Wi-Fi provider Boingo partnered with Gowex, a company that facilitates Wi-Fi connectivity on the streets and throughout public transportation in cities, to expand its hotspots in Europe, the companies said Monday (http://bit.ly/12cMmHC). Through the partnership, Boingo consumers can access 1,400 Gowex hotspots in more than 50 cities in Spain, France, Ireland and Belgium, “including on-board Wi-Fi on more than 40 buses in Barcelona, and in more than 50 metro and railway stations in Paris,” said the release.
The ABC Affiliate Board endorsed TVB’s findings that live plus same-day viewing data “most closely approximates” the national live plus three-day commercial (C3) currency rating standard, the board said in a news release Monday. “In this era of growing DVR penetration, VOD usage and screen-shifted viewing, it is essential that our industry have the most reliable and accurate local viewing data,” said board Chairman David Boylan. NBC’s Affiliate Board made a similar endorsement last week (CD April 26 p19). “The ABC Affiliate Board firmly believes that our data providers must be prepared to capture all local viewing where and when it happens,” said Boylan.
TextPlus, which offers free app-to-mobile phone text messaging, said it’s altering its service to put in place a specific bounceback message for those who try to text 911. Right now, customers get a bounceback message “indicating that the number is not recognized or a similar message,” not unique to 911, textPlus said in an ex parte filing at the FCC (http://bit.ly/ZfTO4m). It plans to enable 911-specific messages, textPlus said. “Making and implementing changes to the code in an application update cycle like this typically takes two to four weeks to complete,” the company said. “There are no external costs associated with such an application update cycle and all necessary alterations are completed through code changes in the textPlus application; there are no server side changes required.”
Intel CEO Paul Otellini endorsed SoftBank’s buy of Sprint Nextel, which he sees as superior to a Dish Network buy of the carrier. Intel filed an email Otellini sent FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski as an ex parte contact with the agency. Otellini said he was traveling in Asia where he met with SoftBank CEO and founder Masayoshi Son. “I simply wanted to add my name to the list of companies hoping that Softbank will be able to acquire Sprint, rather than Dish,” he said (http://bit.ly/154jAjS). “Son-san’s vision to build a high speed competitive third national network is very compelling. We need this competition in the wireless space as the ATT/Verizon model is not giving that to consumers at this time. I just wanted you to know where I and Intel stand on this important matter."
Verizon representatives said the FCC should include all relevant spectrum in its screen as it examines SoftBank’s proposed buy of Sprint Nextel and Sprint’s proposal to buy the remainder of Clearwire, in a meeting with Louis Peraertz, aide to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “Consistent with Verizon’s previous filings, we explained that the record in these proceedings demonstrates that the Broadband Radio Service and Educational Broadband Service spectrum easily meets the Commission’s standard for inclusion in the mobile services spectrum screen: not only is it both suitable and available for those services (the test for inclusion), it is in fact in use,” Verizon said in an ex parte filing on the meeting (http://bit.ly/ZRxJw3). “It is the Commission’s policy to assess whether spectrum at issue in a transaction is suitable and available for mobile services and thus should be included in the screen as part of its review of that transaction. We urged the Commission to follow this long-standing practice and add the EBS and remaining BRS spectrum to the screen in its review of the SoftBank-Sprint-Clearwire transfer applications."
Sprint Nextel wants to call a June 12 shareholder vote on SoftBank’s proposal to buy 70 percent ownership of the carrier for $20.1 billion, according to an SEC filing Sprint released Friday (http://bit.ly/Zq4ErY). A Sprint special committee is still reviewing Dish Network’s $25.5 billion counteroffer for the carrier. A Sprint spokesman said the date was tentative and is subject to SEC approval.
International U.S.-billed telephone traffic increased by 18 percent between 2010 and 2011, the FCC said Friday. That type of traffic, primarily originating in the U.S., increased to 73.7 billion minutes in 2011, from 62.4 billion minutes in 2010, the agency said. While total minutes increased, U.S.-billed revenue for international telephone, private line and other services decreased by a collective 2 percent to $4.5 billion, the FCC said. The average per-minute cost for U.S. consumers’ international calls fell 18 percent, from $0.06 per minute in 2010 to $0.05 per minute in 2011, the agency said. India had the largest increase in U.S.-billed minutes -- its minutes increased by 45 percent between 2010 and 2011 to 23.1 billion minutes, the FCC said (http://fcc.us/13AfQlp).
The pending merger of T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS will have positive credit effects for T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom, Moody’s Investors Service said Friday in an email to investors. The merger “improves Deutsche Telekom’s market position in the US and clarifies a number of strategic questions in respect of its future interest in the U.S. market,” Moody’s said. The combined carrier will have 42 million customers -- about 12 percent of the U.S. wireless market, Moody’s said. While the deal gives T-Mobile an “increased scale and an enhanced competitive position” against Verizon Wireless and AT&T, Sprint Nextel would emerge as a stronger force if SoftBank succeeds in its bid to buy 70 percent ownership of the No. 3 carrier, Moody’s said. Deutsche Telekom said it expects T-Mobile and MetroPCS to merge after the close of business Tuesday (CD April 26 p14).
If eligible areas for the Connect America Fund Phase I program are expanded to include households without 4/1 Mbps service, the amount of support per location “should decrease significantly” below the $775-per-household given in the first round of the program, the American Cable Association told the FCC in a letter Friday (http://bit.ly/Ya6BtY). That’s because the average cost of the locations without 4/1 service that price-cap LECs could serve is “well below” the average cost of locations without 760/200 kbps service, it said. Using the current version of the commission’s Connect America Cost Model, ACA found that the expanded locations should require only 60 percent of the 2012 support amount, or $468 per location, it said. A circulating draft order would extend eligibility to additional homes for an amount somewhat lower than $775, agency officials told us (CD April 25 p1).
Part 32 cost data do not serve any regulatory purpose under price cap regulation, USTelecom told FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Tuesday, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/Y2yHVI). USTelecom has requested forbearance from several legacy regulations. Part 32 accounting rules were put in place for ratemaking purposes under cost-based regulation and don’t serve any regulatory purpose now, the association of ILECs said. Clyburn asked USTelecom to address concerns raised in an ex parte letter from state members of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, USTelecom reported. In response, USTelecom emphasized that if granted, the relief it seeks “would not undermine the jurisdictional separations process,” it said. Nor would the relief preempt state public service commission authority to obtain accounting information “necessary to carrying out state functions,” it said.