Semiconductor company GreenPeak Technologies, which supplies a ZigBee RF4CE-enabled chipset inside Comcast set-top boxes for remote control functionality, announced new radio chips that will enable cable operators to offer “fifth play” services. The new chips support ZigBee Pro, ZigBee IP, ZigBee Green Power and RF4CE, the company said. They're targeted to the smart home market for integration with home security, home care, appliances, and energy monitoring and control, said Cees Links, GreenPeak CEO. The ZigBee standard expands the capability of early-generation smart home technology -- including standalone thermostats, wired security devices and infrared remote controls -- by connecting to the Internet via a set-top, he said. The final phase of the smart home evolution will be “the energy-efficient home that can be managed via smartphones and mobile devices over the Net, from any location,” Links said. Within the ZigBee scenario, devices will be able to correctly interpret and respond to changes in the environment without human intervention, he said. He cited examples including energy management based on occupancy in individual rooms, water leak monitoring and alerts, medical alerts including medicine consumption, and triggered events such as an air conditioner powering off when a window is opened. Cable operators can potentially reap new revenue opportunities from the services when a set-top or gateway is used as the starting point, he said.
A Spanish-language talk show that drew an indecency complaint won’t air any longer, said two groups that opposed José Luis Sin Censura and asked advertisers to boycott the program shown on Liberman Broadcasting’s EstrellaTV network (CD June 3/11 p10). The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and National Hispanic Media Coalition, the groups that made the FCC complaint, said Thursday they were told of the decision in a letter from Liberman Chief Operating Officer Winter Horton. “Liberman Broadcasting is pleased to have amicably resolved this matter” with the two groups, Horton wrote them (http://xrl.us/bnj3qh). The company’s “glad” they'll “no longer discourage companies from advertising with Liberman Broadcasting,” he said, asking they contact any advertisers they'd spoken with to say that the show’s off-air. The show’s off EstrellaTV, a publicist for the network told us.
The U.S. International Trade Commission began two investigations into the proposed expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), the ITC said Wednesday. The investigations, started at U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s request, will cover a draft list of information and communications technology products that could get duty-free treatment under the revised ITA (http://xrl.us/bnj3kz). The 74 participants in the ITA agreed in May to begin negotiating on the duty-free expansion through the World Trade Organization, which oversees the ITA (CD June 1 p15). Those negotiations are set to begin in September, the ITC said. One report will provide information on the information and communications technology -- and non-ICT -- uses of the targeted products. It will also determine what products U.S. industry and other parties view as import sensitive. The ITC said it will accept written submissions on the first report until Sept. 6. A second report will give an overview of how each of the targeted products fits into current U.S. trade: Information about which countries are the major manufacturers of the product, leading U.S. export markets, leading sources of U.S. imports and current tariffs on the product. The report will also examine how U.S. industry might benefit from an ITA expansion. The ITC said it plans a public hearing on the second report Nov. 8 at 9:30 a.m. People who want to appear at the hearing should file a request by Oct. 31, while the ITC said it will accept written submissions in connection with the second report until Nov. 20 (http://xrl.us/bnj3ou).
The FCC shouldn’t put on hold June’s viewability order letting systems with analog and digital channels no longer carry TV stations guaranteed cable distribution in both formats and allowing digital-only carriage of must-carry broadcasters, the NCTA said. Its opposition filing was against a request for stay by Agape Church, London Broadcasting, NAB and Una Vez Mas of the rules pending review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (CD Aug 3 p5). “While Movants seek to portray the decision to allow this dual-carriage requirement to sunset as some sort of unexplained and unanticipated change of course, expiration of the rule was expressly provided for and anticipated when the rule was adopted” in 2007, said the NCTA’s filing posted Thursday to docket 98-120 (http://xrl.us/bnj3oj). That the commission has stated “a signal carried by a cable system must be viewable leaves open the question of whether the signal must be viewable without any set-top equipment, whether it must be viewable using equipment that all customers must be forced to purchase and install, or whether it is viewable so long as equipment is readily available to customers who wish to view it,” the association said. “The Commission’s choice of the latter as most appropriate for purposes of its implementation of Section 614 is clearly a permissible and reasonable interpretation, which is entitled to -- and is likely to receive -- deference from a reviewing court."
NCTA asked the FCC to redo some of its rules implementing the 2010 CALM Act to keep the volume of TV ads not much louder than the regular programming they're between. The agency should “limit its rules to ‘commercial advertisements,’ rather than also including promotional material,” the association said in a petition for partial reconsideration of the CALM Act order. The commission should “clarify that a cable operator will not be held liable in instances where, after performing spot checks of embedded network advertising, the operator has notified that network and the Commission of the network’s non-compliance,” the filing posted Thursday in docket 11-93 (http://xrl.us/bnj3mw) said. It asked the FCC to “not prohibit cable operators from contacting program networks when performing spot checks” of noise levels. The regulations take effect Dec. 13 (CD July 9 p14).
The Telecommunications Industry Association and Illuminating Engineering Society signed an agreement to exchange information and promote developing shared standards in intelligent building systems and other areas, the groups said Thursday. “While the march towards convergence has been long, there is no question that convergence is here, today, and is extending well beyond the traditional phone and data services into others, like illumination,” TIA President Grant Seiffert said in a news release. The illumination industry views integrated technology as key to maximizing energy efficiency, IES Executive Vice President William Hanley said. “Working with TIA to develop, enhance and promote these technologies will result in reduced energy consumption and lower costs while maintaining a productive, safe environment” (http://xrl.us/bnj3i9).
Liberty Media likely has a plan for securing control of Sirius XM, Evercore Partners analyst Bryan Kraft wrote investors Thursday. By acquiring additional Sirius shares, “Liberty might already be executing an ownership increase through a forward purchase contract,” he said: If the media holding company gains control, the satellite radio provider “would adopt a share repurchase program to put to use Sirius’ [free cash flow] and leverage capacity.” Although Liberty might intend to participate in share repurchases, “we believe this is subject to change as Liberty might opt to use Sirius’ share repurchases to accrete its ownership in Sirius instead, leading to Liberty owning all of Sirius’ equity over time,” the analyst wrote said. This decision will depend on a number of factors, like Sirius’ stock price and valuation, Liberty’s need for cash and its view on “the long-term potential of the business and potential future threats from [Internet protocol] competitors,” Kraft added. Liberty’s CEO said Wednesday that the company remains interested in increasing its Sirius XM stake above 50 percent (CD Aug 9 p6).
The FCC committed no errors in dismissing a petition for review of $316,447.38 in USF contributions assessed by the Universal Service Administrative Co. against inContact in January 2009, the commission said in a pleading filed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The provider of cloud-based products for corporate call centers later disputed $298,410.50 of the charges, but its complaint was dismissed by the Wireline Bureau. The bureau said inContact had filed its appeal “20 days late.” In June 2010, inContact sought review by the full FCC, which handed down an order in January 2012, upholding the decision by the bureau. InContact sought review by the D.C. Circuit. “The sole issue properly before the Court is whether the Commission abused its discretion when it upheld the Bureau’s dismissal of inContact’s underlying request for review of an action taken by the Administrator because inContact’s request was filed out of time,” the FCC said (http://xrl.us/bnj26p). “The Commission did not abuse its discretion or otherwise act unlawfully when it concluded that inContact’s request had been properly dismissed on procedural grounds. The Commission reasonably determined that the issuance of an invoice by USAC constitutes a ‘decision’ of the Administrator that must be appealed within 60 days. ... Because inContact did not file its request for review until 80 days after issuance of the invoice, it was too late.” The FCC said under case law, “the courts owe substantial deference to an agency’s construction of its own rules."
Orbcomm Q2 revenue increased 51 percent from the year-ago quarter to $16.3 million, and service revenue increased 38 percent to $12.4 million. It added 26,000 subscribers to its satellite machine-to-machine communications service, it said Thursday (http://xrl.us/bnj3mq). The company had 715,000 subscribers ending the quarter, compared to 606,000 at the end of Q2 2011. Orbcomm said it plans to ship its Generation 2 satellite to Cape Canaveral “to be attached to a Falcon 9 rocket and launched in October.”
Belo Corp. continued its practice of offering candidates free airtime (CD Dec 5/08 p10) in the runup to elections. Politicians will get four minutes to say why they should be elected Nov. 6, and a minute to answer a question in the “It’s Your Time” program the broadcaster said has been used by more than 1,000 candidates over the years. Each of the company’s stations that originate news will air at least an hour weekly of political coverage in the six weeks before the general election, Belo said in a Thursday news release (http://xrl.us/bnj3by).