The FCC dismissed Alabama Educational TV Commission’s application for a license to operate a new Earth station. AETC also wanted to receive a temporary-fixed earth station, the International Bureau said in a letter to the broadcaster. It said the application “is not substantially complete.” AETC didn’t include a radiation hazard study, which serves as “an exhibit for new transmitting facilities such as the one proposed,” the letter said (http://xrl.us/bmxmf5).
Alaska Communications Systems Group submitted data Friday for the calculation of the incremental support amounts to be made available under the Connect America Fund Phase I mechanism, said an FCC ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bmxmb7). ACS, with four incumbent LEC subsidiaries, provided data (http://xrl.us/bmxmcb) describing the distance in feet between each ACS wire center and the nearest adjacent wire center, the square mileage of the area served by each wire center, and the length of total road miles within the area served by each wire center. ACS said the data will assist the Wireline Bureau in calculating the distribution of support among price cap carriers under the commission’s high-cost proxy model.
The FCC dismissed more than a dozen TV captioning exemption requests, and sought additional information from other programmers whose petitions lacked needed information. The petitions deemed “deficient” didn’t show how the captioning rules “would be economically burdensome for you,” said letters from the Disability Rights Office of the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau. New requests can be made, but the programmers must start captioning their shows by May 29, said letters in docket 06-181 (http://xrl.us/bmxk93). Recipients included Boston RUIT Show and Watch Fatboy Films. In a new petition, programmers would need to submit “documentation of your financial status sufficient to demonstrate your inability to afford closed captioning -- for example, profit and loss statements or bank statement information,” said Feb. 29 letters posted in the docket Thursday and Friday. Grown Folks Dancing! and Pastor Thomas Brock of Brooklyn Center, Minn., were among those providing some but not all information the commission needs. They have until March 30 to provide more financial information, including the profit and loss statements. Those whose requests were rejected outright were invited to file a new petition. Many of the small programmers who reapplied for captioning waivers, after ones granted by the Kevin Martin FCC were rescinded, made new requests that were deficient (CD Dec 29 p6).
Time Warner Cable took the FCC up on its offer to seek removal of the one remaining condition on Time Warner Inc.’s 2001 purchase by AOL. The cable operator asked last week that it no longer be barred from discriminating against other ISPs on the basis of what was then called AOL Time Warner’s affiliation with AOL. In removing at Time Warner Inc.’s request other curbs on the deal, the commission invited the cable operator to ask for the AOL/ISP affiliation condition to likewise be nixed (CD Jan 10 p9). “TWC has no incentive or ability to prefer AOL vis-à-vis unaffiliated broadband ISPs -- and, indeed, AOL no longer even operates as a broadband ISP,” Time Warner Cable said in a request posted Thursday to docket 00-30 (http://xrl.us/bmxk8f). “The remaining condition has no purpose or effect.” The order OK'ing the creation of AOL Time Warner said the combined company could ask for conditions that no longer apply to be cut, the filing noted. “The unwinding of the AOL Time Warner merger standing alone is sufficient to warrant elimination of the condition, and AOL’s departure from the broadband ISP marketplace further confirms that the condition no longer serves any purpose."
The FCC proposed fining WNFO(AM) Sun City Hilton Head, S.C., $25,000 for not installing a working emergency alert system, keeping a locked fence around its antenna or maintaining a public file, said an Enforcement Bureau notice of apparent liability to Walter Czura. He has 30 days to submit a sworn statement that the problems are fixed (http://xrl.us/bmxk68).
An FCC order requiring Verizon Wireless, SpectrumCo and Cox to file unredacted versions of various marketing agreements was “unwelcome news” for the carrier and the cable companies and a win for opponents, Stifel Nicolaus said in a research report. The agreements were announced in December at the same time Verizon agreed to buy AWS licenses from the cable operators (CD March 9 p1). “While we remain skeptical the government will block the spectrum transactions and partnerships outright, we believe there could be some objections raised and related conditions imposed, and that the more the outside critics see of the commercial agreements, the greater the chance they might further identify or substantiate concerns,” Stifel Nicolaus said. Wireless Bureau letters show continuing FCC concerns with the Verizon/cable side deals, said Medley Global Advisors in a research note. “The information request likely signals the Obama Administration is uncomfortable with the proposed business arrangements in their current form and may pursue material concessions/conditions to remedy any suspected anticompetitive effects in wireless, pay-TV and broadband markets,” Medley said. “A lengthier-than-anticipated government review of VZ/cable should play well with the Democratic base in this presidential-election year even if the ultimate outcome is hard to swallow."
AT&T and T-Mobile jointly asked the FCC to deny objections by Diogenes Telecom Project to the transfer of AWS licenses from AT&T to T-Mobile. The transfer was part of the breakup fee after AT&T dropped plans to acquire its smaller competitor in December. “The proposed assignments will serve the public interest and are fully consistent with the Communications Act,” they said. “Specifically, the proposed assignments will help T-Mobile USA address its spectrum needs in the subject markets to enable it to better address the growing demands of consumers for wireless data and content services and to move to next-generation mobile technology.” Diogenes filed a petition to deny (http://xrl.us/bmxkv9), arguing that AT&T and T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom “made numerous material misrepresentations to the Commission throughout those proceedings, including false and misleading statements and material omissions.” AT&T and T-Mobile said Diogenes “is simply renewing groundless character claims previously raised before the Commission and unnecessarily wasting scarce agency resources."
Illinois may soon join nine other states limiting cellphone use while driving, if the Senate passes legislation approved by the House. The Illinois House voted 62-53 Thursday on HB-3972 (http://xrl.us/bmxksy), which would penalize people for using cellphones while driving. Drivers could use speaker phone or hands-free devices. They could also use phones to make calls and send texts if the car is in park or in neutral while traffic is stopped. The bill will go to the Senate for debate, and Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he believes a cellphone ban is inevitable. Illinois already has laws prohibiting texting while driving and using cellphones in school zones and construction zones. The legislative action comes soon after the Illinois House Transportation Committee passed a bill that amends the state vehicle code. HB-5863 (http://xrl.us/bmxku8) says drivers are banned from using cellphones in construction zones only if workers are present. The bill also says drivers who are stopped by traffic congestion can use their cellphones.
International Launch Services will launch the Mexsat-1 satellite on an ILS Proton, under a new contract with the Mexican government’s Ministry of Communications and Transportation. The satellite is being built by Boeing, with launch from Baikonur expected in 2013-'14. Mexsat-1 is a high-power, 5,800 kg satellite built on Boeing’s 702 HP platform. It’s to be at 113 degrees West.
Hargray Telephone and Bluffton Telephone requested a waiver of the filing deadline, required by Section 54.301(e) of the FCC’s rules setting a deadline for certain incumbent LECs to file true-up data with the Universal Service Administration Co. to receive local switching support, said a public notice released Thursday (http://xrl.us/bmxh8p). Comments are due April 9 in docket 08-71, replies April 24.