Although he signed FCC filing on Transportation Dept.- funded research on ultra-wideband, Stanford U. Prof. Bradford Parkinson said he wasn’t involved in conducting study, meaning his corporate ties to GPS developer Trimble posed no conflict. In Sept. 2000, Parkinson, who is widely viewed as “Father of GPS,” jointly submitted to FCC ex parte filing with other Stanford researchers outlining preliminary results of UWB tests conducted by GPS Research Lab at Stanford and funded by DoT. “We urge the Commission to proceed with great caution and deliberation,” said filing by 4 professors, including Parkinson, that described research challenges of analyzing UWB-to-GPS interference. But Parkinson said Mon. his role in research, which had been among studies cited by federal agencies concerned about potential of UWB emissions to cause harmful interference to GPS, was to evaluate results after test phase was complete. He said Assoc. Prof. Per Enge oversaw research itself.
FCC Chief of Staff Marsha MacBride told Public Safety National Coordination Committee (NCC) Fri. that public safety interoperability and other issues were part of emphasis of Commission’s homeland security efforts. MacBride was named by FCC Chmn. Powell in Nov. to head agency’s Homeland Security Policy Council. In presentation to NCC, MacBride outlined homeland security efforts that were stressing broader areas than in past for network protection, including mass media and wireless. Network Reliability & Interoperability Council (NRIC), which played key coordinating role during FCC’s Y2K efforts, is refocused on homeland security, including lessons learned and existing vulnerabilities, MacBride said. Composition of NRIC has shifted from historical wireline emphasis to include wireless, cable and Internet service providers, she said. In broadcasting and multichannel video programming, Commission is starting Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) to examine infrastructure reliability and security issues. Among other themes that emerged during NCC general membership meeting was need for better public safety interoperability, which has gained renewed public attention following Sept. 11 attacks.
NTIA released report Fri. outlined need for more spectrum for critical infrastructure providers in energy, water and railroad sectors, concluding that urgency of those issues might have changed following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Report to Congress, required by fiscal 2001 appropriations act that covered Commerce Dept., catalogued congestion that infrastructure providers faced in land mobile portion of spectrum. “It is of utmost importance that the Federal Communications Commission revisit these critical issues in order to accommodate the increasing role these industries play in maintaining quality of life,” report said. It cited continued use of spectrum as “essential to the current and future operations of these industries.” NTIA said industry feedback it received in preparing report pointed to spectrum that was “either congested or quickly approaching critical mass, thus leading to problems of interference.” NTIA said industry consensus called for additional spectrum, citing lack of bands available for new users. Report has been closely watched by private wireless industry who have raised concerns about Nextel proposal pending at FCC that would reconfigure some public safety, private wireless and commercial operators at 700, 800 and 900 MHz.
FCC Chmn. Powell’s special counsel Mary Beth Richards said Thurs. she was “confident” Congress would approve overhaul of agency in coming days. She said she had spent much of this week, and would spend much of next, with Hill staffers to “make sure they are comfortable with the plan and understand the benefits.” Letter outlining changes went up to Congress Jan. 17, and congressional appropriators of FCC budget have 15 days in which to express objections. “I am hopeful that there are no surprises. I am hopeful that they all agree that it is a wise and judicious decision,” Richards said in conference call hosted by Communications Daily. Given that changes must be published in Federal Register before they can take effect, Richards said she expected effective date either in late Feb. or early March. In meantime, once congressional approval is assured, Commission plans to issue news release outlining staff changes, specifically who will head divisions and makeup of front office staff. Release, to include structural charts, also will be posted at Commission’s Web site, Richards said.
FCC is “very sympathetic to regulation parity” between broadband services provided by cable companies and telcos “but there are limits to what the Commission can do,” Comr. Martin said Wed. in Comnet session in Washington. In What’s Ahead in Communication Policy and Regulation he said 2 deployment models were “regulated very differently.” Citing current cable open access proceeding at FCC, Martin said he was “hesitant to apply legacy regulations” to cable industry: “I am worried about regulating up.” When Commission opens proceeding and then fails to reach decision, uncertainty created can dampen investments in new technology, he said: “The Commission needs to be careful with regulatory parity” and “not impose new burdens on new technology.” Regulatory parity should be implemented “with very subtle tools,” otherwise it could “slow deployments [in markets] where cable has been very successful,” he said.
NTIA submitted ultra-wideband (UWB) policy recommendation to FCC Fri. that would restrict intentional emissions below 4.2 GHz, protect radioastronomy band and restrict peer-to-peer networking of UWB devices, sources said. Emissions limits in NTIA proposal reflect several stipulations laid out by Defense Dept. in letter earlier this month to NTIA, but proposal appears to have left unresolved differences among federal agencies on what emissions limits would best protect GPS. Industry source said proposal had left officials at agencies such as Dept. of Transportation upset because their demands for higher threshold for intentional emissions of 6 GHz hadn’t been heeded in final NTIA recommendation. NTIA recommendation came in advance of UWB item that’s expected to be on agenda for Feb. 14 FCC meeting.
Group of competitive telcos teamed up with business user group Tues. to propose that FCC adopt set of special access standards they had devised as consensus approach. “The entire competitive industry as well as business users have joined together to present what we believe is an appropriate set of measurements,” WorldCom Vp Donna Sorgi said in press teleconference. Calling itself Joint Competitive Industry Group (JCIP), coalition said special access was lifeblood of competitive telcos and long distance companies because it gave them last-mile access to business customers. And yet, they said, there was little regulatory oversight of how quickly and fairly ILECs provided that service to them.
FCC announced formal approval Thurs. of major portion of agency realignment following consent of all 4 commissioners and approval by National Treasury Employees Union Local 209. Agency must notify Congress of changes before they can become effective, and Chmn. Powell indicated in news conference that lawmakers could seek changes in plan, but were unlikely to do so. Bureaus seeing most changes are: Mass Media and Cable Services, which will be combined into new Media Bureau; Common Carrier, which will become Wireline Competition Bureau; International Bureau, which, like others, will see some of its duties change.
Asst. Defense Secy. for Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence John Stenbit spelled out Pentagon’s ultra- wideband (UWB) position for NTIA Fri., saying DoD required that there be no intentional emissions below 4.2 GHz except for imaging systems. That position, outlined in Stenbit letter to Commerce Dept.’s Deputy Asst. Secy. for Communications & Information Michael Gallagher, doesn’t reflect harder line approach of agencies such as Dept. of Transportation and NASA. Those parts of federal govt., which share DoD concerns about potential of UWB to interfere with GPS-dependent systems, still advocate no intentional emissions “below 6 GHz, period,” industry source said. DoD proposal to bar UWB emissions below 4.2 GHz, with some limited exceptions, is “a long-term position taken to protect vital DoD systems that ensure our national security,” Stenbit said in letter released Mon.: “That position is further justified by recent public reports that such initial rollouts may constitute just the ‘camel’s nose under the tent’ of commercial investment in UWB.” FCC plans to take up UWB item at Feb. 14 meeting.
Controversial Mich. broadband development legislation came under attack at state Senate committee hearings and Ind. bill to broaden no-call list exemptions was pulled by its sponsor as state legislatures got down to business in their 2002 sessions. Meanwhile, new bills on telemarketing, spam, wireless taxation, and regulatory processes were introduced around country.