The FCC should take prompt action on a February letter from Telecommunications Industry Association President Grant Seiffert (http://bit.ly/11IglsG) asking the commission to lift an informal ban on the equipment authorization process for Band 14 products, said TIA and member companies in a meeting with Public Safety Bureau Chief David Turetsky. The band covers the 700 MHz spectrum that will form the backbone for the proposed FirstNet. “The representatives stressed the importance for the Commission, as well as other entities involved in the process ... to act on this issue in a timely manner so that the public safety community’s demand for National Public Safety Broadband Network-ready Band 14 LTE devices can be met,” said a filing on the meeting (http://bit.ly/10bqV8Q). “It was also noted that, because LTE is already a well-understood standard, industry can anticipate FirstNet’s final requirements.” Some public safety agencies are using broadband devices in need of replacement, TIA said. “These jurisdictions want to secure products with LTE capability on a commercial band, while avoiding possible future duplicative costs, by obtaining Band 14-ready devices before the National Public Safety Broadband Network is operational,” the letter said. “The uncertainty resulting from not having technical and services rules in effect for operation in Band 14 also impacts the product development cycle, such as the availability of chipsets for integration to user devices.”
Hughes signed a contract to supply broadband satellite terminals and a network operations center (NOC) for a Malaysian very small aperture terminal provider. The provider, Majunusa, will use Hughes’ HX System 4.0 NOC “to deliver cellular backhaul services for 2G and 3G sites in rural areas without access to cost-effective terrestrial communications,” Hughes said in a press release (http://bit.ly/ZUJkcB). The system’s satellite broadband router has a new optimized encapsulation scheme on the outroute and advanced low density parity check coding on the inroute, “yielding best-in-class throughputs and lowest operational costs on satellite links.” Installation of the new HX network is expected to be completed by April, Hughes said.
The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau said Tuesday it scheduled a public workshop for April 17 on bill shock and cramming. The session will be from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. “The workshop will educate consumers about how to protect themselves from both of these problems, and include a discussion of policies addressing these issues,” the bureau said (http://bit.ly/ZoKkCk).
Rogers Communications said it will expand its LTE network into an additional 44 markets this spring, reaching 95 markets by the end of the year. The new markets will include: Saint John, New Brunswick; Medicine Hat, Alberta; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; Guelph, Ontario; Muskoka, Ontario; Collingwood, Ontario; and several cities in Quebec. Rogers said it will be using its 2600 MHz spectrum band for the LTE network in all markets -- the largest LTE network deployment of any carrier in Canada. Customers in 34 of the 44 new LTE markets will be able to access LTE up to the theoretical maximum speed of 150 Mbps, the carrier said. Rogers also plans to introduce additional 2600 MHz-enabled smartphones in the coming months; its current 2600-capable devices include the LG Optimus G 2600, the Rocket Stick, Rocket Hub and the Rocket Mobile Hotspot (http://bit.ly/11HTdyp).
The Washington state Department of Commerce is offering broadband grants of $50,000 to $100,000 through its 2013 Local Technology Planning Team grant program, it said Tuesday (http://1.usa.gov/10KSXvL). The application deadline is April 30, and awards will be announced in June, the department said, saying it expects dozens of applications from communities engaged in broadband work. It’s the second year the state offered this grant program: “Last year’s grant recipients gathered information on community needs through meetings and surveys, improved mapping of broadband service areas and began planning programs to help low-income families use the internet,” the department said.
The Advanced Television Systems Committee wants proposals by Aug. 23 for the “physical layer” of its next-gen ATSC 3.0 broadcast TV standard, the ATSC said Tuesday. ATSC 3.0 figures prominently on the agenda of the Broadcast Engineering conference of the NAB Show opening April 6 in Las Vegas. ATSC 3.0’s physical layer includes its core modulation and coding technologies, ATSC said. A key goal of the ATSC 3.0 physical layer will be to provide TV service to fixed and mobile devices, ATSC said. “Spectrum efficiency and robust service will be key areas of evaluation,” it said. Increased data rates to support terrestrial Ultra HD delivery and other services “will be considered,” but not necessarily required, it said. “Robustness of service for devices operating within the ATSC 3.0 service area should exceed that of current ATSC systems and that of cell phone and other wireless devices.” ATSC will give “consideration” to technologies and proposals “that enable a smooth transition from existing systems” for broadcasters and consumers, it said. While initial responses to ATSC’s call for proposals are due Aug. 23, “detailed technical descriptions” of those proposals are due Sept. 27, ATSC said.
The FCC turned down a waiver request by Whiffletree, grant of which would have allowed its Seareka maritime survivor locating device (MSLD) to use the 869.4-869.65 MHz band, which is already used by U.S. carriers for cellular communications. MSLDs are transceivers attached to life vests or other equipment designed to help locate survivors of incidents at sea. The waiver request faced strong opposition from wireless carriers worried about interference (CD Aug 15 p10). “As an initial matter, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, and Office of Engineering and Technology have previously stated that a waiver should not be granted merely to accommodate a manufacturer’s choice of frequency that is based solely on the frequency being harmonized for operation abroad,” the order said (http://bit.ly/108RtHO). “Moreover, we are not persuaded that deployment of the Seareka MSLD in the United States will have the safety benefits asserted by Whiffletree. Frequency 869 MHz is heavily used for cellular base station operations throughout the United States including territorial waters and the Gulf of Mexico, with a high probability that the frequency will be in use at any point in time. We agree with the commenters that Seareka’s MSLD could cause harmful interference that could disrupt cellular communications, including 911 calls, in coastal areas of the United States and other countries and in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski following the chairman’s announcement that he would soon leave the commission (CD March 25 p1). “The FCC’s stonewalling over information on LightSquared was one of the worst instances I've seen in 30 years of dealing with federal agencies,” said Grassley in a news release. “It took months of pressure and requests, a hold on two nominees, and the involvement of a House committee for the FCC to begin to share documents on the LightSquared decision. Under Chairman Genachowski’s leadership, the FCC acted like a privileged organization that didn’t have to answer basic questions about its decision-making process. It’s interesting to see outside groups criticizing Chairman Genachowski for failing to complete key priorities. In my experience over LightSquared, the FCC wasted a lot of time playing games to avoid answering my basic questions. The time spent on obfuscation could have been spent on productive activities for consumers and the economy. The next FCC chairman should scrap the mindset of an elite, closed shop and embrace the commission’s status as a public entity, accountable to the public and the legislative branch, especially on matters of basic oversight.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is unlikely to hear the Verizon and MetroPCS challenge to the FCC’s net neutrality rules before the fall, Stifel Nicolaus said in a Monday research note. “The briefing schedule was completed in January and there seemed to be a good chance a three-judge panel would be named any day to hear the case, with oral argument scheduled for no later than May and a ruling possible over the summer,” the note said. “But our understanding is the case will not be scheduled for oral argument before next September (absent unforeseen circumstances), though the panel could be named sooner. The court generally takes a break from oral arguments between May and September."
The FCC should eliminate collection of information “for which there is no demonstrated need,” USTelecom said in comments filed Friday (http://bit.ly/11DZdo6). The commission should therefore not submit certain legacy telecom information collections to the Office of Management and Budget for reauthorization, it said. Structural separation requirements, prepaid calling card reporting requirements and certain Automated Reporting Management Information System reports are no longer necessary, and the FCC should not seek OMB approval for their extension, USTelecom said.