The Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling in the Brand X case, backing an FCC decision to treat cable broadband as an information service and not a telecom service. The 6-3 ruling in FCC v. Brand X is a major boost for cable operators. “We've won,” said cable consultant Steve Effros. “The law is evolving with regard to the delivery of data services, but it is clearly evolving toward a deregulatory stance.”
GENEVA -- Conversion cost is beginning to drive decisions on deploying IPv6, putting nations with emerging ICT infrastructures at a distinct advantage over developed countries, said officials attending an IPv6 meeting at the ITU here last week.
BRUSSELS -- European telecom regulators are hearing “contradictory” advice from communications industry sectors about regulating next-generation networks (NGN), a U.K. Dept. of Trade & Industry representative said here Wed. A chasm separates incumbents, new entrants, cable operators and others who can’t agree on whether NGN marks an evolution or a revolution, much less on the role regulators should play in it, speakers said at a European Commission workshop on identifying policy and regulatory issues. Despite lack of consensus, however, industry and standard-setting groups are racing to exploit a wave set to upend the telecom world.
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman should weigh intellectual property (IP) safeguards in mulling permanent normal trade relations with Russia and that nation’s ongoing accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO), said House Democrats in Tues. letter. Signatories include all 4 co-chairs of the New Democrat Coalition, whose May pledge to reject the Dominican Republic Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) prompted an uproar from high-tech lobbies.
Lingo, a travel product maker, has developed a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather alert and emergency radio that automatically activates for emergency broadcast even when turned off. The AM/FM digital radio scans all 7 NOAA weather radio channels while monitoring the Emergency Alert System, the company said.
The FCC Wireless Bureau asked for comments on a Verizon Wireless petition to waive the Part 64 priority access service (PAS) rule. Part 64 requires CMRS providers offering PAS to make available 5 priority levels for National Security & Emergency Preparedness users. Verizon Wireless asked for a waiver on grounds that network equipment and software now used with CDMA wireless systems aren’t capable of delivering PAS with the 5 priorities required under Commission rules. Comments are due June 24.
Congress should earmark $16-20 million to finish developing and testing uniform communication standards and a national directory of emergency contacts, said the National Emergency & Alerting Response Systems (NEARS). All emergency organizations could use those contacts to share data over the Internet and wireless, landline and broadcast networks, said NEARS, a private partnership of emergency service and telecom and IT organizations. To date, the technology has been developed by nonprofit industry groups.
RFID growth demands govt. and industry cooperation, a Commerce Dept. (DoC) official said Tues. “RFID in the U.S. and around the world is poised for significant growth in business, consumer applications and in government,” DoC Acting Deputy Secy. David Sampson said at an RFID conference sponsored by the National Chamber Foundation and SAP in Washington. “Our success in advancing innovation will depend on the partnership between the federal government, industry and academia,” he said: “We need… to establish intelligent dialogues on the global potential of RFID, and hopefully avoid some of the misinformation and emotions that discussion of emerging new technologies like RFID can sometimes generate.” The govt. increasingly sees RFID as “a technology that promises to keep America more competitive and innovative in the world economy,” Sampson said. Citing industry sources, he said the RFID market for consulting, implementation and managed services could be $2-$4.2 billion by 2008. That year will see as much as 30% of capital goods carry RFID tags, he said. The Defense Dept., which has extensive supply chains, leads the govt. in RFID adoption, Sampson said. “RFID applications are also being tested in other parts of government for logistics support and for public safety and security,” he said. DoC, for example, has an RFID working group working with several of its offices to “better understand the technology, its deployment in the business sector and the policy challenges associated with an emerging technology application,” he said. DoC recently issued an RFID paper, Radio Frequency Identification: Opportunities and Challenges in Implementation (CD May 12 p7). Commerce will continue to push RFID innovation, Sampson said, but “there are challenges, as is common with any emerging technology.” They include harmonization of standards and interoperability issues across different RFID systems, companies and countries, as well as privacy and security concerns, he said. “We are working with industry on the development of practical and market-driven technical standards to allow greater interoperability,” Sampson said, stressing “market-driven.” “We must also implement smart privacy and security policies that can sustain innovation built around RFID technology and provide consumers with the information and tools they need to protect themselves,” he said: “All these challenges must be overcome for RFID to achieve its full potential.” Sampson stressed common standards as “key to making possible the wide-spread deployment of technology and all its associated benefits.” As more economies with unique standards enter the global market, “the need for harmonized standards becomes more acute,” Sampson said, citing China as an example. “We need to educate our trading partners that multiple standards create huge costs and great burdens for product and technology development as well as world trade,” he said.
The National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) has started an automated testing program for TTY equipment used by the hearing impaired. The automated system, which determines if TTY equipment is working properly, is designed to help 911 centers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Known as TTY-PASS, the system sends a 3-min. test script to the 911 operator’s TTY. The 911 call taker copies the received text into a secure website where a score is generated. To receive a passing score, the TTY must have a total character error rate of 1% or less, NENA said. The program has an annual fee of $75 per TTY which includes unlimited testing, NENA said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a document entitled, Answers to Question Cards Submitted at CBP Trade Symposium 2004.