NAB and the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security created a emergency preparedness guide for local broadcasters called “Are You Ready?” The resource will be available to all TV and radio stations during Sept., NAB executives said. The guide provides information and suggestions for local broadcasters as they reach out to audiences with preparedness messages. The guide’s launch is part of National Preparedness Month to highlight the importance of individual emergency readiness.
According to The Washington Post and a National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) press release, on September 9, 2004 a group of industry, farm, and labor groups, seeking to put pressure on the Bush Administration before the Presidential election, petitioned the government to accept a Section 301 petition against China's currency policies. The Washington Post reports that the groups are accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against U.S. firms. (WP dated 09/09/04, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8529-2004Sep9.html; NCTO press release, www.ncto.org/newsroom/pr200407.asp.)
Election year politics and the fight over intelligence reform could doom legislation introduced Tues. by Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) and Senate Govt. Affairs ranking Democrat Lieberman (Conn.) that would clear 700 MHz spectrum for emergency communications by expediting the DTV transition, sources said Wed.
Congress this week will put more pressure on broadcasters to vacate at least a portion of the 700 MHz spectrum band -- where they broadcast the analog signal -- to make room for public safety interests. Tues., Senate Govt. Affairs ranking Democrat Lieberman (Conn.), with Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.), announced legislation based on the 9/11 Commission report (www.911commission.gov) that would include a deadline for broadcasters to relinquish several channels of spectrum allocated for public safety use. Lieberman’s bill borrowed the language from a measure pushed by Rep. Harman (D-Cal.) (HR-1425) that would direct the FCC to assign 764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz spectrum for public safety services by January 1, 2007. Both bills target channels 63, 64, 68 and 69. Harman’s Homeland Emergency Response Operations (HERO) Act has 34 co-sponsors, including House Govt. Reform National Security Subcommittee Chmn. Shays (R-Conn.), who with Rep. Maloney (D-N.Y.) will introduce a House companion to the Senate legislation. Lieberman’s 281-page bill contains several sections on homeland security, focusing mainly on changes to intelligence gathering. Though it didn’t mention the Harman bill, the 9/11 Commission report said the DTV transition should be accelerated to open more spectrum for first responders. The report recommendation was very similar to the official description of Harman’s bill. The bill also includes a section requiring the Dept. of Homeland Security secy. to work with the FCC chairman and Defense secretary to develop interoperable communications in urban areas determined to have a consistent threat of terrorist attack. The bill said first responders should have interoperable communications with a variety of entities, including military authorities and hospitals. Also, McCain and other Commerce Committee members will have the opportunity to question FCC Chmn. Powell and broadcasters about the DTV transition and the public safety spectrum today (Wed.) in a 2:30 p.m. hearing in 253 Russell Bldg. The hearing will include Powell; Stephen Devine, Mo. Highway Patrol frequency coordinator; Gary Grube, Motorola chief technology officer-govt & industry solutions; MSTV Pres. David Donovan; Robert LeGrande, D.C. Govt. deputy chief technology officer; and Paxson Chmn. Lowell Paxson. A spokesman for McCain and a Senate source said some of the hearing focus would likely be on clearing broadcasters from the 700 MHz spectrum.
Fla. broadcasters cancelled vacations, prepped their generators and used a variety of communication techniques in preparation for providing coverage of Hurricane Frances as we went to press late last week. “Our obligation is to stay on the air,” said Bill Bauman, pres., & gen. mgr. of WESH (Ch. 2, NBC) Daytona Beach-Orlando.
Harmonization of the laws and regulation in European Union member states is a prerequisite for VoIP providers to offer services within Europe, Skype said in comments to the European Commission. It expressed concern that absent a uniform authorization process, VoIP providers would be “confronted with different authorization processes in the various member states. In the worst case, these requirements may be contradictory, thereby totally destroying the promotion of the single European market.” Skype said the European Commission (EC) “can play an important role in the coordination of the authorization process.” It said the Commission could adopt a guideline requiring VoIP providers to get authorization from only one member state to offer electronic communication services in Europe. Skype called on the Commission to issue “detailed guidelines that allow little scope for interpretation, so that national regulation and the supervision of the national authorities will be harmonized.” Skype also said when making its recommendations, the EC should keep in mind that VoIP is “an Internet-based information technology,” similar to e- mail and instant messaging: “The fact that VoIP technology facilitates voice communications, rather than textual communications, does not change its essential characteristic as an information, rather than a telecommunications, technology.” It said while VoIP -- like other electronic information technology applications -- depends for transport on telephone and broadband networks provided by telecom companies, it was “not a substitute for the services provided by such carriers and should not be regulated in the same manner as such carriers are regulated.” Skype also said: (1) National regulatory authorities should promote number portability and number listing in publicly available directories for non-telecom providers, saying that would “stimulate competition.” (2) A VoIP service that doesn’t offer access to emergency services can’t be defined as a publicly available telephony service (PATS). It said regulatory obligations should be imposed on the traditional operators of electronic communication service and networks, which it said were “better able to take on such obligations.” (3) The Commission shouldn’t impose universal service obligations on VoIP providers, because that would “discourage new entrants from offering VoIP to consumers” and hurt competition. (4) Only those service providers that control or own underlying transport infrastructure should be responsible for consumer protection and public safety. (5) Member states should agree on common standards for data retention and lawful interception. (6) VoIP providers should have access to all types of numbers, including geographical ones.
Supported by CompTel/Ascent, the German Competitive Carriers Assn. (VATM) said regulators should “swiftly determine the regulatory framework that applies to VoIP.” In an unusual case of trans-Atlantic agreement, CompTel said VATM comments submitted in the European Commission (EC) proceeding on IP-enabled services were “very helpful,” because they addressed many issues of concern to CompTel members.
Echoing concerns expressed by VoIP providers in the U.S., parties told the European Commission (EC) in comments it shouldn’t harm the growth of IP-based communications by imposing unnecessary regulations. The EC -- which has generally kept the Internet free of traditional telecom regulations -- has launched a proceeding to examine issues related to IP-based communications, asking for comments on the appropriate regulatory framework for VoIP services that utilize numbering resources and provide access to or from the PSTN.
The World Communications Center (WCC) said it would use Iridium’s mobile satellite service technology to provide emergency communications in N.Y. this week during the Republican National Convention. WCC said it was chosen by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority N.Y.C. Transit. Terms weren’t announced.
Recent European Commission (EC) decisions strongly criticizing aspects of telecom market reviews by national regulatory authorities (NRAs) could be good news for would-be competitors of incumbent telcos. The Article 7 task force, which reviews proposals for ex ante regulation (that is, ahead of actual findings of anticompetitive behavior) of certain telecom markets identified by NRAs, “is clearly showing that it has some teeth now,” said European Competitive Telecom Assn. (ECTA) Regulatory Affairs Mgr. Tom Kiedrowski. While denying the task force is stricter now than in the past, an EC official said the group takes its work “very seriously.”