The FCC took what Chairman Julius Genachowski said was its first concrete step toward a voluntary incentive auction of broadcast spectrum, on Friday approving a framework for two or more TV stations to share a single six MHz channel. The order left a number of thorny issues to be addressed at a later date (CD April 16 p1). “This is our first action at the commission level to begin to implement the historic incentive auction law that was passed by Congress and signed by the president not very long ago,” Genachowski said. Incentive auctions offer “enormous opportunities” but are also “unprecedented and complex,” he said. “Many steps to follow.”
Everything’s up in the air as the further notice of proposed rulemaking on contribution reform contains many more questions than answers. The notice, approved unanimously by the FCC Friday, poses questions about what types of communications providers should contribute to the Universal Service Fund, how contributions should be assessed, and how to reduce the overall cost of contribution. The text of the notice was not released by our deadline.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released his hold on FCC nominees Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel Friday after a year-long row over the agency’s handling of the LightSquared wireless project. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., would not say when he plans to schedule a vote on the nominees. It could come as early as the second week of May when lawmakers return from their April 30-May 4 recess.
With the sunset of the FCC’s must-carry viewability rules set to expire next month, companies and industry groups have been lobbying the FCC to make their cases for and against keeping them. The rules require cable operators to deliver must-carry TV stations’ signals to all viewers, which typically involves multicasting a digital and analog version of the programming. Barring FCC action, the requirement will expire June 17. The commission has asked whether it should extend it (CD Feb 8 p5).
FCC Democrats didn’t back down from what staff recommended, approving over the opposition of the Republican member a requirement that all information now kept on paper in TV station studios’ political files go online. Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn backed the Media Bureau’s draft order at Friday’s monthly meeting that stations must include information on what they charge to air political spots in the public files the agency will host. Requiring posting of the lowest unit charge rate broadcasters must levy for political commercials in the weeks before federal, state and municipal primaries and general elections was opposed by Commissioner Robert McDowell. That was expected, but it was unclear in the days before the vote whether Clyburn in particular would vote for LUC reporting after broadcasters floated new proposals (CD April 25 p2).
The Motion Picture Experts Group is close to a new standard relating to second-screen viewing, MPEG Chairman Leonardo Chiariglione said in an interview Friday. The idea is to allow broadcasters to use iPhones, iPads and similar devices as a second content channel that’s linked to what’s being transmitted on TV, he said. For that to happen, they must be semantically connected, he said. The new standard could appear in mid-2013, he said.
SILICON VALLEY -- Europe’s data-protection chief defended a proposed right to be forgotten, notably online, as a usefully provocative way of framing a prerogative to force organizations to justify keeping information about them. Participants at the Berkeley Law Privacy Forum repeatedly and pointedly questioned Peter Hustinx, the European Commission’s data-protection supervisor, on the matter last week.
The FCC sought comment on whether noncommercial, educational broadcasters should be permitted to devote airtime to raise funds for charities and other nonprofits. A notice of proposed rulemaking was released ahead of Friday’s FCC meeting (http://xrl.us/bm5ae3), as expected (CD April 26 p11). Although its approval would pertain to all NCEs, some industry officials have said there may not be much interest in on-air fundraising for third-party entities (CD April 20 p5).
The U.K. Health Protection Agency’s independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation found there’s still no solid evidence that cellphones cause adverse effects on human health, including cancer. The report updates the group’s previous evidence review from nine years ago.
The Obama administration believes it’s “critical to find a smart innovation-leaning balance” to cybersecurity legislation, said Danny Weitzner, White House deputy chief technology officer for Internet policy. And part of the balance is for the government to have authority to ensure that companies that have “our critical infrastructure are engaging in adequate security practices,” he said at the Computer & Communications Industry Association’s Washington caucus.