Voom HD LLC, a firm formed by Cablevision Chmn. Charles Dolan and his son Thomas, has the funding to buy the satellite service’s remaining assets from the MSO, sources said. In an internal memo sent to Voom employees after Cablevision announced Mon. that it would pull the plug on the HD service within 30 days, Charles Dolan claimed he had the financing needed to buy Voom and “it was just question” of getting approval from the Cablevision board, a source said.
Verizon came out swinging Mon. against Qwest, its rival to acquire MCI, alleging that “cash-strapped” Qwest’s possible ownership of MCI’s Internet backbone has bad implications for national security. Meanwhile, the war of words between the rival suitors also escalated on the other side, as Qwest CEO Dick Notebaert questioned whether Verizon’s buying MCI would hurt telecom competition.
The next FCC chair should appoint one commissioner to lead the agency’s homeland security efforts, FCC Comr. Copps recommended in a speech Mon. at a National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) forum. The FCC has expertise that would be valuable to homeland security planning but “needs a higher profile,” Copps said. There’s precedent for targeting one commissioner for a particular task, he said. For example, ex- Chmn. William Kennard named then-Comr. Powell to lead Y2K efforts in 1999, Copps said. It’s been 3-1/2 years since the terrorist attacks on N.Y. and Washington, and little has been done to solve communications problems that occurred at the time and were cited in a report last year, he said. Interoperability problems among emergency workers, mobile phones that didn’t work inside damaged buildings and other problems haven’t been fully fixed, Copps said. The FCC has allocated more spectrum to public safety and is tackling a number of homeland security issues such as CALEA but the proceedings remain “a work in progress,” he told NENA. There has to be a plan with “deliverables and timetables,” he said, adding that there needs to be “clarity on where the FCC fits in.” While no one agency can solve preparedness problems, the FCC could play more of a role in coordinating efforts by various entities, Copps said. Copps also recommended the FCC create an office to “focus exclusively” on helping public safety organizations share ideas, prepare plans so govt entities and public safety groups don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” every time they undertake a new initiative. He said the FCC should be working more “proactively with Congress” to help make sure the digital TV spectrum transition is done right “by providing Congress with the good date it needs to make an informed decision.” Copps said the FCC should be able to tell Congress “how much spectrum public safety requires,” but he said he has “never seen a survey of what spectrum public safety is using, what frequencies are working and which are limited by their physical characteristics and interference.”
Verizon came out swinging Mon. against Qwest, its rival to acquire MCI, alleging that “cash-strapped” Qwest’s possible ownership of MCI’s Internet backbone would have implications for national security. Verizon Exec. Vp Tom Tauke had Verizon’s first substantial comments on Qwest’s offer in remarks to the Emerging Issues Policy Forum in Fla. The event is closed to the press, but Verizon released a news release containing his comments. Sources said Verizon doesn’t plan a continuing fight with Qwest, especially since at this point it is MCI’s designated partner.
Critical infrastructure (CI) industries urged the FCC to change its 800 MHz rules to avoid potential harm to CI incumbents in that band. Several associations -- including the United Telecom Council (UTC), National Rural Electric Co- op Assn., American Petroleum Institute, Edison Electric Institute, Assn. of Metropolitan Water Agencies, American Water Works Assn. and American Public Power Assn. -- filed a reply to petitions for clarification and reconsideration with the FCC addressing issues that affect CI licensees in both the 800 MHz and 900 MHz private land mobile frequency bands. Separately, the Transition Administrator (TA) gave the FCC a revised table illustrating the proposed timing and sequencing of the 800 MHz reconfiguration “waves” to include dates for Wave 4.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a final rule, effective February 18, 2005, that makes technical corrections to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) in 15 CFR Parts 730, 738, 740, 748, 756, 764, 766, 772 and 774 by updating internal agency process matters, clarifying license exceptions, correcting citation errors and clarifying paperwork requirements. BIS states that none of these technical corrections change the current interpretations or licensing requirements of the EAR.
Cal. PUC Comr. Susan Kennedy -- a national leader among deregulatory policy makers -- is pushing for the states to assert themselves on communications policy, even in gray jurisdictional areas, based on an “Internet freedom” principle to ensure access to VoIP. She’s also proposing her commission undertake a sweeping, possibly fast-tracked remake of the basic state regulatory structure. Kennedy is emboldened by the emergence of IP-based and other competitive services; growing receptivity among fellow state regulators to market-based premises; and what she sees as an FCC “void” creating an opening for state activism, she indicated in a speech this week.
Cal. PUC Comr. Susan Kennedy -- a national leader among deregulatory policy makers -- is pushing for the states to assert themselves on communications policy, even in gray jurisdictional areas, based on an “Internet freedom” principle to ensure access to VoIP. She’s also proposing her commission undertake a sweeping, possibly fast-tracked remake of the basic state regulatory structure. Kennedy is emboldened by the emergence of IP-based and other competitive services; growing receptivity among fellow state regulators to market-based premises; and what she sees as an FCC “void” creating an opening for state activism, she indicated in a speech this week.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice announcing that, beginning April 1, 2005, it will suspend the importation of craft items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter and have intact bark.
GENEVA -- Better telecom equipment, more member states signing a new international convention, and possibly a unique U.N. country code in the international communications system are needed for disaster relief efforts and a full-fledged early warning system, U.N. officials said.