ITU-R will begin studying technical and operational characteristics of active radio services operating between 275 to 1000 GHz, the director of the Radiocommunication Bureau said in a letter to members, referring to agreement on the matter in the ITU-R study group on spectrum management. Frequencies above 275 GHz aren’t allocated to specific services in the Radio Regulations. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is working on terrahertz communications and applications in the frequency range, the letter said. ITU-R study groups on satellite and science services, and radio wave propagation, will look at sharing between active and passive services, with initial results due in 2015. The 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference identified use of the range by active and passive services. The next world conference is scheduled for 2015.
The FCC delayed a workshop on the “technical requirements, architecture, and operational parameters of the proposed Spectrum Access System” in the 3.5 GHz band from Dec. 11 to Jan. 14 (http://bit.ly/1bAw6ql).
There is broad support for expanding the E-rate program to cover wireless devices, Qualcomm said in reply comments filed at the FCC. “No less than fifty-five commenters -- from school teachers and administrators, to educational content providers, technology developers, and service providers to prominent professors of education technology at America’s leading universities -- are urging the Commission to change the E-rate program to enable schools to use these funds for anywhere/anytime wireless connectivity so all American students can continue their learning outside of school, after hours and on weekends, no matter their income level,” Qualcomm said (http://bit.ly/1j2eGFw). PCIA agreed, saying the school of the future will be built around mobile devices. “Static, paper-based textbooks will be replaced by adaptive digital curriculum, capable of monitoring student engagement and assisting teachers in assessing ‘individual student needs in real-time,'” PCIA said (http://bit.ly/1a1AZdh). “Equipped with Internet enabled mobile devices, students will research, communicate, and collaborate in dynamic fashion.” Mobile broadband “sometimes is the only option for obtaining reliable, high-speed broadband service, especially in rural and remote areas where fixed broadband networks are not available,” T-Mobile said in its reply comments (http://bit.ly/1dmpXiC). In addition, “as educators stress, the new digital learning environment requires always-on, anytime, anywhere access for students and teachers,” T-Mobile said.
Netflix and YouTube combined account for more than 50 percent of downstream traffic on fixed networks in North America, said a Sandvine report released Monday (http://bit.ly/HIV79j). Netflix is the leading downstream application with 31.6 percent of traffic, followed by YouTube at 18.6 percent, said the report. Sandvine’s Global Internet Phenomena Report is based on data from the company’s more than 250 service provider customers across the globe. The average monthly mobile usage in the Asia-Pacific now exceeds 1 GB, and videos account for 50 percent of the peak downstream traffic, compared with the monthly average of 443 MB in North America, said the report. Netflix now makes up more than 20 percent of downstream traffic on certain fixed networks in the British Isles in the less than two years since its launch, said the report. Instagram is the seventh top-ranked downstream application on mobile networks in Latin America, said Sandvine.
The FCC’s spectrum screen should be expanded to include all 2.5 GHz Broadband Radio Service and Educational Broadband Service spectrum, Verizon Wireless said in an ex parte letter filed Tuesday at the FCC. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has stressed the viability of the spectrum, on investor calls, Verizon said. “Sprint’s recent 4G LTE deployment announcements further emphasize that this spectrum not only is suitable and available for commercial mobile use, but that it is actually being used,” Verizon said. “On Sprint’s 3rd Quarter Earnings Call, Sprint’s CEO touted the benefits of the 2.5 GHz spectrum, emphasizing that Sprint ‘clearly ha[s] a strong spectrum position now with 120 megahertz of Clearwire spectrum in 90 percent of the top 100 markets’ in addition to the spectrum previously held directly by Sprint."
The West Virginia Broadband Deployment Council is accepting applications for up to $1.1 million in broadband deployment grants through Dec. 14, it said in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/16Z9VKz). The council said it will award grants for broadband infrastructure projects and projects that promote demand for broadband services and applications. After the initial applications are received, a 60-day period will begin Dec. 21 for competing applications to be filed in the same areas as the initial applications, said the council.
Time Warner Cable Business Class announced the launch of a “Virtual Visit” telemedicine trial with the Cleveland Clinic. The effort is part of TWCBC’s Home Health Monitoring program and allows healthcare providers to serve patients through secure videoconferencing from the patient’s home. Technical support for the patient is also provided.
The FCC Media Bureau approved Media General’s merger with Young Broadcasting Friday, one day after Media General’s shareholders approved the all-stock transaction, according to an FCC order and a Media General news release (http://bit.ly/1bfSseV). The deal will add Young’s 12 network stations to the 18 already owned by Media General. The new company will be majority-owned by Young shareholders but retain the Media General name and headquarters, operating in 27 markets and reaching 16.5 million U.S. TV households. The approval comes over the objections of Dish Network, which is engaged in a retransmission consent battle with Media General (CD Oct 21 p7). Since Dish has already filed a complaint against Media General in the retrans dispute, the bureau said it couldn’t consider Dish’s retrans-related objections to the merger. “We will not take action in the context of this limited proceeding that will pre-judge the outcome of another proceeding pending before us,” said the order. The bureau also rejected an informal objection from Spartan Media, which had argued that Young Broadcasting had violated ownership rules with sharing arrangements in the past. Along with the merger, the FCC also approved “satellite exemptions” for several stations involved in the transactions, and a “failing” station waiver. Public interest attorney Andy Schwartzman said the FCC’s approval of the merger doesn’t indicate the commission’s stance on other opening mergers such as Sinclair/Allbritton or Tribune/Local, because those mergers involve controversial sharing arrangements.
The text of the FCC’s rural call completion order was released Friday (http://bit.ly/1bjuocF). The order, approved 3-0, will let the commission monitor the delivery of long-distance calls to rural areas, aiding enforcement action, it said. It mandates retaining and reporting data on call completion rates to rural areas. A further notice seeks comment on several additional rules, including the potential of distinguishing autodialer traffic, whether rules should be imposed on intermediate providers, and whether the safe harbor should be modified. The further notice also contemplates whether rural ILECs above a certain size should be required to report their terminating call answer rate data, and whether the commission should formally adopt rules “codifying existing prohibitions on blocking, choking, reducing or restricting traffic,” including VoIP-public switched telephone network traffic.
Several CLECs wrote to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to encourage him to protect “pro-competitive policies” to help businesses and consumers (http://bit.ly/HGehgo). Sections 251 and 252 of the Telecom Act of 1996, which eased competitors’ entry into the communications marketplace, must continue to be enforced as carriers update their networks, said the letter, signed by Comptel, CBeyond, EarthLink, Level 3 and a dozen others. “In recent years, considerable disagreement has arisen among market participants regarding ongoing legal obligations and policy implications of implementing IP technology,” they said. “We urge you to address without delay last mile access and interconnection rights and obligations.” The letter also asked Wheeler to ensure that special access services are offered at “just and reasonable rates” regardless of the technology used. “The Commission should give priority to completing its evaluation of the state of competition in the high-capacity services marketplace and revising its special access rules and unbundling rules, including where forbearance has been granted, as necessary,” they said.