rollout and growth of its Xfinity Mobile service. It called the spectrum "a strategically compelling investment at historically low prices." AT&T also commented Friday. "The auction was a win for the FCC, the economy, consumers and the wireless industry," a spokesman said. "Spectrum is essential for our business and we believe we’re taking the right steps. Our strategy for spending was driven by a variety of factors that evolved over time."

MPAA's Chris Dodd, who has led the film association since 2011, is leaving; ex-diplomat Charles Rivkin will succeed him, the group said Friday evening. Dodd, who before joining the association was a Democratic senator from Connecticut, is leaving as CEO Sept. 4 and at year's end as chairman, said a news release. It said the board was to meet Saturday to name as his successor Rivkin, assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs under the administration of then-President Barack Obama. Rivkin would start Sept. 5 and the two men would "work together to complete the transition by the beginning of next year," MPAA said. Before the State Department, Rivkin "spent nearly twenty years in the creative sector" as CEO of Jim Henson Co. and W!ldBrain, it said. Kevin Tsujihara, CEO of MPAA member Warner Bros., cited Rivkin's entertainment and government background. Rivkin said he's "excited to work with the member studios to continue to expand the global market for entertainment content, while ensuring creators’ rights are respected around the world.”

The FTC is making it easier for consumers to report identity theft crimes by eliminating the need to file police reports in most cases, wrote Seena Gressin, attorney with the agency's Division of Consumer & Business Education, in a Thursday blog post. When a consumer reports a crime through IdentityTheft.gov, the site will produce a personal recovery plan, pre-file letters to banks, retailers and others and create an official statement about the crime. "In most cases, you can use your Identity Theft Report in place of a police report to clear your account and credit records of transactions that resulted from the identity theft" because the FTC is a law enforcement agency, wrote Gressin. By streamlining the reporting process, she said victims can start recovering from the crime more quickly while freeing up local police to do other duties. But consumers should still report some ID theft crimes to the police if they know who the thief is or can provide information to help with the investigation, if their names were used by thieves during police encounters, or if a creditor, debt collector or others want a police report.

The FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee will meet May 19 to discuss recommendations from its Robocalls Working Group on the illegal robocalls NPRM and notice of inquiry approved by commissioners in March (see 1703230035), the FCC said Thursday. “It is expected that the Committee will also receive presentations by FCC staff and outside speakers on matters of interest to the Committee,” a notice said. The meeting is to run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room.

The civil rights attorney threatening action against AT&T over alleged income-based discrimination in Cleveland won’t get to speak at Friday’s shareholder meeting, the lawyer and the carrier said. Parks and Crump attorney Daryl Parks sent a letter asking to talk about a National Digital Inclusion Alliance report alleging AT&T denied high-speed internet access to low-income neighborhoods in Cleveland (see 1704250046). But AT&T Assistant General Counsel Stacey Maris sent a fax denying the request, Parks told us Thursday. Maris also didn’t address the lawyer’s request for a meeting or the merits of his letter’s allegations, Parks emailed. “This is 100% ‘stonewalling’ and it is a profound mistake on AT&T’s part. We will not be disrespected and this issue will not disappear." Parks plans “to generate a national dialogue about unequal and unfair essential broadband services,” he said. “And we fully expect to move AT&T from its current posture of denial to one of acceptance, and thence to one of correction, change, and reconciliation.” AT&T told Parks it would share Parks’ concerns with the board, an AT&T spokesman emailed. “Doing so was not only appropriate, but a corporate governance best practice. We expect to continue our dialogue with Mr. Parks after the Board reviews his letter as he requested. We also explained that our agenda for our Annual Meeting was already set, but we warmly invited him to attend.” AT&T doesn’t redline, the spokesman said. “Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is unparalleled. Our investment decisions are based on many factors relating to the cost of deployment and demand for our services. Household income, wealth, race and ethnicity are not factors in these decisions.”

An array of forthcoming seismic technological changes necessitates that policymakers and tech companies start talking about those applications and the policy questions they raise, NCTA President Michael Powell said Thursday at The Near Future. The joint CableLabs-NCTA event -- NCTA’s replacement for its now-canceled INTX show (see 1703060044) -- didn’t delve into those policy questions, but focused on tech, with hands-on virtual reality displays and an array of presentations. CableLabs CEO Phil McKinney said the intent was to showcase applications that could be realized in the next three to five years, all dependent on high-speed networks -- applications including for entertainment, videoconferencing, retail, manufacturing and healthcare. Powell and McKinney said the connective tissue for much of the highlighted tech will be the 1 GB-speed networks expected to become increasingly common over the next couple of years. Video content increasingly will be immersive and short form, with social interactivity aspects, said Technicolor Senior Vice President-Corporate Development Tim Dodd. He said videogame engines are increasingly being used in digital effects and video, because of their interactive real-time and high-end capabilities. VR has been talked about since the 1990s, but smartphones have “softened us up” to finally making that level of content interactivity go mainstream, said 20th Century Fox Futurist Ted Schilowitz. He said unlike the “box on face” model with clunky headsets, “it’s going to get a lot better,” with wearables coming quickly. He said he's working on VR original content now tied to other content, such as motion pictures.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Thursday named Jean Kiddoo chair of the Incentive Auction Task Force, replacing Gary Epstein when he leaves the FCC Friday. Epstein headed the task force for five years since its beginning. Kiddoo was Epstein’s deputy starting 10 months ago. She's a former deputy chief of the Wireless Bureau and before that a longtime regulatory lawyer. Hillary DeNigro is moving from the Media Bureau to become new deputy chair. “We are very fortunate that Jean is ready to step into the role without missing a beat as the important transition phase of the incentive auction commences,” Pai said in a news release.

CTIA officials urged the FCC to open more spectrum for 5G. The request came in a meeting with staff of Chairman Ajit Pai and the International Bureau. The FCC should make the 24 GHz, 32 GHz, 42 GHz, 47 GHz, and 50 GHz bands available for licensed, terrestrial services and the 40-42 GHz band for terrestrial operations, CTIA said, according to a filing in docket 14-177. CTIA countered satellite industry requests for changes to the rules for high-frequency spectrum. “In particular, we highlighted the careful balance the Commission created in the Spectrum Frontiers Order to allow for rapid and flexible deployment of 5G services in the 28 GHz and 37.6-40 GHz bands while also permitting use and expansion of satellite services,” CTIA said. “The licensing framework adopted for those bands was fully vetted and provides flexibility for Fixed Satellite Service providers, as noted by one FSS provider in the record. CTIA urged the Commission to reject requests to revisit the licensing and technical framework or to impose additional limitations on terrestrial mobile deployment in these bands.”