AM broadcasters, engineers, professional sports teams and associations don’t agree on whether the FCC should alter some protections that prevent Class B, C and D radio stations from interfering with the more powerful Class A stations, in comments filed in docket 13-249 in response to a Further NPRM and notice of inquiry on AM revitalization. Dual-band broadcasters also opposed an FCC proposal to require them to surrender one of their licenses, and NAB and the Society of Broadcast Engineers argued the proceedings should focus on reducing the growing interference from unlicensed devices rather than changing power levels in the AM band. It’s “discouraging” that the FCC “seems content to allow the ambient noise levels in the AM broadcast band” to continue to increase and accepts “the deteriorating RF environment as a given,” SBE said.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., pressed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on whether the agency played a role in the recent creation of the NG911 NOW Coalition and on how his office handles the potential discussion of nonpublic information with members of the news media and other officials. He sent the letter Friday and requested answers to several questions by April 4. The FCC received the letter and is reviewing it, said an agency spokesman, declining further comment.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., pressed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler on whether the agency played a role in the recent creation of the NG911 NOW Coalition and on how his office handles the potential discussion of nonpublic information with members of the news media and other officials. He sent the letter Friday and requested answers to several questions by April 4. The FCC received the letter and is reviewing it, said an agency spokesman, declining further comment.
The 104 names of potential bidders in the TV incentive auction, released by the FCC Friday (see 1603180054), was higher than the number of bidders that qualified for the AWS-3 auction last year. While a positive for the FCC, some auction skeptics haven't been converted to optimists. Several analysts continued to question whether the incentive auction will match the dollars raised by last year’s record-setting AWS-3 auction.
The 104 names of potential bidders in the TV incentive auction, released by the FCC Friday (see 1603180054), was higher than the number of bidders that qualified for the AWS-3 auction last year. While a positive for the FCC, some auction skeptics haven't been converted to optimists. Several analysts continued to question whether the incentive auction will match the dollars raised by last year’s record-setting AWS-3 auction.
Wireless carriers are emerging as leading critics of the FCC’s Lifeline proposal, headed for a vote at the commission's March 31 open meeting. Officials from CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association have been at the agency in recent days to raise concerns about the proposed Lifeline rules, at least as laid out in a March 10 fact sheet. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated a draft order last week that would extend Lifeline support for low-income phone service to broadband coverage, and streamline consumer eligibility verification duties and provider participation requirements (see 1603080024). The wireless groups complain the order would mean the end of support for wireless-only voice service, an increasingly popular offering in an era of cord cutting.
Wireless carriers are emerging as leading critics of the FCC’s Lifeline proposal, headed for a vote at the commission's March 31 open meeting. Officials from CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association have been at the agency in recent days to raise concerns about the proposed Lifeline rules, at least as laid out in a March 10 fact sheet. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler circulated a draft order last week that would extend Lifeline support for low-income phone service to broadband coverage, and streamline consumer eligibility verification duties and provider participation requirements (see 1603080024). The wireless groups complain the order would mean the end of support for wireless-only voice service, an increasingly popular offering in an era of cord cutting.
The FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council unanimously approved recommendations from five working groups Wednesday on 911 call rerouting and the security of communications systems. FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson assigned CSRIC the task Wednesday of forming an additional working group on security best practices for services using the Wi-Fi spectrum band. Four other CSRIC working groups reported progress toward completing recommendations due before the current CSRIC mandate ends in March 2017.
The FCC Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council unanimously approved recommendations from five working groups Wednesday on 911 call rerouting and the security of communications systems. FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson assigned CSRIC the task Wednesday of forming an additional working group on security best practices for services using the Wi-Fi spectrum band. Four other CSRIC working groups reported progress toward completing recommendations due before the current CSRIC mandate ends in March 2017.
EU transaction reviews might need to be revamped for digital companies, said Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, though others were skeptical. The digital economy "isn't just one sector among many," and mergers and acquisitions don't "just affect how we buy goods and services," Vestager said Thursday in a Brussels speech. "They can change the way we live, and the opportunities we have," which is why competition authorities may have to look at more than just revenue to decide if there are antitrust issues, she said. Considering factors such as customer base or data sets in M&A probes is a reasonable approach, but it's not clear it will ever happen, telecom consultants told us.