The FCC will host a workshop Sept. 30 about the reassignment of TV stations after the broadcast incentive auction, said the commission in a public notice Monday (http://bit.ly/1al7MZH). The workshop’s two panels will discuss the categories of costs reimbursable from the $1.75 billion TV broadcaster relocation fund that broadcasters could incur during the repacking and how stations “can coordinate among themselves to mitigate costs and ensure the most efficient transition to new frequencies,” said the notice. The workshop will be in the FCC Commission Meeting Room from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, and streamed live at www.fcc.gov/live.

SES and Hughes signed an agreement with Row 44 to connect airline passengers with Row 44’s in-flight connectivity and entertainment services. Hughes will provide ground transport infrastructure and SES will deliver Ku-band capacity aboard its SES-6 satellite “to enable seamless and reliable coverage over the North Atlantic,” SES said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/1aYPsbR).

Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., is ramping up his push for a bill that would prohibit the National Security Agency from installing “back doors” into encryption online, following recent revelations about the scope of the agency’s counterencryption efforts, a Holt aide familiar with the legislation, told us Monday. The move follows revelations last week that the NSA has worked to counter a variety of encryption techniques, even introducing vulnerabilities into certain platforms and standards to further its eavesdropping (CD Sept 9 p8). Holt first introduced in July the Surveillance State Repeal Act (HR-2818), which would repeal surveillance laws, including the Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act, that he said at the time the government “abused by collecting personal information on millions of Americans in violation of the Constitution” (http://1.usa.gov/15esPN5). The bill would reinstate a uniform probable cause-based warrant standard for surveillance requests. Even before last week’s revelations, the bill included provisions prohibiting the government from including “back doors” in either software or hardware, the aide said, saying the Electronic Frontier Foundation alerted Holt’s office to the issue. The aide said Holt’s office would circulate a Dear Colleague letter later this week encouraging members opposed to the Patriot Act and FISA Amendments Act to sign on to sponsor the bill (http://1.usa.gov/1eaciPQ). The aide also said the office would not revisit the bill’s language following the most recent revelations, but would be sensitive to the ongoing discussion on the Hill.

Iridium unveiled its first turnkey hosted payload solution. It’s designed to host third-party payloads on standalone satellites, “leveraging the global connectivity afforded by the Iridium NEXT satellite network,” Iridium said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/17RxZuJ). It said the solution, Iridium Prime, “offsets the traditional challenges of hosted payload missions which include inflexible launch schedules, ‘one-off’ mission control systems and ground connectivity challenges."

Products the Wi-Fi Alliance approves as part of its forthcoming 60 GHz interoperability program will be designated as being “WiGig Certified,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said Monday. The certification is one example of the WiGig Alliance’s integration into the Wi-Fi Alliance as part of the two groups’ merger, which was announced in January, the Wi-Fi Alliance said. Products approved through the program will operate on the 60 GHz band and will deliver “multi-gigabit speed, low latency traffic and security-protected connectivity between nearby devices,” the group said. Many WiGig Certified products also will be Wi-Fi Certified, meaning they can facilitate a “seamless handover” between the two technologies, the Wi-Fi Alliance said. The new branding can begin to be used on certified products next year, the group said. The Wi-Fi Alliance has also formed cooperative relationships with the USB Implementers Forum and the Video Electronics Standards Association to advance the 60 GHz technology (http://bit.ly/15Kt3bc).

VTel Wireless urged the FCC to offer 600 MHz spectrum in the incentive auction in the small, Cellular Market Area-sized chunks that are most useful to small carriers. VTel is deploying a 3G network in rural parts of New York State and Vermont, the company said. “The auction of the 600 MHz band presents an excellent opportunity for the Commission to further promote wireless broadband deployment, particularly in rural areas where next generation wireless services are often lacking,” the carrier said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/17RVw0S). “But for the goal of increased rural broadband deployment to be realized, the Commission should license the 600 MHz band on the basis of CMAs. CMAs represent the most manageable geographic area for small carriers, which are the entities most committed to serving rural America.”

The FCC Media Bureau set an Oct. 9 filing window for Form 349 FM translator applications for 104 tech box proposals. The window is limited to “timely filed Auction 83 tech box proposals which the staff has identified as not mutually exclusive with any other tech box proposals that remain pending from the Auction 83 filing window,” it said in a public notice (http://bit.ly/1e9XHUA). The “singleton” proposals include applications from Educational Media Foundation, Way Media and National Christian Network, it said (http://bit.ly/18JJLcR). These singleton applications are exempt from FCC auction procedures, the bureau said. Broadcast attorneys urged applicants to be aware that the long-form application will be entitled to protection from all subsequently filed FM translator applications. Modifications to the last-filed tech proposal can be proposed in the long-form applications, “but any modifications must be limited to ‘minor’ changes and ... facilities proposed in long-form applications will be accorded protection from other FM translator applications on a first-come, first-served basis,” a Fletcher Heald blog post said (http://bit.ly/17lypMW).

The Office of Management and Budget approved new information collection rules that are meant to support the Healthcare Connect Fund, the FCC said in Monday’s Federal Register (http://1.usa.gov/17LVs4k). The FCC created the Healthcare Connect Fund in December as a reformed version of the Rural Health Care Program, which had been the smallest of the four USF programs (CD Dec 13 p19). The rules, which took effect Monday, will be valid for three years, the FCC said.

The FCC International Bureau dismissed an application from New Skies Satellites, which asked to modify a grant of U.S. access for its Netherlands-licensed NSS-806 satellite. New Skies wanted the modification to reflect the satellite’s relocation from 40.5 degrees west to 47.5 degrees west, and to allow it to provide fixed satellite services, the bureau said in a letter (http://bit.ly/1cZFxRy). The bureau said it found the application “internally inconsistent.” The application states that the satellite will provide FSS in the 6425-6650 MHz band, “but the Schedule S submitted with the application states that NSS-806 will operate in the 6490-6650 MHz band,” it said. The bureau also dismissed NBC Telemundo’s application for a new fixed earth station authorization. NBC Telemundo listed the equivalent isotropically radiated power density on Schedule B as 80.13 dBW/4kHz, it said in another letter (http://bit.ly/1e9XHUA). “Based on other information provided by NBC Telemundo elsewhere in its application, we calculate that EIRP density should be 1.0 dBW/4kHz."

Google Fiber, Cablevision Optimum, Cox and Suddenlink remained the top four providers in Netflix’s ISP Speed Index for August, said Netflix Monday (http://nflx.it/16f5Cdw). Verizon FiOS, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Mediacom had slight increases in their average speeds on the service, said Netflix. Charter, Comcast, Bright House and CenturyLink had slight decreases in speeds from July data, said Netflix. Netflix said it updated its index with historical country averages to show the average performance of the Internet as measured by Netflix. Denmark, Finland and Sweden had the highest average speeds followed by Norway and the U.K., said Netflix.