CBS’s KPIX-TV San Francisco didn’t violate state laws when it laid off two of its older news employees in 2008, a federal appeals court found, affirming a lower court’s decision. The lawsuit came out of layoffs that followed a corporate directive to cut each CBS-owned station’s budget 10 percent that year, the opinion of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. Though the two employees the station laid off were the oldest of several news employees, “KPIX offered legitimate non-discriminatory reasons for its layoff decision,” the opinion said. “This case demonstrates that reduced advertising revenues, whether caused by competition from online news outlets or our nation’s economic downturn, have taken a significant toll on local television stations."
Sprint Nextel has received a $1 billion loan from Deutsche Bank and a group of other banks to fund its network upgrade, according to the company. The money will be used to purchase equipment from Ericsson, one of Sprint’s three vendors for the network overhaul. The loan is due in March 2017.
The House will begin debate on a bill Wednesday that would revamp FCC processes despite bicameral Democratic opposition to such reforms. The Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act (HR-3309) aims to consolidate or repeal several FCC reports and require new reports on the state of the telecom market. The bill would amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the agency to publish biennial reports on marketplace competition, telecom deployment and legislative barriers to the expansion of communications services. If passed, the bill would repeal or consolidate current FCC reports on satellite competition, international broadband, video programming, cable industry prices, small business entry barriers and commercial mobile radio, among others. The bill also would require the FCC to list the geographic regions that are not served by any telecom provider. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., sponsored the bill, which was approved by the House Commerce Committee in March by a mostly partisan 31-16 vote. The Senate has failed to progress on FCC reform legislation as quickly as the House. In November, Senate Commerce Committee member Dean Heller, R-Nev., introduced a companion bill (S-1780), but Democrats in the majority have yet to take it up.
The Personal Communications Industry Association and member companies asked follow-up questions about filing requirements and the online system for the FCC’s Antenna Structure Registration, in a meeting with Wireless Bureau staff. “The Parties inquired about compliance with the Interim ASR Rules, including how the new national and local pre-application notification processes will work in conjunction with one another -- particularly in situations where the date of the local notice changes -- and what processes and criteria Commission staff will use in reviewing Requests for Environmental Review filed during the notification process,” said a filing by PCIA on the meeting (http://xrl.us/bm9qpb). “Additionally, the Parties inquired about how to update minor, non-administrative changes in the information for a registered tower in the new ASR system, including small corrections in tower coordinates and height that do not involve structural changes, and about non-registered, existing towers that will require ASR registration due to new Federal Aviation Administration requirements."
Verizon Wireless estimates traffic on its LTE network will surpass data usage on its EVDO network by early 2013 and will see “five times the peak data traffic ever carried on the 3G EVDO network” by year-end 2015, Verizon Wireless officials said in a meeting with FCC staff. The comments were made relative to Verizon’s proposal to buy AWS licenses from SpectrumCo and Cox. “The company has explained how it incorporates traffic growth projections into network planning, and has provided data demonstrating the capacity constraints that the 4G LTE network -- and Verizon Wireless customers -- will experience as early as next year absent additional spectrum,” Verizon said, in an ex parte filing, parts of which were redacted (http://xrl.us/bm9qox). In the past Verizon “has consistently underestimated growth in consumer demand, and therefore underestimated its capacity needs,” the filing said. “Given the company’s existing AWS spectrum holdings, it planned to use its AWS frequencies to support the next phase of LTE spectrum deployment -- a capacity overlay -- rather than look first to the heavily used PCS bands. In the last 18-24 months, Verizon Wireless has worked with vendors to develop algorithms to support load balancing between the 700 MHz and AWS spectrum; initiated service trials; and worked with device [makers] to develop equipment for the 700 MHz/AWS bands."
Intelsat gained the first commercial contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket by SpaceX. Under the agreement, an Intelsat satellite will be launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit, the companies said. Intelsat and SpaceX will conduct rigorous flight tests of the rocket prior to Intelsat’s future launch requirements, they said.
Time Warner Cable wants out of video rate regulation in five Kentucky municipalities, contending it faces sufficient competition from both U.S. DBS companies, said a petition posted Friday in FCC docket 12-1 for Providence, St. Charles and elsewhere (http://xrl.us/bm9qk4).
Another broadcaster backed the NAB on viewability (CD May 29 p15), saying the FCC shouldn’t nix a mandate that stations guaranteed cable carriage be distributed in any format in which a system operates. “Christian Television Network wishes to continue to serve all of the cable households within its market,” and so the agency should keep the rule, said the owner of a Macon, Ga., station. “While I cannot determine exactly how many of Station WGNM’s viewers would be affected if the current rule is eliminated, one thing is certain: my station cannot afford a decline in viewership.” The filing was posted Friday in docket 98-120 (http://xrl.us/bm9qkd).
Sprint Nextel will shut down all iDEN services by June 30, 2013, as part of its network modernization plan, the company said. As a result, it will send written notices to business and government customers beginning this Friday, it said. Additional notices will be distributed to iDEN customers and vendors multiple times over the next year, Sprint said. As early as June 30, 2013, the iDEN Nextel National Network push-to-talk service will become inoperable. However, Sprint CDMA voice and data services on dual mode iDEN and CDMA devices will still be available. Sprint has already discontinued selling iDEN services in all channels and all brands. Sprint will continue to support customers with iDEN devices during the transition and will work to migrate iDEN customers to CDMA services. The 800 MHz spectrum for iDEN and parts of the iDEN infrastructure will be re-appropriated for CDMA and LTE services, a Sprint spokesman said.
The Advanced TV Systems Committee approved a new delivery standard for “non-real-time” content, it said Tuesday. The delivery of non-real-time services via the backward-compatible “A/103” standard “will now allow broadcasters to deliver file-based content, including programs and clips, information for emergency alerts and even commercial applications such as digital signage,” the ATSC said. The standard supports terrestrial transmission to fixed and mobile DTV receivers that are outfitted with “the new flexibility,” it said. The standard “gives broadcasters the capability to deliver all types of file-based content to consumers,” President Mark Richer said. “Using broadcast television, programmers will be able to send content that a viewer may watch at their convenience."