Comcast’s “modest gain” in footprint from buying Time Warner Cable won’t increase its incentive “to engage in exclusionary conduct” toward video industry rivals, said Comcast in response to questions from FCC staff. The response was posted online Monday. Those who believe the merger will have anticompetitive consequences believe Comcast would reap “slightly higher proportion of gains from exclusionary conduct if it serves 29% of U.S. MVPD [multichannel video programming distributor] subscribers rather than 22%,” said Comcast. “This theoretical claim finds no support in the documents or historical behavior of Comcast,” said the cable company. Since Comcast has long been the nation’s largest cable company, evidence of such behavior should have already emerged if it were a real concern, Comcast said. The cable company also pointed to merger conditions that keep it from preventing online video distributors from accessing its content. “There is “strong empirical evidence that the immediate harm to Comcast’s programming business from any foreclosure strategy would exceed any purported benefit to its MVPD business,” Comcast said.
New details have begun emerging about President Barack Obama’s executive action to reform immigration policies that tech groups and companies have sought for high-skilled workers (see 1411210031). Yet uncertainties abound regarding how long those policies might take to become effective, since many of Obama's reforms will need to undergo extensive rulemaking procedures.
New details have begun emerging about President Barack Obama’s executive action to reform immigration policies that tech groups and companies have sought for high-skilled workers (see 1411210031). Yet uncertainties abound regarding how long those policies might take to become effective, since many of Obama's reforms will need to undergo extensive rulemaking procedures.
New details have begun emerging about President Barack Obama’s executive action to reform immigration policies that tech groups and companies have sought for high-skilled workers (see 1411210031). Yet uncertainties abound regarding how long those policies might take to become effective, since many of Obama's reforms will need to undergo extensive rulemaking procedures.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released a new crude oil import tool that will improve the ability for users to find and review data on the subject, the Department of Energy agency said (here). Among other features, "the tool allows users to sort and display crude oil imports in monthly or annual time series, by crude type (i.e., light, medium, heavy), country source, receiving terminal, processing company, processing facility," it said. The tool could also "be used to provide timely data during emergency response situations, including how much crude is imported through a given port, what types of imported crude enter that port, and which refineries are serviced by that port," it said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, celebrated the release. “Our nation is importing record low levels of oil from the world’s volatile regions and exporting record volumes of all sorts of energy to our friends and allies,” Murkowski said (here). “This new tool is a welcome addition to the analytical arsenal at EIA.”
Colorado’s Democratic senators are pleased with what resulted from the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act reauthorization process, they said. The House approved STELA reauthorization Wednesday and the Senate approved the measure Thursday (see 1411210036). “Coloradans in La Plata and Montezuma counties have waited a long time for the opportunity to access local Colorado broadcasts,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in a news release Friday. “The current system doesn’t make sense for Southwest Colorado, but this bill will finally give folks a path forward to fix this problem. The President should quickly sign this bill.” Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., also urged a quick White House signature and claimed credit for the bill’s provisions “to give the people of Durango and Cortez access to the news, weather and emergency information most relevant to them.” Bennet and Udall have united to introduce legislation focused on such TV access items this year. The National Religious Broadcasters also issued a favorable reaction to the final product. “Thankfully, the final legislation passed without alterations to rules establishing the responsibility of pay-TV providers to carry local TV stations on their base platforms,” NRB Vice President-Government Relations Aaron Mercer said in a blog post. “NRB has been vocal in its concern that Congress not abandon the decades-old commitment to ‘Must Carry’ rules for local television, particularly religious television.”
Neustar petitions protesting the local number portability administrator selection process and seeking a rebid “are all merely attempts to game the process,” and the FCC should select Telcordia as the next LNPA, Telcordia wrote the FCC Friday, according to an ex parte filling. CTIA, USTelecom, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon pressed aides to commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel plus Wireline Bureau and General Counsel staff last week to confirm Telcordia.
An agreement between wireless carriers and public safety organizations proposing to help improve 911 location accuracy doesn't "do what it purports to do," an attorney for TruePosition said. Numerous stakeholders, including public safety representatives, and members of the emergency medical community "have all specifically criticized the agreement and supported the FCC adopting its proposed rules," Venable attorney Jamie Barnett said in an ex parte filing posted in docket 07-114. He referred to the consensus plan among AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, the APCO and the National Emergency Number Association filed last week (see 1411190064). It's a misnomer to call it a consensus since groups like the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Association of State EMS Officials "had the opportunity to review and sign the agreement but declined to do so," he said. The carriers set benchmarks, not for dispatchable address, but "for the adoption of technologies that they purport, without evidence, will be better than what they use now," he said. The filing was on a meeting with Public Safety Bureau staff.
CTIA, wireless carriers and public safety organizations reviewed proposals in a 911 location accuracy consensus plan with staff from FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly's office. The plan was filed last week by CTIA and drafted by large wireless carriers, including AT&T and T-Mobile, the APCO and the National Emergency Number Association (see 1411190064). The parties highlighted the formation of a test bed, "dispatchable" location commitments, "steps to advance vertical location technologies providing back-up solutions for indoor calls" and other aspects, CTIA said in an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 07-114. The filing pertains to a meeting with Erin McGrath, aide to O'Rielly.
Broadcasters and the media technology industry are continuing to look ahead to broader mobile DTV and mobile emergency alert system (M-EAS) capability, they said. Following pilot projects over the past few years, participants in the development and implementation of next-generation EAS will try to enhance the technology and include it in the next-gen ATSC 3.0 broadcast system, they said.