The FCC extended by more than a month the comment deadlines on Qualcomm’s petition asking the agency to establish a new terrestrial-based, secondary status air-to-ground mobile service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band. Comments now are due July 16, replies July 31, the International Bureau wrote the Satellite Industry Association (http://xrl.us/bm9qi4), which requested more time for rulemaking No. 11640. Qualcom doesn’t object to the delay, granted to “assure a full record with regard to the technical issues raised by the petition and associated filings from Qualcomm,” the bureau said.
New York Public Radio requested a one-year experimental authorization to operate WQXR(FM) Newark, N.J., with single sideband suppressed carrier modulation of the stereo subcarrier in the FM multiplex baseband signal. NYPR plans to provide a technical report to the FCC upon grant of experimental authority, NYPR said in a filing: The network would like to test whether multipath interference “can be reduced through a reduction of occupied bandwidth and sideband pairs of the modulated carrier.” Some broadcasters have tested the technology to address multipath interference (CD Sept 14 p10).
The FCC sought comment on an American Cable Association petition (CD April 24 p13) to change some emergency alert system rules so small operators without broadband connections have a streamlined waiver process. The commission also sought comment on parts of the January emergency alert system order on Common Alerting Protocol, a new format using the Internet in which all EAS participants, which include all cable systems and radio and TV stations, must be able to get alerts in by June 30. “Nowhere” does the order say “a wireline broadband connection is necessary to comply with the Commission’s requirement,” an FCC public notice released late last week said. “We seek comment whether any presumption in favor of granting a waiver based on lack of physical access to broadband should be limited to an EAS Participant’s lack of physical access to a wireline broadband connection, as ACA requests.” The agency wants to know if it should consider costs of getting broadband in reviewing waiver requests, as the association asked. “If so, how should the Commission weigh such cost in this assessment?” the notice said (http://xrl.us/bm9p2f). “Should such an assessment be dependent on the financial condition of the petitioner? If so, what standard should we use for assessing whether a waiver is warranted based on financial condition? How much and what kind of information about a petitioner’s financial condition should be submitted in support of a waiver request? Should information as to where the waiver applicant is in its EAS equipment replacement cycle be a factor in the Commission’s analysis?” Comments on the notice, which posed other questions on the ACA request, are due, in docket 04-296, 15 days after the item’s publication in the Federal Register, replies 10 days later.
The FCC proposed fining Quinn Broadcasting $16,000 because New Jersey AM stations WSNJ Bridgeton and WMVB Millville had seven quarters of missing issues/program lists in their public inspection files. The fine also was levied because a Bridgeton antenna structure was sold to the company by Cohanzick Broadcasting without being reported to the commission, an Enforcement Bureau notice of apparent liability released Tuesday said (http://xrl.us/bm9py6).
Urinary tract infections kept the Acadia Parish School Board Head Start Program, La., from timely appealing a Universal Service Administrative Co. decision to deny E-rate funding, the Acadia Head Start director told the FCC (http://xrl.us/bm9pow). USAC denied Acadia’s appeal because it was not received before the filing deadline of May 17, 2011. The director, Sondra Myers, told the FCC the appeal was filed late because her mother was hospitalized for a week at a time with “recurring urinary tract infections,” and later died. Acadia is asking for FCC reversal of USAC’s decision.
Cordillera Communications and Time Warner Cable ended a retransmission consent dispute. It had blacked out several stations for all of this year in Texas on TWC’s systems (CD Dec 12 p8) and drawn an FCC complaint by the broadcaster that the cable operator didn’t negotiate in good faith. The “long-term agreement” with Cordillera means stations including KRIS-TV Corpus Christi are back on Time Warner Cable’s lineup, a TWC spokeswoman said. The American Television Alliance of pay-TV companies, including Time Warner Cable, that seek changes to retrans rules said that after the three Texas stations were returned to TWC’s subscribers, blackouts may happen with other broadcasters. “We are fast approaching 50 broadcaster blackouts this year. Where is the outrage?” the alliance said. “Until Washington changes the retransmission consent rules, broadcasters will continue to act with impunity and keep viewers in the dark for months at a time.” Cordillera had no comment. Broadcasters contend retrans works.
Iridium and Cambridge Consultants finished new trials on Iridium’s global push-to-talk radio system. The system is part of the Defense Department’s distributed tactical communications system, which “enables soldiers in isolated areas to communicate without the need for ground infrastructure,” Cambridge said. The company said it plans to continue developing elements for DTCS, including capabilities “to allow voice and data to be transmitted and received from any location worldwide, for unrivaled tactical and operational use.”
Representatives from Dickey Rural Telephone Cooperative met with FCC Wireline Bureau officials and an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel last week to discuss how the company might “salvage” its efforts to continue broadband service “in light of USF reforms and the resulting curtailment of universal support that DRTC had been receiving,” according to an ex parte notice (http://xrl.us/bm9ph8). Dickey will have to suspend its free Internet classes and “Rural PC Project,” which subsidizes computers for those in Dickey’s rural service area, the coop said, “thus ending ... successful broadband adoption initiatives."
T-Mobile asked the FCC to approve its March 23 petition seeking designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee and Virginia. T-Mobile noted that comments on its petition were due May 10. “There were no oppositions filed, and there is no reason the Commission should hesitate in granting T-Mobile low-income ETC status as quickly as possible,” the carrier said (http://xrl.us/bm9pie). “T-Mobile satisfies all of the requirements to be a low-income ETC, and granting the Petition would benefit consumers by allowing a significant new facilities-based competitor to enter the Lifeline market in the FCC States.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit established a briefing schedule for the net neutrality appeal, which should mean oral arguments early next year on challenges to the FCC’s December 2010 order. Lawyer Andrew Schwartzman said he expects arguments in January or February based on the schedule. The initial briefs by net neutrality opponents Verizon and MetroPCS are due July 2. Net neutrality supporter Free Press, which wants to see the rules strengthened, is to file the same day. The government’s initial brief is due Sept. 10. Final briefs are due Nov. 21. The panel of judges who will hear the case has yet to be selected.