Motorola asked the FCC to impose only minimal conditions on waivers granted to local governments and public safety agencies seeking to make early use of 700 MHz spectrum. TIA said the FCC should assure any systems built using a waiver are interoperable. The Public Safety Bureau last month requested comment on the report of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council’s Broadband Task Force (BBTF), as well as the response of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust to the report. The bureau also asked for comments on the role of the report in moving toward a national interoperable public safety broadband network in the 700 MHz band.
The November elections and other factors probably will slow Hill action on recommendations in the National Broadband Plan, said industry observers. The plan asks Congress for help in a number of key areas. Public safety and Universal Service Fund legislation may have the best chance for near-term action, but neither is a sure bet, they said. It seems particularly tough to move much on the broadband plan this year in the Senate, which right now “can’t agree that the sky is blue,” said a telecom industry lobbyist.
The November elections and other factors probably will slow Hill action on recommendations in the National Broadband Plan, said industry observers. The plan asks Congress for help in a number of key areas. Public safety and Universal Service Fund legislation may have the best chance for near-term action, but neither is a sure bet, they said. It seems particularly tough to move much on the broadband plan this year in the Senate, which right now “can’t agree that the sky is blue,” said a telecom industry lobbyist.
Protecting the federal government’s information systems “is a continuing concern,” GAO said in a report dated March 5 and released Monday. “We consider this area high risk because federal agencies and our nation’s critical infrastructures -- such as power distribution, water treatment and supply, telecommunications, national defense, and emergency services -- rely extensively on computerized information systems and electronic data to carry out their operations,” GAO said. “The security of these systems and data is essential to preventing disruptions in critical operations, fraud, and inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information."
Protecting the federal government’s information systems “is a continuing concern,” GAO said in a report dated March 5 and released Monday. “We consider this area high risk because federal agencies and our nation’s critical infrastructures -- such as power distribution, water treatment and supply, telecommunications, national defense, and emergency services -- rely extensively on computerized information systems and electronic data to carry out their operations,” GAO said. “The security of these systems and data is essential to preventing disruptions in critical operations, fraud, and inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information."
The FCC rejected a proposal from the Alabama Educational TV Commission to reassign its nine DTV licenses for use as a statewide communications system for public safety and public health agencies. It would have provided educational TV programming in the remaining bandwidth, except during emergencies. AETC sought a waiver of Section 377(c) of the Communications Act and other commission rules that cover the frequencies public safety communications can use. AETC filed the request with the Wireless and Homeland Security bureaus, but it was the Media Bureau that denied it.
APCO and National Emergency Number Association officials said at a meeting at the FCC that they continue to support a countywide measurement area for E-911 wireless location accuracy and “rules that reflect the prior agreements with Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T, with a progression towards improved accuracy within specified time periods,” said an ex parte filing at the FCC. APCO and NENA worked out agreements in 2008 with AT&T and Verizon Wireless about E-911 location-accuracy rules. AT&T’s proposal was for GSM carriers, which use a network-based E-911 solution. Verizon Wireless’ is a plan for carriers using CDMA technology and a handset-based solution.
That 97 percent of CableCARD-deployed set-top boxes installed between July 2007 and November 2009 were leased from cable operators rather than purchased at retail was cited in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan as evidence that competition in set-top boxes hasn’t materialized and needs to be fixed quickly (CED March 17 p2) OR (CD March 17 p7) OR (WID March 17 p8). Set-top boxes “are an important part of the broadband ecosystem,” the plan said. Lack of innovation in set-top boxes “limits what consumers can do and their choices to consume video, and the emergence of new uses and applications,” it said. “It may also be inhibiting business models that could serve as a powerful driver of adoption and utilization of broadband, such as, models that integrate traditional television and the Internet."
The 10 largest cable operators, serving 90 percent of subscribers, deployed more than 489,000 CableCARDs through March 31 for use in digital cable-ready TVs and other products, NCTA said Wednesday in its latest quarterly report to the FCC. Since CableCARD rules took effect July 2007, the same 10 multiple system operators also deployed more than 19.5 million operator-supplied set-top boxes with CableCARDs, the group said. That 97 percent of CableCARD-deployed set-top boxes installed between July 2007 and November 2009 were leased from cable operators rather than purchased at retail was cited in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan as evidence that competition in set-top boxes hasn’t materialized and needs to be fixed quickly (CED March 17 p2). Set-top boxes “are an important part of the broadband ecosystem,” the plan said. Lack of innovation in set-top boxes “limits what consumers can do and their choices to consume video, and the emergence of new uses and applications,” it said. “It may also be inhibiting business models that could serve as a powerful driver of adoption and utilization of broadband, such as, models that integrate traditional television and the Internet."
The 10 largest cable operators, serving 90 percent of subscribers, deployed more than 489,000 CableCARDs through March 31 for use in digital cable-ready TVs and other products, NCTA said Wednesday in its latest quarterly report to the FCC. Since CableCARD rules took effect July 2007, the same 10 multiple system operators also deployed more than 19.5 million operator-supplied set-top boxes with CableCARDs, the group said. That 97 percent of CableCARD-deployed set-top boxes installed between July 2007 and November 2009 were leased from cable operators rather than purchased at retail was cited in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan as evidence that competition in set-top boxes hasn’t materialized and needs to be fixed quickly (CD March 17 p7). Set-top boxes “are an important part of the broadband ecosystem,” the plan said. Lack of innovation in set-top boxes “limits what consumers can do and their choices to consume video, and the emergence of new uses and applications,” it said. “It may also be inhibiting business models that could serve as a powerful driver of adoption and utilization of broadband, such as, models that integrate traditional television and the Internet."