California consumer advocates want to freeze LifeLine program rates because they believe the service has become “increasingly unaffordable,” they said in comments to the California Public Utilities Commission filed at the end of June (http://xrl.us/bngdob). LifeLine rates will rest at $6.84 until the cap is removed Dec. 31, and then rates will presumably begin varying, the advocates said. The Utility Reform Network (TURN) makes the case that removing the cap “will likely lead to a rapid increase in the price for LifeLine service,” potentially doubling the rates, and said the change “would be likely to cause much hardship among low-income households.” TURN had also advocated freezing the amount of subsidy to carriers to provide a check against the “incentive to increase basic rates and the resulting amount of the LifeLine surcharge,” which the comments also support. The groups that support TURN’s position include, in these June 27 comments, the Greenlining Institute, National Consumer Law Center and Center for Accessible Technology. TURN first raised the issue in June 12 comments to the PUC (http://xrl.us/bngdpe).
The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association slammed Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., for his investigation into police tracking of wireless users (CD July 10 p1). J. Adler, the group’s national president, accused Markey of “leaping to an alarmist conclusion,” in an email late Monday. “We certainly respect the rights of consumers, but we will not remain idle simply because a telecommunications company classifies a criminal as a ‘consumer,'” Adler said. “Contrary to Rep. Markey’s position, we do not have an abundance of time to ‘go fishing,’ and we make every effort to limit the scope of our request for data relating to a criminal investigation. Perhaps Rep. Markey should contact the Office of the Inspector General to learn about their function in overseeing allegations of misconduct, and he might be shocked to learn that we do not engage in a reckless data grab-bag. While he continues his quest to generate votes, we'll pursue our mission of identifying, investigating and prosecuting criminals.” Markey’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
CEA announced five new standards Monday, covering topics including accessibility, 3D video, TV picture brightness and wireless charging (http://xrl.us/bngdz9). ANSI/CEA-2041, “Standard for a Round Tactile Indicator,” defines a round, raised nib that visually impaired people can use to identify buttons on a remote control and was recently approved as an American National Standard. CEA-708.1, “Digital Television (DTV) Closed Captioning: 3D Extensions,” describes how to send closed captioning information for 3D video. CEA-2038, “Command-Driven Analog IR-Synchronized Active Eyewear,” describes how to control “active” 3D glasses worn by viewers using an infrared signal sent by a TV set. This enables viewers to continue wearing glasses as content switches from 2D to 3D mode, and also enables two viewers to see two different images, which might be desirable in video gaming, CEA said. CEA-2042.1-A, “Wireless Power Glossary of Terms,” defines terminology used to describe wireless charging systems that charge devices placed on a flat charging surface. CEA-805-D-1, “Data Services on the Component Video Interfaces,” clarifies how digital bits need to be transmitted in a CEA-805-D component video signal. The technical report, CEA-TR-1, “Home Illumination Study,” details results of a study of ambient light levels in typical TV viewing locations, which is useful for determining how bright a picture needs to be to provide a satisfactory viewing experience, the association said. Brightness has a direct impact on the energy consumption of the TV, it noted. The study was done in cooperation with the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association.
Leading House Commerce Committee members from both parties asked the FCC Monday for more data about how the USF is funded (http://xrl.us/bngawg). They asked for up-to-date state-by-state information on the commission’s high-cost and low-income programs. The committee members also asked for a timeline of the commission’s decisions related to the USF/intercarrier compensation order. The letter was signed by Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., Ranking Member Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the case against Dish Network’s Auto Hop feature should be heard in a Los Angeles court. Dish urged the court to allow the case to be heard in New York. There is “no useful or appropriate purpose in entertaining Dish’s declaratory judgment action to the extent that it overlaps with the litigation pending in the Central District of California,” Judge Laura Swain said in a memorandum opinion and order. Fox Entertainment, CBS and NBCUniversal sued Dish separately in May against the feature that allows customers to skip ads when recording programs (CD May 29 p6). In a statement, Fox said it can now move on to “demonstrating that Dish Network has created and marketed a product with the clear goal of breaching its license with Fox, violating copyrights and destroying the fundamental underpinnings of the broadcast television business.” Dish had no comment right away.
Verizon Wireless’s proposed agreement with SpectrumCo and Cox to buy the cable operators’ AWS licenses, while entering into new business arrangements, marks a key development in “the sad history of the failure of competition in local service under the 1996 [Telecom] Act,” the Consumer Federation of America said in a new paper, which it submitted to the FCC. “The local market has been reduced to two dominant wireline broadband service providers, one of whom [Verizon] also dominates local wireless service,” CFA said (http://xrl.us/bngaox). “Against the background of this very highly concentrated market, Verizon and the cable companies have proposed to declare a competitive cease fire between the two broadband wireline networks. Verizon will not extend it high capacity broadband network, rather it will market cable’s network. Cable will not enter the wireless market or use smaller wireless carriers to build a bundle of wireless and wireline service, it will use Verizon’s wireless service. Both parties give up the single best product they had to compete, taking a commission on the sale of the competitor’s product.” Thirty-two members of the House, all Democrats, sent the FCC and the Department of Justice a letter raising similar concerns about the effect of the Verizon/SpectrumCo agreements on telecom/cable competition. The agreements “appear to turn the promise of the” Telecom Act “on its head,” the letter said. The letter (http://xrl.us/bngaq3) was circulated by the Communications Workers of America. “Today’s letter makes it clear that there is strong opposition to the cross-marketing agreements in the Verizon/Big Cable deal in its current form,” said Debbie Goldman, CWA telecom policy director. “As it stands, the proposal represents a serious threat to consumers, particularly those in urban centers already facing a widening digital divide. Elected officials are right to be concerned, and we urge the FCC to take their concerns into account as they consider this deal.” Verizon Wireless “is confident that we have made a persuasive case that purchasing and bringing unused spectrum into the marketplace to meet the communications needs of millions of consumers is strongly in the public interest,” a spokesman said in response.
The State Department notified Congress of its proposed amendments and technical assistance agreements concerning the sale of satellite equipment to foreign nations. The notifications to Congress will be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, a department notice said (http://xrl.us/bngaqz). Technical data and defense services in the amount of $100 million or more were proposed to help fund the design, manufacture and delivery of satellite subsystems on-board processors for the Iridium Next program, State said. The agency also proposed the sale of equipment for the SES-8 commercial communications satellite program for the Netherlands, the Proton launch of the W3D commercial communication satellites from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and long-term support for the MEXSAT commercial communication satellite program, it said. The agency proposed at least $50 million for each sale.
The FCC Wireline Bureau seeks comment on a TracFone Wireless petition to require eligible telecom carriers to retain documentation of program-based eligibility for Lifeline, said a public notice Monday (http://xrl.us/bngaq9). TracFone argues that a recently adopted rule requiring ETCs to review subscriber documentation prior to enrollment doesn’t sufficiently protect against waste, fraud and abuse. Comments are due July 24 in docket 12-23, replies Aug. 8.
The FCC needs to make clear to carriers that it can’t prevent subscribers from making political contributions via text message, as recently permitted by the Federal Election Commission, said Michael Weinberg, vice president of Public Knowledge’s Institute for Emerging Innovation. Weinberg commented on reports that to date none of the major national carriers allow the practice. “Carriers should not have the power to drag their feet and prevent people from donating to political campaigns,” he said. “For five years we have been demanding that the FCC make it clear that carriers do not get to decide what consumers can and cannot do with text messaging. … The FCC continues to ignore the fact that text messaging exists and is used billions of times each year. It is well past time that the FCC make it clear that consumers -- not carriers -- get to choose what they do with text messaging."
The intellectual property attache program would be moved to the full Commerce Department from the Patent and Trademark Office, to be supervised by a new assistant secretary for IP, under a bill introduced Monday by House Judiciary Committee leaders. The Intellectual Property Attache Act, which doesn’t have a bill number yet (http://xrl.us/bngamv), would task the Commerce secretary with placing attaches in countries where they are likely to reduce infringement “in the U.S. market and globally,” advance IP rights of U.S. owners and those “who may be otherwise harmed” by IP violations, and further market access to U.S. interests. The president would appoint the assistant secretary for IP, who would report to the PTO director. The assistant secretary would work with departments “including” the U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator. The PTO administrator for policy and external affairs would be redesignated as a deputy assistant secretary of commerce for IP policy and external affairs, and the Commerce secretary would have authority to create more deputy assistant secretary positions. Sponsors include committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Ranking Member John Conyers, D-Mich., IP Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., Ranking Member Mel Watt, D-N.C., House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Howard Berman, D-Calif. The bill is scheduled to be marked up Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Room 2141 of the Rayburn building.