It’s unclear whether the “Internet of Things” needs a new governance model or if the “multistakeholder” tack of ICANN and the Internet Governance Forum should be adapted to the task, speakers told an EU French Presidency ministerial conference in Nice, France. That’s because the next stage of Internet evolution remains a concept, they said. But all said the Internet of things will need far more international cooperation.
TIA Monday asked the FCC to name an E-911 technical advisory committee to help develop location-accuracy rules for wireless E-911. For that to happen TIA must persuade FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, who said last month that creating such a body could slow arrival of final location accuracy rules.
A proposed FCC order carrying out the NET 911 Act includes provisions on dual-mode phones and 911 strongly opposed by T-Mobile. The dual-mode provision is included although four members of the FCC have said publicly the matter should be left for later. The law requires the commission to approve an order by Oct. 21. The proposed order would make clear that the act guarantees carriers access to “last cell site” information. The next step likely would be forcing T-Mobile and other carriers with dual-mode phones work out an agreement with all roaming partners so that at all times they have information on the latest cellsite “registered” by customers’ phones while in the roaming partner’s service territory. T-Mobile sought clarification on rules for dual-mode phones in 2005, before launching its Unlimited Hotspot Calling service, which uses dual-mode Wi-Fi/GSM handsets. But the FCC had not acted on the petition. “It just seems outside the course of the law,” said an FCC official. “This doesn’t seem to be at the top of public safety’s list.” A second agency official said all commissioners except Kevin Martin agreed that dual-mode phones shouldn’t be taken up in the fast-moving proceeding. T-Mobile said in an ex parte filing that it took part in meetings at the FCC this week to ask commissioners not to adopt new rules for dual-phone services as the agency completes action on the order. T-Mobile asked the FCC to put off action until the E-911 Implementation Office completes a report scheduled to be delivered to Congress in April. “Public safety is not clamoring for immediate action,” T-Mobile said. “APCO and [the National Emergency Number Association] stated, ‘With regard to mobile VoIP services, such as dual-mode CMRS/Wi-Fi offerings … separate or follow-up proceedings may be warranted.” T-Mobile said that also under the act the FCC has no statutory requirements “to address dual mode CMRS services now.” T-Mobile also said roaming rules that would require interconnection for 911 calls outside a carrier’s footprint aren’t technically feasible now. “Over a recent seven-month period, T-Mobile handled no 911 calls from dual-mode handsets that were placed outside its traditional wireless service area.” The carrier said only “a very small number” of calls made on dual-mode phones, 0.15 percent, were routed over Wi-Fi. “The ‘last known-cell-site’ proposal is burdensome to implement, likely cannot be reasonably operationalized, and would be obsolete before it is put in place,” T-Mobile said.
On September 30, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 2638, the "Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009" (Public Law 110-329). P.L. 110-329 consists of five sections that provide:
A proposed FCC order carrying out the NET 911 Act includes provisions on dual-mode phones and 911 strongly opposed by T-Mobile. The dual-mode provision is included although four members of the FCC have said publicly the matter should be left for later. The law requires the commission to approve an order by Oct. 21. The proposal has been before the FCC since Tuesday night.
The nation’s major wireless carriers told the FCC that siting cell towers and other wireless facilities can take years. They filed in support of a CTIA petition asking the commission to clarify federal authority over cell towers and wireless facility siting. The petition also asks the agency to set deadlines for local governments to make decisions in siting cases. FCC officials said Tuesday action on the petition appears unlikely during the remainder of Kevin Martin’s term as chairman.
The following are the trade-related bills and resolutions that were introduced in the House or Senate during September 25-28, 2008:
Minority owned and targeted radio stations could fail if Arbitron proceeds with its Portable People Meter electronic audience measurement device rollout plans before PPM ratings receive accreditation from the Media Ratings Council, minority broadcasters said at the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters conference. Arbitron’s rollout schedule calls for stations to begin using PPM ratings in New York and Los Angeles next month, shortly after reply comments are due on a petition for the FCC to investigate Arbitron’s ratings methodology. Arbitron CEO Steve Morris said the PPM ratings and methodology are solid and ready for commercializing.
The FCC needs to set up an immediate information campaign alerting the public to make sure their antennas can receive digital broadcast signals, said a bipartisan letter House Commerce Committee members sent Thursday to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. The FCC has failed to provide “adequate information” on the potential need for new antennas to receive digital broadcast signals for households receiving only over-the-air signals, the letter said.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin circulated orders for a planned Oct. 15 FCC meeting on the low-power TV digital transition and requiring Sprint Nextel to leave so-called 800 MHz interleaved spectrum by March 31, 2010. The FCC also might meet Oct. 30, a date Martin asked colleagues to keep open.