Carriers are watching wildfires in northern California and Colorado but didn’t report major network problems Friday. Some wireless operators said they are providing free services or would waive fees. The California Public Utilities Commission said it plans to vote Thursday on making certain consumer protections permanent in case of future wildfires.
That Cox Communications is being sued again by music interests for alleged willful infringement of their copyrights is no surprise, given the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision earlier this year in BMG Rights Management's lawsuit against Cox (see 1802010026), IP experts told us. Whether Cox can see a different result in the new litigation, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, will depend on whether it can show it has changed, the experts said.
FCC “skepticism” about Dish Network’s ability to “execute” on its narrowband IoT buildout strategy by the March 2020 deadline possibly may have been one of the “motivations” behind the letter Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale sent the company last month seeking details about its network deployment plans (see 1807100062), said Chairman Charlie Ergen on a Friday earnings call. Though it was “unusual to receive a letter,” it’s always "an opportunity for us to continue dialogue with the regulators, and we always want to take advantage," he said.
The deal between songwriters and a performing rights organization (see 1808020053) could be the last major hurdle for passage of landmark music copyright legislation, industry representatives told us Friday. “We need to turn down the noise and try to get a bill passed right now,” said Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Executive Director Bart Herbison Friday. A day earlier, he announced a deal with the Songwriters of North America (SONA), SESAC and the National Music Publishers’ Association for the Music Modernization Act.
The likely unwinding of Sinclair’s buy of Tribune and the related FCC hearing designation order are unlikely to derail rollout of ATSC 3.0 but might cause it to take longer, said supporters and critics of the new broadcast standard (see 1807270002). Sinclair/Tribune would have given the standard backing of a broadcaster reaching 60 percent of the U.S., but the entire industry is now heavily invested in ATSC 3.0, said broadcasters, industry officials and lawyers. Sinclair’s plans for the new standard predate its plan to buy Tribune, said Mark Aitken, Sinclair vice president-advanced technology. “NextGen TV will move forward regardless,” said New America Wireless Future Program Director Michael Calabrese, a frequent opponent of 3.0.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau is quietly starting to clamp down on what some in the wireless industry see as a growing problem -- distribution of noncompliant Asian radios. The Land Mobile Communications Council was at the FCC earlier this year meetings on the problem, including with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold and other Enforcement staff, LMCC members told us. LMCC in particular drew O'Rielly's attention (see 1806080056). Last week, the bureau issued a citation and order against Amcrest Industries for marketing a handheld radio that allegedly doesn’t comply with rules.
The solicitor general asked the Supreme Court not to review the merits of cert petitions appealing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling that upheld the previous FCC's 2015 Title II Communications Act net neutrality order. Given the current FCC's January reversal order, the SG asked justices to grant cert but vacate the D.C. Circuit judgment and remand the 2015 order litigation with directions to declare related legal challenges moot, or to consider the effect of the 2018 order. Some thought the SG's request had a good chance.
Regulatory hurdles are the top hurdle for Energous, CEO Stephen Rizzone said of the company's wireless charging plans. Some of its products have gotten FCC OK (see 1804110034). Following Q2 results that included a slightly narrower net loss of $12.3 million as revenue fell 31 percent from the year-ago quarter to $205,773, shares closed 8.9 percent lower Thursday at $12.32.
Executives from the Center for Democracy and Technology and BSA|The Software Alliance agreed this week the U.S. needs federal privacy regulation. They said the ultimate goal should be international harmonization of privacy rules. Europe took an important step implementing the general data protection regulation, and now partners need to work toward international consensus on privacy, said BSA CEO Victoria Espinel on a scheduled weekend telecast of C-SPAN’s The Communicators.
Commissioners approved a radio incubator order 3-1 Thursday, with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel dissenting and calling the item “modest” and muddled. “There is nothing bold here,” she said. “I fail to see how it will make a material difference in the diversity of media ownership.” The final version of the order adhered to NAB’s positions on comparable markets and that ownership waivers be transferable, as expected (see 1807310072).