Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) stepped up pressure on wireless carriers Wed. to meet upcoming Enhanced 911 deadline by sending letters requesting location technology service in next 6 months. Letters from public safety answering points (PSAPs), which APCO also submitted to FCC, come as several carriers have waiver petitions pending before Commission on Phase 2 of E911. “It’s going to be tough to get a waiver,” FCC Deputy Wireless Bureau Chief James Schlichting told reporters after APCO news conference in Washington. FCC last week opened public comment period on waiver request of AT&T Wireless, which wants to deploy hybrid handset- and network-based solution for pinpointing location of wireless 911 caller (CD April 9 p4). APCO officials also outlined details of national project to have at least one community public safety system in 48 states ready to receive more specific Phase 2 location data by Oct. deadline. APCO Pres. Lyle Gallagher told us association was embarking on project that would involve wireless carriers to resolve new interference issues in public safety bands.
National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) completed testing of caller location system developed by U.S. Wireless, concluding it met Enhanced 911 (E911) Phase 2 requirements. NENA is evaluating and reporting on availability of wireless location technologies and their ability to meet Oct. deadline for E911 Phase 2 set by FCC. NENA represents 7,000 public safety workers who manage primary 911 call centers. “After this testing, we are confident that there are existing location technologies meeting FCC requirements,” NENA Exec. Dir. Mark Adams said. “E911 is critical for public safety and its implementation must not be delayed.” Assn. tested U.S. Wireless solution last month in Seattle, including areas with dense urban, residential, light industrial and freeway environments. Separately, Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) reiterated its “disappointment” Tues. with waiver request filed last week by AT&T Wireless at FCC seeking permission to deploy hybrid network and handset solution for E911 Phase 2. “While APCO will review carefully the details of the AT&T Wireless request, we are troubled not only because yet another carrier has decided to seek a waiver, but also in terms of what it means for the safety of our nation’s citizens,” APCO Pres. Lyle Gallagher said. APCO is holding news conference today (Wed.) in Washington to present letters to FCC from public safety answering points in U.S. cities requesting wireless E911 services from wireless carriers.
FCC Chmn. Powell expressed strong doubts about future importance of traditional over-the-air TV in nation where more than 80% of households rely on cable and satellite for their TV viewing. In news conference on TV issues at Commission hq Thurs., Powell said he didn’t see agency intervening much further in such marketplace issues as disputes over DTV standards and network affiliate practices because he wasn’t sure how most consumers were affected. With combined cable and satellite penetration seemingly on its way toward 90% of U.S. TV homes, he argued that such broadcasting industry battles were relevant to increasingly fewer viewers.
NTIA and FCC released final reports Fri. providing details on challenges to sharing, segmenting or clearing Dept. of Defense- occupied bands and MMDS and ITFS spectrum, setting stage for what some see as need for high-level 3-way talks on possible compromise among FCC, Pentagon and Commerce Dept. DoD evaluation, appendix to NTIA report, said terrestrial military systems couldn’t vacate 1.7 GHz until 2010 and legacy space systems would need access until 2017, dates much later than timelines in federal 3G studies. Still, several industry sources said they were heartened by what they called realistic relocation cost estimates that NTIA provided for 3 options, which range from $2.2 billion to $4.5 billion. NTIA report laid out 3 options for band sharing or segmentation, including recently emerged alternative that involves out-of-band pairing and phased-in migration of incumbents. Despite alternatives, “this does not necessarily mean that the government band is the right choice for 3G,” Naval Rear Adm. Robert Nutwell said at NTIA briefing. He called on wireless industry to make “better case” for 3G spectrum needs.
FCC review of broadcast station ownership caps won’t focus solely on market concentration rule, but also will take programming diversity into consideration, Chmn. Powell said March 29. He told House Telecom Subcommittee that Commission in May also would review broadcast-newspaper cross-ownership restrictions. NAB spokesman said it was “delighted that the FCC is going to expeditiously review” cross-ownership issue.
Commerce Secy. Donald Evans met with wireless industry Thurs. on 3rd generation wireless issues, sending signal that all spectrum bands still were on table, sources said. Evans held hastily-called 30-min. meeting with wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers in advance of final reports that are set for release today (Fri.) from FCC and NTIA on options for additional spectrum for advanced wireless services. “The report that is coming out tomorrow is a first step in the process,” Evans spokesman said. Several sources indicated meeting appeared to be proactive step by Administration to allay industry concerns over serious questions raised by Dept. of Defense on challenge of sharing spectrum with commercial wireless systems in short term.
U.S., along with allies such as Canada and U.K., called on ITU policy forum in Geneva this week not to take prescriptive action on development of IP telephony networks to protect revenue from older, circuit-switched systems. At World Telecom Policy Forum on IP telephony Thurs., representatives of Arab states, some African countries and parts of Latin America and Asia continued to question costs and potentially lost revenue from shifting telephony traffic to IP networks. U.S. raised concerns about proposal circulated by Syria this week that would stipulate backward compatibility for new IP telephony networks and existing public switched telephone networks (PSTN), so neither would make other obsolete. At our deadline, drafting groups still were working on details of opinions that would be up for approval at closing session of forum today (Fri.). It was unclear whether or how Syrian proposal might change, U.S. officials said. “The meeting has conformed to what we expected, which is to say that there is a great deal of caution among many national delegations about the impact of this new kind of service… on their existing telephone systems,” said U.S. official in conference call from Geneva.
Research firm Jupiter Media Metric forecast that wireless Web users in U.S. would grow to 96 million in 2005 from 4.1 million in 2000. In report, Jupiter projected that of 96 million users then, 74.9 million would be using handsets centered on voice functions, 7.3 million data-centered handsets, 4.4 million Web-enabled personal digital assistants. Report predicted that national carriers would be consolidated into 3 companies within 5 years as regional operators are absorbed by larger rivals. Jupiter said 3rd-generation wireless services were “no near-term reality” in U.S., although they were scheduled to launch in Asia in next 2 years, with U.S. and European markets not seeing wireless broadband connections for 4 to 6 years. U.S. deployment of location-based wireless services will emerge in 2 years, report said, driven by FCC mandates on Enhanced 911 capabilities. Jupiter said European carriers would promote location-based mobile services in next year using less precise location data.
ORLANDO -- Panel of Washington insiders told CEOs of competitive telecom companies here Mon. that they must become more involved in lobbying against Bell-sponsored data LATA relief because there was better chance than ever that such legislation could pass. Speaking at CompTel’s annual convention, panelists came close to pleading with competitive entrepreneurs, who traditionally are less likely than Bell CEOs to get involved in policy issues. They warned that their businesses could be at stake; that House, at least, was likely to pass data deregulation legislation this session and that Bells were very good lobbyists. “You need to make clear why this legislation could be a danger to this industry,” said Gary Slaiman, Washington attorney and former aide to Senate Judiciary Committee. Earl Comstock, Washington lawyer and former legislative counsel to Sen. Stevens (R-Alaska), told group, “Bell CEOs are engaged, they come to Washington. Your industry CEOs don’t often come to Washington and you have a complicated message.”
Original C-block bidder Airadigm is awaiting answer to petition for reinstatement of its PCS licenses, which FCC cancelled after carrier missed payment after entering bankruptcy in July 1999. Petition still is pending before agency nearly one month from oral argument before U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., March 15 in litigation involving NextWave, bankrupt C-block bidder that also had its licenses cancelled for nonpayment. Airadigm has pointed out that only similarity between it and NextWave is that both are C-block bidders that entered Chapter 11 protection and missed installment payment for licenses. Because of disparities such as fact that Airadigm is offering service and NextWave isn’t, question is whether 2 carriers potentially could be treated differently by Commission. Proceeding raises complex web of legal issues for FCC, making outcome uncertain, industry observers said. At press time, item on Airadigm petition wasn’t yet circulating on 8th floor. Meanwhile, group of large carriers asked Commission to put off Airadigm decision longer, citing how circumstances had changed since NextWave litigation began.