The Satellite Industry Association repeated that the FCC grant spectrum allocation changes for federal earth station facilities, but that there isn’t a need “to adopt a co-primary non-Federal allocation in frequencies currently available for launch operations,” in reply comments in docket 13-115 (http://bit.ly/16UH9Gz). The proceeding is to determine whether federal earth stations are to have full protection from interference when operating with commercial satellites (CD May 6 p5). The FCC should adopt SIA’s proposal for enhancing the current status of federal earth stations, it said: Because the FCC would have sole regulatory authority over the space segment of satellite systems operating in the fixed satellite services and mobile satellite services bands, “it can establish conclusively at the outset that its rules will apply to federal government operations, and that the bands will not be shared for regulatory purposes.” Boeing suggested that, to improve non-federal operators’ access to launch spectrum, the FCC should issue two-year experimental licenses instead of six-month special temporary authorizations, it said (http://bit.ly/GzJEIK). The company agreed it isn’t necessary for the FCC to re-engineer the current process by introducing a new co-primary non-federal allocation and associated rules, it said. Engineers for the Integrity of Broadcast Auxiliary Services Spectrum agreed with Comsearch’s concern that federal use of the extended satellite bands “should not be upgraded from secondary to co-primary, because these bands are extensively used by point-to-point terrestrial microwave stations,” it said (http://bit.ly/16e9onZ). Allowing federal downlinks in these bands that were no longer secondary “would give those sites super primary status because of the commission policy of protecting downlinks on all possible channels and all possible look angles,” EIBASS said. The group objects to allowing federal stations co-primary status in the extended Ku-band segment of 10.7-11.7 GHz, which is heavily used by Part 101 terrestrial FSS stations, it said. The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition doesn’t object to federal access to non-federal satellite spectrum as long as federal users comply with all established frequency coordination procedures and industry practices, it said (http://bit.ly/171vIhd). FWCC supported Comsearch’s proposals, including requiring federal earth station users seeking to operate in shared non-federal bands to follow the same frequency coordination procedures and industry best practices currently required for non-federal users, it said. The FCC also should delete the extended Ku downlink band “from its proposed policy to provide federal earth stations with protected status, so as to preserve the 10.7-11.7 GHz band for badly needed FSS links,” it said.
With the shutdown of numerous government websites, public access to government information will be affected in a way it wasn’t during last government shutdown that lasted several weeks in 1995 to ‘96, several experts told us Tuesday. Some significant government resources such as Thomas, the online legislative database of the Library of Congress, pulled about faces Tuesday to stay running, but other major informational sites such as the FTC aren’t accessible. “Times have changed in terms of how agencies communicate with the public, so it is a different ball of wax if a website goes dark than if it had in the ‘90s,” said Lisa Gilbert, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division. “It will have ramifications for consumers and for small businesses."
The first casualties of a federal government shutdown likely will be events, including hearings on Capitol Hill, slated for this week, unless the House and Senate work out a deal that would put off a shutdown that was slated to start at midnight Monday. Bigger problems loom, including potential delays in Senate action on the nominations of Tom Wheeler and Michael O'Rielly as members of the FCC, industry officials said. NTIA has already canceled one high-profile event slated for next week.
Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn is among the FCC officials set to speak Tuesday at an FCC-sponsored cybersecurity conference that focuses on “protecting children from online risks,” the agency said Friday. Other FCC speakers will include Kris Monteith, acting Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau chief; Jeffery Goldthorp, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau associate bureau chief-Cybersecurity and Communications Reliability Division; and Susan McLean, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau chief-Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division. Also scheduled are speakers from the Federal Trade Commission, Comcast, Common Sense Media, CTIA, Facebook/Instagram, the Family Online Safety Institute, Google, Microsoft, the Pew Research Center, Snapchat and ViaSat, the FCC said (http://fcc.us/18vhPLL).
The FCC approved 2-1 Thursday, over Commissioner Ajit Pai’s second dissent of the meeting, an NPRM on whether carriers should be required to report data on tower outages during emergencies. The dissent was expected (CD Sept 26 p3). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel indicated she also had questions about the NPRM. FCC and industry officials told us the NPRM was largely “bureau driven” with the Public Safety Bureau’s strong support. Consumers Union (CU) asked the FCC to require carriers to release to consumers the data that they must already file at the FCC.
Hogan Lovells communications practice recently hired as associates Deborah Broderson, ex-FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, Wesley Platt, ex-Wireline Bureau, and Carly Didden, ex-Patton Boggs … Wiltshire & Grannis hires Jennifer Bagg, ex-Communications Law Counsel, as partner on state and federal telecom regulation … Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Commissioner Larry Landis to retire in January … President Barack Obama plans to nominate Catherine Ann Novelli, Apple, as State Department undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment … Information Technology Industry Council Vice President-External Affairs Tom Gavin hired by Salesforce.com, to work in its Washington office as senior director-industry branding, effective early next month.
Extending the New York Public Service Commission’s comment period on Verizon’s request to serve Fire Island, N.Y., solely with its fixed wireless product from July 2 to Sept. 13 helped the commission receive more than 1,000 public comments from state legislators, town governments and local fire departments. Meanwhile, Verizon agreed Sept. 10 to install fiber on Fire Island (CD Sept 11 p3), but many industry observers and state regulators said the telco’s decision does not extend to areas of New Jersey also affected by Hurricane Sandy (CD Sept 12 p3). The commission is now asking for comments by Sept. 30 on Verizon’s tariff amendment filing to withdraw a provision to use Voice Link as the sole service on Fire Island (CD Sept 16 p18) .
The FCC proposed a $20,000 fine for GCI Communication for multiple, “willful” violations of the commission’s lighting rules for antennas at GCI’s Fairbanks, Alaska, antenna structure, said an Enforcement Bureau notice of apparent liability released Wednesday (http://bit.ly/15Rxt5W). On two days in September 2012, a bureau agent noticed the antenna wasn’t lit during the day and that GCI had not informed the Federal Aviation Administration of the outage, said the NAL. GCI also hadn’t installed an alarm system to provide notice of a lighting failure, the NAL said. GCI acknowledged the violation and determined that the light outage was caused by a failing capacitor on a control board, said the NAL. Meanwhile, Word of Life Ministries asked the Media Bureau to reduce a proposed $12,000 fine for low-power TV station KADO Shreveport, La.’s failure to file timely kids’ programming reports, said a filing released Tuesday. Although it doesn’t dispute the violation, Word of Life said the proposed fine is higher than comparable ones issued around the same time, and that the high fine would be a severe burden since it’s a “not for profit entity” and KADO has “no revenues.” Word of Life also asked for an extension to pay the fine.
The House approved the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act Monday in a 415-0 vote, with 227 Republicans and 188 Democrats voting yea. The legislation calls for one Communications Marketplace Report rather than eight separate reports and kills outdated references. The House passed a similar bill in its last session, which failed in the Senate (CD March 27/12 p1). “The FCC’s reporting requirements are numerous, outdated, and unnecessarily burdensome,” FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said in a statement Tuesday. “Replacing them with a single biennial Communications Marketplace Report will not only enable more efficient use of agency resources, it will also provide Congress and the public with a comprehensive and far more useful set of data that reflects the realities of today’s converged marketplace. This is straightforward, good-government legislation, and I hope that the U.S. Senate will act quickly to send this bill to the President for his signature.” The bill’s authors emphasized the flexibility the bill would offer Monday on the House floor. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., called the bill “a bipartisan bill that seeks to provide flexibility and relief to both our job creators as well as the Federal Communications Commission.” He said dollars would be better spent now. “These are the sorts of odds and ends that can eat a small business alive, and they can eat an agency alive as well,” said House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., on the House floor Monday, criticizing “these silly mandates” initially put in for good reason. “The House passed a similar bill in the last Congress,” said House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., recommending her colleagues sign on to this bill, “something that all members can stand for."
Verizon will start to install a fiber network in western Fire Island, N.Y., later this year, with the goal to provide the service “as quickly as possible,” a company spokesman told us. He said Verizon is installing a fiber network in response to comments to the FCC, the New York Public Service Commission and a PSC public hearing in Ocean Beach, N.Y., on Aug. 24 about Verizon’s Voice Link wireless service. “We heard the people’s comments and we understand that they want a solution,” said the spokesman. The company’s controversial Voice Link product mainly relies on wireless service, not fiber. Some opponents of the new product have said it may be less reliable than traditional landline phone service.