The FCC should confirm facilities-based VoIP providers’ rights to direct Internet Protocol-to-IP interconnection pursuant to Section 251(c) of the Communications Act, Comptel told Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel Monday, said an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bnc7no). This will help foster the transition to “the more efficient IP technology,” Comptel said. It said AT&T and Verizon have both told their U-verse and FiOS customers respectively that managed VoIP services are “isolated from the public Internet traffic,” so “claims that this is tantamount to regulation of the public Internet are without merit."
Magic Johnson’s new cable channel started Wednesday and expects to be in 12 million households this year and 20 million to 30 million by the end of 2013. Comcast and Time Warner Cable are carrying Aspire, now in about 7 million households in 16 of the top 25 African-American markets, the programmer said late Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bnc7kh). The network was among four minority-owned channels Comcast is carrying as part of its commitments when buying control of NBCUniversal last year (CD Feb 22 p15).
The SEC’s “notion” that Harbinger Capital Partners CEO Phil Falcone committed fraud in getting a loan from the hedge fund company “is unsupportable,” his lawyer said. “This has to be the first case involving an act of supposed dishonesty in which a client simply followed the advice of his lawyer,” said the attorney, Matthew Dontzin. “The loan was obtained after receiving considered written legal advice from a leading national law firm on the basis of fully disclosed facts; that same firm proposed the idea of the loan, structured the transaction, documented it, advised on the timing and form of disclosure to investors, and explained it when investors made inquiries.” The SEC Wednesday (CD June 28 p20) filed fraud charges against Falcone and Harbinger, the biggest investor in LightSquared. The allegations are “completely unsupported by any evidence,” Dontzin said in a written statement Wednesday.
The government’s regulatory role in the broadband economy should be limited to allow for innovation, two economists said as part of a Tuesday teleconference hosted by the Internet Innovation Alliance and featuring panelists from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) and American Consumer Institute (ACI). “The more that the FCC tries to exercise regulatory control over broadband and wireless and apps, what happens is they run the risk of squeezing out the innovation,” said PPI Chief Economic Strategist Mike Mandel. In terms of public policy, the U.S. should “encourage investment innovation into IT, which has created economic growth and jobs” in contrast to many sectors of the economy in recent years, said ACI Senior Fellow Joseph Fuhr. Mandel emphasized that investing in broadband is always better and leads to more competition and growth. “What we need to do is look at this tax policy and try to make it easier and not add these regulatory costs,” Fuhr said.
The FCC Technological Advisory Council will hold a forum on the future of wireless bandplans on July 16 at 9:30 a.m. at the commission. Other details are to follow (http://xrl.us/bnc65x). “This forum will serve to launch a continuing dialogue between the Commission and key industry stakeholders and will explore the technological issues affecting wireless band plan design,” the FCC said. “The forum will include discussions on the impact of developments in filter technology on band planning, LTE trends and their implications for future band plans, and network operator perspectives on band plan design."
CEA announced at CE Line Shows Wednesday the launch of CEA Foundation, whose mission is to link seniors and people with disabilities with computer, video and Internet technology that can help them in their daily lives. Audiovox founder John Shalam told us the initial endowment of the charitable foundation is $1 million, and the first grant for $250,000 was awarded to Selfhelp Community Services, an eldercare service organization based in New York. Selfhelp’s Virtual Senior Center uses technology to allow homebound seniors to connect with friends and take virtual classes in art, cooking and other activities, said Leo Asen, vice president of senior communities at Selfhelp. Asen cited research indicating technology “may help blunt the colossal emotional, physical and financial costs of isolation that tens of thousands of seniors deal with on a daily basis.” Also during CE Week, CEA CEO Gary Shapiro said that Kazuhiro Tsuga, newly appointed President of Panasonic Corp., will deliver the opening keynote address at International CES 2013. The keynote is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Palazzo Ballroom in the Venetian hotel, Las Vegas, Shapiro said. Investor Larry Richenstein is vice chairman of the foundation and Veronica O'Connell of CEA is secretary and treasurer. Sunday is “Independence Day for the nearly 30 million blind and visually impaired Americans” because it marks the start of FCC rules for the top-five cable networks and some TV stations to begin providing four hours weekly of video description, said CEO Diane Johnson of Descriptive Video Works, a company providing such audio narration services. Video description was mandated by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, on which CEA lobbied.
Local government groups Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to review a decision of the 5th U.S. Appeals Court upholding the FCC’s 2009 wireless zoning shot clock (CD Jan 12 p4). “It’s clear that Congress intended to stop the FCC from increasing the cost and complexity of zoning processes by establishing national zoning rules,” said municipal communications lawyer Joseph Van Eaton of Best Best & Krieger, counsel for several of the petitioners. “It’s important for the Supreme Court to review the case to ensure local and state zoning rights are protected."
The FCC adopted “limited forbearance” from a requirement that an eligible telecom carrier’s service area conform to the service area of any rural telco serving the same area, in an order released Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bnc4pv). The forbearance is “limited to petitioners seeking conditional designation as ETCs in areas eligible for Mobility Fund Phase I support in order to participate in the Mobility Fund Phase I auction and receive support.” Applicants who wish to bid for Phase I support in September’s auction must be designated as ETCs in the areas where they wish to bid. Forbearance from applying the Section 214(e)(5) “service area conformance” requirement is appropriate here because the conformance requirement “could discourage participation” in the auction otherwise, the order said. “Removing such disincentives to participation may increase competition in the auction resulting in lower bids for support and enabling greater coverage within the Mobility Fund Phase I budget."
The Wireless Bureau sought comment on a request for a waiver to allow equipment certification and use of Seareka’s Maritime Survivor Locating Device (MSLD) in the 869.40-869.65 MHz band. “The Seareka MSLD is designed to be worn on a life vest or other survival equipment and is activated by inflating the vest or submerging the MSLD,” the bureau said (http://xrl.us/bnc4p9). “Upon activation, the MSLD sends a signal with a unique digital code identifying the individual in distress and the individual’s GPS position to a receiver onboard the parent vessel, and to any other vessel in the vicinity with a Seareka receiver.” Comments are due July 27, replies Aug. 13. The waiver request was filed by Whiffletree Corp.
The Wireline Bureau sought comment on AT&T’s application to discontinue certain telecom services in 26 states and the District of Columbia (http://xrl.us/bnc4pi). AT&T’s “Dedicated Entrance Facility” service, which allows customers to consolidate multiple point-to-point services at a customer premise, “has been replaced in the market by Ethernet services offered by AT&T and other service providers,” AT&T said, according to the public notice. AT&T will continue to provide the service to existing customers after their contracts end on a month-to-month basis until April 2017, the notice said. Comments are due July 12 in docket 12-178.