No other carrier group has offered a solution better than the Intercarrier Compensation Forum’s (ICF’s) to unify the telecom industry’s outdated, confusing array of intercarrier compensation schemes, ICF told the FCC in comments filed late Mon. The cross-industry group -- which includes AT&T, Global Crossing, Level 3, General Communications, Iowa Telecom, MCI, SBC, Valor Telecom and Sprint -- is the most visible of several industry groups that have proposed plans to the FCC.
After emotional testimony from victims of VoIP- related 911 glitches, the FCC Thurs. ordered VoIP providers to give customers full E-911 service within 120 days. E-911, or enhanced 911, means a 911 caller’s location is transmitted and can be viewed by emergency dispatchers on a screen.
Bell Canada and Tellus said they will appeal a Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision to regulate VoIP prices. The declaration follows through on earlier signals of resistance. UBS said it doesn’t expect U.S. regulators to follow the Canadian example, which it described as a win for Canadian cable operators.
The FCC asked Sprint, Nextel and other commercial wireless carriers against which the firms compete for more information. As part of its review of the proposed Sprint-Nextel merger, the FCC sent identical letters to the applicants, plus Alltel, Western Wireless, Nextel Partners, Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Southern LINC. The FCC requested a description and subscriber count for each mobile wireless price plan offered by the companies in each county of the U.S. for each month from Jan. 1, 2004, to Jan. 31, 2005.
Heartened when the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., Fri. threw out the FCC broadcast flag order, consumer groups said they expect the MPAA to back a bill to supply the Commission the authority the court said it lacked to issue the regulations. Public Knowledge and other groups that persuaded the court to eliminate the flag warned lawmakers against attaching such legislation to any coming DTV bill imposing a hard deadline for the analog shutoff.
The FCC could field multiple requests for reconsideration of a 3650-3700 MHz order that opened access to new spectrum for wireless broadband. The Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA) will be asking the FCC to clarify the order’s interference protection obligations section. Similar requests on other parts also may be coming from the Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA), WiMax Forum and others.
The FCC received several petitions for clarification or reconsideration of its reciprocal compensation order denying a petition by a coalition of wireless carriers regarding ILEC wireless termination tariffs. The petitions were filed last week by T-Mobile, MetroPCS, American Assn. of Paging Carriers (AAPC) and the Rural Cellular Assn.
The FCC received several petitions for clarification or reconsideration of its reciprocal compensation order denying a petition by a coalition of wireless carriers regarding ILEC wireless termination tariffs. The petitions were filed last week (CD May 2 p11) by T-Mobile, MetroPCS, American Assn. of Paging Carriers (AAPC) and the Rural Cellular Assn.
Satellite industry officials want the FCC and Congress to protect satellite spectrum this year, when legislators address emergency responders’ spectrum needs as required by the Intelligence Reform & Terrorism Prevention Act, they said in comments to the FCC. The FCC is considering the comments as it prepares a report to Congress due Dec. 17, on federal, state and local public safety providers’ spectrum needs.
The FCC should ensure that spectrum already allocated to public safety is used efficiently before dedicating more to that purpose, Progress & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Tom Lenard told the Commission in comments. “More than 97 MHz of spectrum is allocated for public safety communication, including 24 MHz in the 700 MHz band occupied by broadcasters pending resolution of the DTV transition,” Lenard said, suggesting that more spectrum doesn’t guarantee better service. “Given the large amount of spectrum already allocated to public safety agencies and its high opportunity cost, an extra dollar spent on other inputs, including new equipment and additional public safety personnel, is likely to yield far more in terms of improving the emergency response effort than an extra dollar’s worth of spectrum,” he said. Lenard urged the FCC to “propertize” the public safety spectrum, using the market to allocate spectrum rights. “A market-based system of flexible-use, resalable licenses should not be restricted to private-sector uses,” he said. Because emergencies are rare, he said “much of the public safety spectrum undoubtedly is unused most of the time. Given the value of spectrum, this is extremely costly.” Lenard said giving public safety licensees expanded property rights in licenses they already hold would encourage them to “explore creative new cooperative relationships with the private sector to obtain needed new technologies in exchange for granting usage rights to their excess spectrum.” Such arrangements, he said, would “constitute a significant new revenue source, providing resources to upgrade communications equipment and perhaps fund a range of public safety activities,” while retaining the rights to use the necessary spectrum in emergencies. Lenard’s comments came as the FCC gathers data to assess the spectrum needs of federal, state and local emergency response providers. The review was ordered by the 2004 Intelligence Reform & Terrorism Prevention Act. The Commission’s report on the results is due to Congress by Dec. 17. “Additional spectrum for emergency response providers is definitely needed” and should be in the 700 MHz band, adjacent to the existing public safety band, said the National Emergency Management Assn. (NEMA). FCC loopholes let broadcasters stay in that band indefinitely, NEMA said. “This has compelled some states to purchase radios that work in both the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands,” NEMA said: “Keeping any additional bandwidth adjacent to the current spectrum will allow those states to use equipment that they've invested in and currently own.” The Fla. Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) said Congress should consider allocating more spectrum at 700 MHz to meet short- and long-term needs. The 700 MHz band is best for an advanced statewide communications system supporting highway safety, FDOT said. Given “overwhelming benefits to be gained from operation in this band,” FDOT said it’s “willing to wait a reasonable time” for incumbent TV operations to be cleared. But “any timetable much beyond the contemplated December 31, 2006 objective for clearing the band of TV operations will severely strain the operations of FDOT and other Florida emergency response providers,” FDOT said.