Alaskan companies face extraordinary expense to construct and operate telecom systems in the rugged state, the Alaska Rural Coalition told an aide to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn last week, according to an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bnb57z). ARC urged the commission to grant its outstanding request for a signaling waiver.
More U.S. households are watching TV over-the-air than last year, the NAB said, pointing to a survey by GfK Media. The GfK study said the number of Americans who rely on over-the-air signals for their TV increased to 54 million from 46 million a year ago. “Our research reveals that over-the-air broadcasting remains an important distribution platform … and that in the past year the estimated number of broadcast-only households in the U.S. has grown significantly over what we've seen at least back to 2008,” said David Tice, senior vice president of GfK Media. The survey also found that over-the-air viewing is on the rise among minorities and the young. Among Asian-American households, 28 percent “are dependent on broadcast reception,” among African Americans 23 percent, and among Latinos 26 percent. Additionally 24 percent of homes in which the head of household is under 35 are broadcast only, the survey found.
CenturyLink met with Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai last week, as well as the Wireline Bureau chief and an aide to Chairman Julius Genachowski, to discuss the state of the Connect America Fund Phase I incremental support plan, and the timeline and issues involved in adopting the cost model and distribution methodology for CAF Phase II support, according to an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bnb57k). CenturyLink also reviewed its progress on filing tariffs implementing the intercarrier compensation reforms adopted in the USF/intercarrier compensation order.
Smartphone-driven aftermarket accessory revenue at $20 billion will exceed half of the $36 billion revenue produced by aftermarket handset accessories in 2012, said ABI research (http://xrl.us/bnb535). Smartphone accessory revenue will increase to $38 billion while feature phone accessory revenue will decrease to $12 billion by 2017, it said. Smartphone consumers will buy more and spend more for accessories, $56.18 per device compared to $28.17 spent by feature phone consumers per device, it said.
States and providers of interstate telecom relay services (TRS) must submit their annual consumer complaint log summaries by July 2, according to an FCC public notice (http://xrl.us/bnb5vx). The summaries must include the total number of interstate relay service calls by type of TRS, the number of complaints alleging a violation of federal TRS mandatory minimum standards, the date and nature of the complaint, and the date and explanation of the resolution.
The FCC fined a company $1.7 million for “willfully or repeatedly failing to contribute fully” to the universal service, North American Numbering Plan, and local number portability funds; failing to pay regulatory fees when due; and filing inaccurate form 499s (http://xrl.us/bnb54d). The Florida-based telecom provider, Telseven, sold a service allowing consumers to obtain information about recently disconnected or out-of-service toll free numbers. Telseven charged a “Federal Universal Service Fund charge” and an “administrative recovery fee” to consumers, but according to the Universal Service Administrative Co., Telseven hadn’t made any USF payments since November 2007, and owed over $1 million in “delinquent USF contributions.” Telseven filed for bankruptcy in April and its website indicates it is no longer providing telecom services. Our efforts to reach Telseven for comment were unsuccessful.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a bankruptcy court’s ruling (http://xrl.us/bnb52b)...
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a bankruptcy court’s ruling (http://xrl.us/bnb52b) that Halo Wireless should not escape the more than 20 suits filed in 13 jurisdictions by Texas and Missouri telephone companies, TDS Communications Corp., and several AT&T companies throughout the last year despite filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last August (http://xrl.us/bnb5wq). The court said the small wireless carrier should not “avoid the potential consequences of a business model it freely chose and pursued.” The local telephone companies objected to Halo’s actions beginning in May 2011 in various complaints filed in state PUCs that question the nature of the services Halo offered. The bankruptcy court ruled last fall that the telephone companies should be allowed to proceed with their litigation but noted that “state adjudicative bodies could not issue any ruling or order to liquidate the amount of any claim against Halo, and that the bodies could not take any action that affects the debtor-creditor relationship between Halo and any creditor or potential creditor.” Halo appealed the ruling, as the other companies contended that Halo engaged “in an arbitrage scheme and that the debtor owes them fees under applicable law and regulations.” Halo has insisted that “because the PUC actions were brought by private parties, they should be subject to the automatic stay.” AT&T has said no difference exists between cases brought by private parties and those brought by PUCs. The court also granted two motions -- one submitted by Halo to strike a brief the Missouri Public Service Commission, not included in the case against Halo yet alleging similar complaints as the other companies, attempted to include -- and another by AT&T requesting the court “take judicial notice of federal court and state commission proceedings and orders that have been referenced and/or discussed in the parties’ briefing in this appeal.” The circuit court granted the second motion with the caveat that AT&T’s input was “not especially helpful” in deciding the case.
Avanti Communications will install Newtec Sat3Play hubs in its earth stations to extend its IP broadband service range on its satellites HYLAS 1 and HYLAS 2. Avanti developed a low risk, low capital investment entry route “for customers wishing to remotely manage and operate their own Newtec hub infrastructure,” it said. Through the agreement, Avanti’s customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East will access fast and easy Internet at highly competitive market rates, Avanti said.
The FCC gave Neustar an additional five-year contract as North American Numbering Plan Administrator (http://xrl.us/bnb52m). The FCC first named Neustar to be the neutral administrator of the plan in 1997. The new contract extends through 2017.
Parts of many cellular networks potentially face traffic overload due to increasing video traffic, said Tom Soroka, USTelecom vice president-engineering and technology, in a webinar hosted by USTelecom. “No doubt, there’s been a video explosion,” he said. “Just about any mobile backhaul network needs the highest capacity they can get their hands on.” Video will consume two-thirds of mobile data traffic worldwide, 7.6 exabytes out of the 10.6 used per month, by 2016, according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index for 2011-2016 released in February (http://xrl.us/bigzmr). “There’s no one grand silver bullet solution,” Soroka said. Service providers will have to conduct cost-benefit analyses to determine the extent of network optimization in order to meet the increasing data demands, he said. Adtran posed one solution in the webinar: Optical Networking Edge, designed to help network providers offer a reliable, scalable network. “Years ago, most backhaul was over copper circuits,” Soroka said. “Now it’s moving toward packet over optical solutions. The current phase will be to eliminate as much transport overhead as possible,” he said, citing the use of Internet Protocol over optical circuits in the next phase of backhaul transformation.