Set-top boxes with a “deep sleep” feature that will further improve energy efficiency will be ready for field testing in 2014, the NCTA told the Department of Energy. Opposing federal mandates on the energy uses of boxes, the association said cable operators are deploying boxes with “light sleep” capabilities and providing software upgrades to embed that feature in existing boxes, which is projected to save 350 kilowatt hours in the first year. NCTA last week commented (http://xrl.us/bmy52a) on a DOE rulemaking on possible efficiency standards for set-tops and network equipment after a finding that the devices are covered products under the Energy Act.
SILICON VALLEY -- The Defense Department is puzzling over how to get ahead of unauthorized internal use of mobile devices, a cybersecurity official said. Department policy seeks to tightly control what hardware employees use, but “I think some bring-your-own-device stuff is happening anyway,” conceded Richard Hale, DOD’s deputy chief information officer for identity and information assurance. The department hasn’t figured out how to deal with the threat, he acknowledged at the IT Security Entrepreneurs’ Forum at Stanford University. “We hope to start experimenting based on some virtualization ideas over the next year,” Hale said late Wednesday.
The FCC is launching a task force to oversee the work the agency has to do to get ready for the upcoming auction of broadcast spectrum, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday. The task force will be overseen by former Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman. The announcement came amid questions about how quickly the FCC will be able to move forward on the auction, which is expected to be the most complicated in the history of the agency.
Senators asked Comcast and Verizon Wireless to respond to fears that their spectrum and marketing deals might harm competition. Testifying Wednesday at a Senate Antitrust Subcommittee hearing, officials for the top telco and top cable company said the spectrum acquisition is about putting unused frequencies to better use, and the marketing agreement is about consumer convenience. But other witnesses painted a darker competitive landscape with higher prices and fewer competitors.
The FCC approved a notice of proposed rulemaking Wednesday asking questions about interoperability in the lower 700 MHz band. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said regulation may not be the answer. The FCC committed in its AT&T/Qualcomm order in December to release the rulemaking in the first quarter (CD Dec 27 p1). The notice also asks if the FCC should expand its focus to also consider interoperability beyond the lower 700 MHz band, as was urged by Public Knowledge and a few small carriers despite (CD March 9 p7).
Nothing brings disparate interests together like the prospect of a six-month extension to comply with new FCC rules. Often at odds, post-paid wireline carriers, pre-paid wireless carriers and state commissions unanimously supported a waiver request by incumbent local exchange carriers to postpone until Oct. 1 the implementation of several rules established in the Lifeline Order -- as long as the waiver applies to everyone else, too. The petition, filed by USTelecom, the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, NTCA, OPASTCO, the Western Telecommunications Alliance and the Eastern Rural Telecom Association, asked the FCC to waive the effective date of a new rule implementing a flat $9.25 Lifeline benefit and eliminating the Link-Up discount on non-Tribal lands from April 2 until Oct. 1 (CD March 12 p9).
SILICON VALLEY -- Companies working on products that use the location data in mobile devices plan to make money from advertising and premium subscription fees, executives at the GPS-Wireless conference said Wednesday. Some companies, such as Foursquare, will rely entirely on advertising, while others plan to bring a mix of ad and subscription revenue, they said.
A $126.3 million West Virginia BTOP project designed to connect schools and other public facilities sparked questions from the state board of education about its progress. But that was largely due to misunderstanding the project, said Dana Waldo, senior vice president with Frontier West Virginia, the project’s major contractor. He claimed the project is ahead of schedule and will be completed on time. This wasn’t the first time the state’s education officials expressed concerns about the slow pace and lack of communication on the project (CD Nov 1 p6).
The FCC proposed Wednesday to require Dish Network to build out to at least 70 percent of the population in each of the geographic areas it’s licensed to provide terrestrial service in within seven years. The proposal is part of the agency’s notice of proposed rulemaking that would convert the 2 GHz band from satellite-only spectrum to combined satellite and wireless spectrum. The agency also asked for input on a possible alternative band plan for the spectrum, which would be renamed as AWS-4, making use of nearby spectrum (http://xrl.us/bmy2oj).
The FCC wants to know if 19-year-old procedures need updating for how the agency processes pay-TV complaints that a rival withheld a channel. A rulemaking notice released late Tuesday -- in time to avoid a vote at Wednesday’s commissioner meeting (CD March 21 p17) -- asked how or whether to consider allegations of volume discounts or across-the-board cost hikes for programming meant to price all but programming the cable operator owns out of the market. The item contained a few proposals. It recommended a 45-day period for various types of anti-exclusivity complaints made under the 1992 Cable Act to be answered, and to the extent types of programming like regional sports networks (RSN) can’t be withheld, the HD version must be provided to a multichannel video programming distributor.