Washington will be first city in nation to have wireless priority access system in govt. contract award to mobile carrier that will be unveiled as early as this week, National Communications System (NCS) Deputy Mgr. Brent Greene said. System is expected to be in place in mid-Dec. amid renewed interest by federal govt. and wireless industry after Sept. 11 attacks in finding ways for public safety agencies to have uninterrupted access to wireless networks during emergencies. In interview with Communications Daily, Greene said first contract covered short-term solution for priority access and that other, as yet-unnamed cities also would be covered under initial system. He called near-term priority access system “a major step toward a more complete solution in following years.” Long-term solution, which would consist of nearly national footprint with single carrier, is to be rolled out “late in 2002,” Greene told us. That will “be a much more user friendly solution.” While both legs of wireless priority access system at outset will use single carrier, within 3-5 years other carriers may be added to contract, depending on funding, he said. Within last several weeks, Greene said he and Richard Clarke, special adviser to President Bush for cyberspace security, have talked with FCC Chmn. Powell about Commission waivers likely to be needed for short-term PAS system. “They understand that,” he said of FCC’s view on need for near-term waivers.
Alaska Regulatory Commission (ARC) set interim unbundled loop rate for ACS of Anchorage at $14.92 rather than $24 incumbent carrier had sought, saying ACS’ proposed rate was based on “untested and unapproved” costing methodology. ACS in Doc. U-96-89 had contended its running of FCC forward- looking cost model and its own internal cost model produced rate between $24 and $25. But rival General Communications Inc. (GCI) challenged rate on grounds ACS’s cost modeling wasn’t consistent with FCC’s rules and wasn’t model used by ACS in its Fairbanks or Juneau markets. GCI said cost modeling that followed FCC rules and methodology applied in ACS’s other Alaska markets produced $14.92 Anchorage loop rate. ARC agreed with GCI’s position, saying ACS had failed to show its modeling approach had regulatory approval at state or federal levels. Agency said it couldn’t order interim UNE rate based on cost modeling and data inputs that hadn’t been subjected to full regulatory scrutiny.
It may be “some time” after scheduled 2006 DTV transition date before analog broadcasters vacate spectrum at 700 MHz for public safety users in certain markets, FCC Chmn. Powell told House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) and Rep. Harman (D-Cal.) in letter, which was sent Oct. 12 but only now made public. Cal. could be one area where public safety wireless users would be most affected by delayed transition because state had 5 licenses on TV Chs. 63, 64, 68 and 69, he said in response to questions raised by Tauzin in earlier letter. “Notably, the Los Angeles area has five digital allotments for Channels 60-69, which means the spectrum in that city will definitely be encumbered until a digital allotment is available further down in the ‘core’ toward the end of the transition,” Powell said in letters to Tauzin and Harman which inquired about range of public safety spectrum issues in wake of Sept. 11 attacks. In detailed answers to queries, Powell described Commission efforts to examine other spectrum for public safety operations, including 138-144 MHz and 4.9 GHz. “I want to assure you that we will continue our efforts to encourage interoperability, particularly on a nationwide level, remove regulatory barriers that hamper realization of interoperability and take other measures to improve and ensure effective public safety communications,” he wrote.
Three FCC commissioners agreed Fri. that Commission probably should take some action to encourage deployment of broadband services. Addressing broadband summit sponsored by NARUC and National Exchange Carrier Assn. (NECA), Comrs. Copps, Abernathy and Martin all said FCC had role in eliminating regulations that acted as disincentives to broadband build-out. Beyond that, Copps, lone Democrat, seemed to take more proactive role as he questioned what was so wrong about govt. involvement in such major business development. Martin, on other hand, pushed elimination of sharing rules that he said discouraged carriers from expanding their own facilities. Abernathy saw possible role in encouraging timely rural deployment. Commissioners were among numerous industry and govt. representatives, including Bruce Mehlman, asst. Commerce secy. for technology policy, who offered views about state of broadband and wisdom of govt. involvement in stimulating its rollout. Mehlman outlined for National Summit on Broadband Deployment “critical questions” that faced Administration in that area as well as regulatory issues confronting network build-outs at state and local levels.
Bush Administration weighed in for first time on wireless spectrum cap Wed., with NTIA Dir. Nancy Victory urging FCC Chmn. Powell to enact “full and immediate repeal.” In detailed letter, she told Powell that retention of limits wouldn’t preserve competition but would “more likely result in consumer harm.” Letter came as FCC was set to review continued need for wireless spectrum cap by year-end, with issue expected to be on agenda for Nov. 8 Commission meeting. Cap for commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) operators now is set at 45 MHz for most markets and 55 MHz in rural areas. Administration also urged Commission to do away with cellular cross-interest rules. “Given the current vigorous level of competition in the CMRS marketplace, the existence of other mechanisms to safeguard against anticompetitive activity and detrimental consolidation, and the potential consumer harms if the rules are left in place, prompt repeal is not only warranted but required,” Victory said.
Wireless carriers, equipment manufacturers and several incumbents that may have to be relocated to make way for 3G largely agreed with govt. effort to examine 1710-1770 MHz and 2110-2170 for advanced wireless services. But in comment period that closed this week at FCC, diverse group of stakeholders in 3G proceeding differed on details. Importance of global harmonization for 3G services and adequate replacement spectrum for incumbents that may be moved to make way for advanced wireless services were among themes running throughout feedback received by FCC. CTIA reiterated that as much as possible of bands allocated for mobile satellite service (MSS) should be reallocated for services “with more clearly demonstrated needs.” Comments marked latest round in positioning on 3G spectrum among MSS providers, MMDS licensees, wireless carriers and others at FCC. Latest 3G feedback also was first that FCC had received since govt. released new plan for advanced spectrum earlier this month that would take bulk of 1755-1850 MHz band occupied by Defense Dept. off table for now. Among concerns raised by incumbents was filing by New ICO that cautioned that reallocation of 2 GHz MSS spectrum for 3G would “represent an arbitrary, unprecedented departure from a reasonable allocation policy that has been under development for almost a decade.”
FCC Fri. upheld Common Carrier Bureau’s designation of Western Wireless as eligible telecom carrier (ETC) in Wyo. ETC status enables carrier to receive federal universal service support. Commission denied petitions for reconsideration filed by rural telcos Golden West Telephone Co-op, Project Telephone Co., Range Telephone Co-op, Chugwater Telephone Co., RT Communications. Comr. Martin “concurred” on part of order, saying he was concerned about FCC’s “policy of using universal [service] support as a means of creating competition in high-cost areas.” Martin said he was “hesitant to subsidize multiple competitors to serve areas in which costs are prohibitively expensive for even one carrier.” Bureau had concluded that Western Wireless would provide service throughout required geographic area and would promote competition and new technology. Petitioners said: (1) State regulators were better suited to deal with ETC request. (2) Rural telcos would suffer harm. (3) Final FCC order included exchanges not mentioned in original Western Wireless petition. (4) Western Wireless’s service area impermissibly crossed state boundaries.
Policy implications of emergency response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are focusing increased attention on wireless proceedings that would free up additional public safety spectrum. Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) wrote to House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.) this week, urging that DTV transition in 700 MHz band be accelerated to make way for public safety services allocated in Ch. 63, 64, 68 and 69. Written in advance of DTV hearing that had been set for today and postponed (see separate story, this issue), APCO said: “The nation’s public safety agencies cannot wait until some future, unknown date when 85% of television households have access to DTV signals.” Another focus of attention is 4.9 GHz band that’s being transferred from govt. to nongovt. uses, which public safety community has expressed interest in having set aside for its use. Also under scrutiny is 138-144 MHz band, which is being studied for potential public safety applications. Spectrum capacity constraints for both public safety and commercial wireless users have come up in context of priority access system that National Communications System (NCS) is exploring. While those proceedings already have been under way in some form at federal level, source said “there’s clearly sort of a recognition after the events of Sept. 11 that the importance of these has gone up a level.”
FCC has much bigger job -- to protect public’s interest, chiefly its safety -- than anyone could have imagined just 5 weeks ago, Comr. Copps said Mon. In speech to Federal Communications Bar Assn. (FCBA), he said Sept. 11 terrorist attacks caused many in federal govt. to rethink their agencies’ role. FCC now “must be in the vanguard of our homeland security efforts,” he said. Among first tasks, Copps said, is for Commission and industry to determine which parts of nation’s telecom networks performed well, which failed, repair damage, establish “redundancies” in networks that will allow citizens to communicate during crises, even when one system fails. He cited example of his own family. His son, student at Gonzaga High near Capitol, tried to get through to his parents by wireline and wireless without success. But, much to his worried parents’ relief, he was able to reach them over school’s Internet connection to tell them he was okay. “If Sept. 11 was about anything other than evil, it was about communications,” Copps said, citing “desperate outreach from each of us as citizens to find out what was going on, where our loved ones were, what other threats were coming our way.”
Public broadcasters will be allowed to accept ad money, as long as they limit those ads to programming on their excess DTV channel capacity that isn’t broadcast to general public, FCC ruled 3-1 Thurs. Commission said public broadcasters could solicit funding outside traditional sources -- donations from viewers, philanthropic organizations, corporate underwriters, govt. subsidies. It said ruling was intended to help public broadcasters make transition to DTV from analog, but it has no sunset provision, meaning alternative revenue streams still will be available after DTV transition is complete. Mass Media Bureau Chief Roy Stuart said money also could go into producing programming. Examples of kinds of services that may be offered as ancillary or supplementary in digital TV signal include subscription video, paging or voice messaging services, computer software distribution, data transmissions, interactive materials. FCC officials didn’t rule out subscription video offerings such as premium services much like HBO or Showtime delivered over cable systems. Commission did rule that noncommercial educational (NCE) TV licensees must pay fee to federal Treasury of 5% of gross revenue generated by those extra services, just like commercial broadcasters. Currently, public TV (PTV) doesn’t run commercials, but conversion to DTV would allow them to support several programming streams.