The FCC Public Safety Bureau Friday extended the freeze on the filing of 800 MHz license applications along the U.S.-Canadian border. The freeze is tied to the ongoing 800 MHz rebanding, launched by the FCC’s landmark 2004 order, which sought to resolve interference problems in the band between public safety operations and Nextel, before Nextel merged with Sprint. The freeze was set to expire Monday and was extended until April 15. “This extension of the freeze on non-rebanding applications is needed to preserve vacant channels for licensees re-tuning their systems according to the reconfigured band plan adopted by the Bureau for licensees operating along the U.S.-Canada border,” the notice said (http://xrl.us/bntt94). “As of this date, some relocating licensees in the U.S.-Canada border region have yet to conclude [frequency relocation agreements] with Sprint, and most border region licensees have yet to complete their system re-tunes. Accordingly, to preserve currently vacant channels for use by these licensees and avoid potential licensing conflicts that could delay rebanding, we have determined that temporarily extending the freeze is in the public interest."
Verizon Wireless representatives explained the company’s recent work on text-to-911, in a meeting with Charles Mathias, aide to FCC Chairman Genachowski, and officials from the Public Safety Bureau. “We discussed the status of interim SMS-based text-to-911 technologies, including Verizon Wireless’s current trials in Durham, North Carolina, the State of Vermont, and York County, Virginia,” Verizon said in an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bntt7w). “We explained that current and proposed industry standards for LTE are IP-based, whereas SMS-to-911 solutions utilize the legacy circuit-switched network and short messaging service center (SMSC) facilities. Finally, we discussed the IP-enabled real-time-text (RTT) capability, which Verizon Wireless plans to make available to customers concurrently with its Voice over-LTE (VoLTE) service.” T-Mobile representatives met with the same officials. “As previously stated in this docket, T-Mobile fully appreciates the need for its customers to be able to contact 911,” the carrier said (http://xrl.us/bntt78). “Text-to-911 can be an important avenue to do so under certain circumstances, although voice-to-911 remains the preferred approach due to technical limitations with text-to-911 services and because voice calls potentially provide [public safety answering points] additional critical information from the caller."
Boeing representatives advocated “the revision of the [FCC’s] experimental licensing rules and procedures to make it easier for companies engaged in research and development to undertake experimental wireless operation,” in a meeting with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “In particular, Boeing discouraged the imposition of burdensome coordination and consent requirements on experimental authorizations that do not pose an appreciable risk of causing harmful interference to other licensees,” the company said in an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bntt6x). Boeing executives also pressed for the adoption of formal rules for the Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite Service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band. “Boeing explained that AMSS (or earth stations aboard aircraft), should properly be designated as a primary application of the Fixed Satellite Service, just as the Commission did in recent years for Earth Stations Onboard Vessels and for Vehicle Mounted Earth Stations,” the filing said.
Digitization of media content, the increase in time-shifted or on-demand viewing and the growing array of viewing devices raise questions about the relevance of current broadcasting and electronic communications rules in the Internet era, French communications regulator Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes (ARCEP) said Friday. It and TV regulator CSA were asked by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to determine if new rules are needed in the sectors. ARCEP recommended that the government and Parliament first look at what changes have taken place in TV and e-communications, then determine whether the regulatory goals in the affected industries need revamping, and then define what reforms are needed to meet those objectives. The effort towards new TV rules could go in three conceivable directions, it said: (1) Maintain strict regulation of content, while taking into account the “upheavals brought by the internet.” In this case, the responsibilities and tasks assigned to the broadcasting and e-communications regulators would remain different, but it would be wise to create a decision-making body to address issues common to the two. (2) Promote updated television content rules while strengthening their economic dimension. One solution could be to narrow each authority’s area of specialization. ARCEP would then be responsible for the technical-economic regulation of both sectors, with CSA dealing with TV content. (3) Adopt primarily economic regulation of TV industry players. Here, the duties assigned to both agencies would become relatively similar and it would make sense for them to merge. The newly formed entity should have the power to regulate competition law and also be given all or part of the radio spectrum management duties now assigned to national frequency agency ANFR. Whatever direction the government and Parliament take, they must promote freedom of communication on the networks and net neutrality, ARCEP said.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., supported the Declaration of Internet Freedom, said a Thursday news release from Internet advocacy group Free Press. He joins four other members of Congress who announced their support for principles that ensure the Web remains open, free of censorship, available to everyone, and protects innovation and privacy. Also backing the bill are Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.; Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Darrel Issa, R-Calif.; and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
The California Public Utilities Commission is planning “a PUC academy for incoming legislators and staff,” said CPUC Office of Governmental Affairs Director Lynn Sadler at a Thursday commission meeting. She briefed the commissioners on the different pieces of relevant legislation passing through the state. She illustrated which bills the commission had sponsored, opposed and remained neutral on and how that compared with what passed. CPUC Commissioner Mark Ferguson asked if a better way exists to anticipate relevant legislation. “A great deal of what we're doing right now is talking to [lawmakers'] staff,” Sadler said, referring to a plethora of coffee meetings held with that underlying purpose.
The FCC should reschedule Auction 94 to April 8, 2013, from March 26, 2013, the law firm of Fletcher Heald said in comments filed with the agency (http://xrl.us/bntpeq). The delay will let applicants focus on other events between those two dates, including a FM radio renewal application deadline, a TV renewal application deadline, the filing deadline for Form 499-A, and several religious holidays, including Good Friday when financial markets will be closed, it said. “As minimum bids increase, so too will the requirements for bidders to secure capital,” it said. “Unfortunately, if the auction begins on March 26, 2013, the capital markets will be closed three days later.” That could force some bidders to unnecessarily withdraw from the auction if they can’t confirm funding, it said.
Document production in a program carriage dispute between Cablevision and the Game Show Network (GSN) remains on track to be complete by Oct. 19, the parties said in a joint status report (http://xrl.us/bntpcq). Each party has produced more than 130,000 pages. They proposed a new hearing schedule that would set up a hearing before an FCC administrative law judge March 19. The parties have agreed to include Cablevision CEO James Dolan’s files from Aug. 1, 2009, to June 1, 2011, to be searched for responsive documents, they said. And GSN agreed to a revised Cablevision request for DVDs containing a sampling of GSN programming. But the parties have yet to resolve the number of fact depositions each party will be entitled to during discovery, they said. GSN wants to depose each trial witness as well as “an additional limited number of witnesses” with knowledge of relevant facts, the status report said. Cablevision wants to limit each side to a total of four depositions.
Sprint Nextel wants to ensure there’s no diminution in interference protection levels for the G block, and that the H block is established as viable spectrum for mobile broadband services, it told FCC Wireless Bureau officials, an ex parte filing said (http://xrl.us/bntpdg). If its concerns are “satisfactorily addressed,” the carrier will “facilitate the completion of all remaining [3GPP] 2 GHz standards work as expeditiously as possible,” it said. Sprint said it found “promising” an FCC question around possibly mandating an out-of-band-emissions limitation of 70+10 log(P) dB for AWS-4 operations in the 2000 MHz H block band edge. This suggestion would produce a “broadband-viable H Block,” Sprint said.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., criticized comments made by FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai about unlicensed spectrum use, in a letter sent Thursday. The ranking member of the House Communications Subcommittee sought to debunk Pai’s recent suggestion that the FCC limit unlicensed opportunities in the spectrum freed up by the agency’s incentive auctions (CD Oct 5 p2). Eshoo said the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act “specifically gave the FCC the discretion to create guard bands out of spectrum that is relinquished by the broadcasters, without any requirement to auction such guard bands. The legislation also gave the FCC the discretion to decide whether to give unlicensed devices primary or secondary use of the guard bands.” Pai’s spokesman said the commissioner believes unlicensed use is “an important component of a responsible spectrum strategy” and that Pai “appreciates” Eshoo’s “perspective” on the issue. Pai also believes it is “important to ask all necessary questions” with regard to incentive auctions and said the commissioner “looks forward to reviewing the record before reaching any conclusions,” the spokesman said.