The FCC needs to protect unlicensed operations in the 902-928 MHz band from interference, including interference from Progeny’s Multilateration Location and Monitoring Service (M-LMS), the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) told the Wireless Bureau in an ex parte letter (http://xrl.us/bngadn). TIA said that M-LMS should be tested to ensure that it doesn’t harmfully interfere with Part 15 stakeholders.
Jacksonville State University in Alabama urged the FCC Media Bureau to deny the petition from Anniston Seventh-Day Adventist Church against JSU’s application for a new noncommercial educational (NCE) station in Anniston, Ala. ASDA’s petition “alleges no defect per se in JSU’s application, much less one that merits denial of that application,” JSU said in a filing (http://xrl.us/bnf94w). In May, the bureau rescinded ASDA’s tentative selectee status and dismissed its application for a new NCE station (CD May 24 p12). In a separate filing, JSU asked the bureau to deny ASDA’s petition for reconsideration of the dismissed application. ASDA “lacked the threshold technical qualifications to become a tentative selectee in the first place,” JSU said (http://xrl.us/bnf97k).
Idaho Public Television (IPTV) urged the FCC Media Bureau to deny an application from Neuhoff Family L.P. for a construction permit for a digital companion channel. IPTV’s digital translator station in Burley “has been suffering substantial, objectionable interference” since Neuhoff completed construction and testing of its digital KTWT-LP companion channel facilities in Twin Falls, IPTV said in an informal objection (http://xrl.us/bnf9tp). It appears that Neuhoff’s license application “falsely certifies that the KTWT-LP digital facilities were constructed in accordance with the construction permit for them,” IPTV said.
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai will call for FCC action to make more spectrum available more quickly for wireless broadband during an appearance before the House Communications Subcommittee, based on his written testimony made available Monday (http://xrl.us/bnf97p). The FCC “has done a good job of identifying the looming spectrum crunch and developing a strategy for addressing it,” as well as setting goals, such as making 500 MHz available by 2020, Pai said. “Unfortunately, we are not on track to meet these goals,” he said. “The National Broadband Plan forecast that the FCC would be able to dedicate to mobile broadband spectrum bands comprising 180 MHz by the end of 2011. It is now the middle of 2012, and still none of the identified bands can be utilized effectively for mobile broadband. We must act quickly to turn this situation around.” Pai said the FCC could start by addressing the reallocation of 40 MHz of spectrum in the AWS-4 or 2 GHz band. “In baseball, it is often said that the first run of the game is the most difficult one for a team to score,” Pai said. “Similarly, if we are able to complete work for the first time on a band identified in the National Broadband Plan and put 40 MHz of spectrum up on the scoreboard, it could set the stage for future spectrum successes.” Pai also plans to tell the committee the FCC needs to speed up its work in general. “I have been struck by how many parties have complained to me that the Commission has unreasonably delayed taking action in a particular proceeding -- for months, for a year, or even for the better part of a decade,” he said. “We must act with the same alacrity as the industry we regulate.”
The FCC Wireline Bureau seeks comment on a Section 214 application for transfer of control of Astound Broadband to Oak Hill Holdco (http://xrl.us/bnf928). Astound, a subsidiary of WaveDivision, provides competitive local exchange, long distance and wholesale telecom services to residential and commercial customers in California, Oregon and Washington, and has applied for authority to do so in Maryland. Comments are due July 23 in docket 12-158, replies July 30.
Wireless technology provider NewNet Communication Technologies is the newest member of the Rural Cellular Association, both said Monday in a news release. NewNet joins RCA as an associate member.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., signed a set of Internet freedom principles put out by a coalition led by Free Press, Mozilla, the American Civil Liberties Union and others (WID July 3 p1), Free Press said. Issa said he would work with his colleagues in Congress and “Internet users everywhere to develop common-sense policy that ensures future generations enjoy the Internet freedoms we do today.”
The Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) asked for a time extension, from Tuesday to Aug. 9, to file documents seeking eligible telecom carrier status. “The OST has had ongoing issues with its current wireless carrier, AT&T,” the tribe said (http://xrl.us/bnf9yh). “The OST has made it clear to AT&T that it does not intend to extend any agreement beyond three (3) years as it has wanted to form its own tribally owned carrier and seek to become an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation."
Some Mid-Atlantic residents continue to struggle without phone service after a June 29 storm known as a “derecho” and more severe weather on July 8. On Monday, Verizon provided another update on its ongoing efforts to restore service to the Mid-Atlantic. “I'm extremely proud of our team, which has worked 12 hours-plus daily in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees to bring service back for our customers,” said Verizon Mid-Atlantic official Chris Childs in prepared remarks. Verizon’s service is “nearly back to normal in most of the Washington metropolitan area,” the company announced, which translates into at least, as of Monday morning, “163 downed utility poles and 602 downed copper or fiber cables” as well as “several hundred” people still without power and previously inaccessible for crews due to downed power lines throughout the D.C. metro region. Verizon also provided video of northern Virginia repair crews (http://xrl.us/bnf9ju) as well as mobile shelters for the powerless residents of Lynchburg and Max Meadow, Va., and for several days, a 53-foot mobile command center trailer truck in Alexandria, Va. “The air conditioned tents, with room for 12 people, included satellite phone service, laptops with Internet access and charging stations for wireless devices,” Verizon said.
Sirius XM added more than 620,000 net subscribers in Q2. That’s up 38 percent from about 450,000 subscribers added in the year-ago quarter, it said. Sirius had more than 22.9 million subscribers as of June 30, the satellite radio provider said. The company said it “expects its net new subscriber growth to approach 1.6 million and revenue to approach $3.4 billion in 2012,” and financial results for Q2 will be released Aug. 7.