Opening briefs in the challenge to the FCC’s Open Internet Order will be due July 2 if the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit accepts the briefing schedule proposed jointly Monday by the parties and intervenors in the case. The joint brief of Verizon and MetroPCS, which argued the FCC lacked statutory authority to impose the net neutrality rules, and that of Free Press, which argued the order didn’t go far enough, would each be 14,000 words. The 20,000-word brief of the FCC and U.S. would be due Sept. 10.
Inmarsat approved 12 companies as sellers in its XpressLink dealer network. XpressLink will be available to shipping fleets worldwide through sales teams in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Inmarsat said. It said the product offers a full integrated Ku-band and L-band solution and it “delivers a compelling combination of broadband speed, a reliable and high-quality service and global coverage.” Sellers in the network include Satlink, Arskom Marine and One Net, Inmarsat said.
Public Knowledge wants to know exactly how data caps are set, evaluated and how they could evolve over time, according to letters sent Monday to the heads of several large wireless and wireline companies. Businesses, government and the public assume that the capacity to transmit information online will “keep pace with innovative imagination,” PK said. “If the networks cannot keep up, we need to know that now,” wrote President Gigi Sohn. PK also released a 56-page white paper reviewing the development and implementation of data caps, and suggesting the caps should be more transparent and shouldn’t be considered a means of creating an “artificial scarcity” of bandwidth (http://xrl.us/bm4u84). Also Monday, PK, Free Press, Consumers Union and the New America Foundation argued in a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee that data caps have no legitimate economic justification. “How can bold new models for online video and cloud computing continue to develop if consumers are discouraged from using broadband by arbitrary limits on their use, and harsh penalties for exceeding those limits,” the groups asked. CTIA responded by accusing groups like Free Press of operating “under the flawed view that networks should be free, ignoring that they are actually built and maintained through significant and ongoing investments by wireless and other broadband providers."
Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association added WorkMarket as a member. The association will work with the workforce consulting company “to expand the certification and qualifications needed in the consumer satellite industry,” SBCA said. It said WorkMarket offers networking tools that allow installation contractors, providers and others “to interact and engage in order to fulfill satellite installation labor needs."
President Barack Obama announced financial and travel sanctions against those who “perpetuate or facilitate grave human rights abuses” via information technology in Syria and Iran. In an executive order (http://xrl.us/bm4uzx) Monday, the president said the sanctions would be directed, among others, against those who “have sold, leased, or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, goods, services or technology to Iran or Syria likely to be used to facilitate computer or network disruption, monitoring or tracking that could assist in or enable serious human rights abuses.” They would also apply to persons found “to have operated, or to have directed the operation of, information and communications technology that facilitates computer or network disruption, monitoring or tracking” that enables serious human rights abuses in the two countries, it said. The sanctions are aimed at degrading the ability of the two governments to “acquire and utilize such technology to oppress their people,” it said. The White House’s order “rightly targets bad actors, not technology,” said TechAmerica. “The number one goal should be to curb the bad behavior -- not the technology -- as the President has done here."
The FCC International Bureau seeks further comment on proposals to revise policies and procedures regarding foreign ownership of common-carrier radio station licenses. This approach wasn’t discussed in the initiating notice of proposed rulemaking or comments filed to date in response to it in docket 11-133, said a notice to be published in Tuesday’s Federal Register notice (http://xrl.us/bm4uuo). Comments are due May 15, replies May 25.
The FCC is allowing opening of a second white spaces trial, this time using Telcordia’s white spaces database in rural Nottoway County, Va. Operations have been approved in open parts of the full UHF band, Channels 14-51. Adaptrim said Monday the FCC has authorized use of its equipment in the trial. Stratcom is also involved and will be responsible for service deployment and project management. “A total of 20 sites including 3 base station sites and 17 client sites are planned,” Adaptrim said. “Different use cases of the TV white space technology will be studied, especially focusing on education-related applications.” The first test, using a Spectrum Bridge database, opened in Wilmington, N.C., four months ago.
Paging provider American Messaging asked the FCC for a waiver until June 30 the deadline to start a service providing emergency alerts to subscribers using the Commercial Mobile Alert System. The service was supposed to lbegin April 7. “Many carriers that initially opted to participate in CMAS were unable to launch on April 7, 2012 as the Commission intended,” American Messaging said in a petition (http://xrl.us/bm4uff). “American Messaging remains committed to the CMAS program ... and intends to begin delivering alerts to its customers as soon as possible."
FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Rick Kaplan met with top T-Mobile USA executives at the carrier’s Bellevue, Wash., offices last week to talk about the company’s concerns about the Verizon Wireless/cable AWS deals, said an ex parte filing. Attending for T-Mobile were CEO Philipp Humm, General Counsel Dave Miller, Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray and Senior Vice President Tom Sugrue. “In particular, the T-Mobile Representatives discussed the fact that, unlike T-Mobile and other wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless has not used its existing AWS spectrum in any way in the six years it has held the licenses, and that the instant transactions would add even more AWS spectrum to Verizon Wireless’ unused spectrum inventory,” the filing said (http://xrl.us/bm4umd). “They noted that given this dismal track record on utilization of its current AWS spectrum, it would make no sense, and would be inconsistent with the Commission’s charge to ensure that spectrum transfers serve the public interest, to allow Verizon to acquire additional AWS licenses, especially at this time of an industry-wide spectrum crunch.” “Verizon Wireless’ purchase will put unused spectrum into the hands of millions of consumers who will use it for high-quality wireless broadband service on Verizon’s 4G LTE-enabled smartphones, tablets, and other devices,” Verizon said in response. “T-Mobile’s arguments ignore these facts and the needs of consumers and instead ask the FCC to second-guess the workings of the private commercial secondary market. That is not the purpose of the FCC’s review."
NCTA is OK with TV station channel sharing, “so long as it does not result directly or indirectly in the expansion of cable operators’ must carry obligations,” the association said about an FCC rulemaking notice. An order following up on that notice is set to be voted on at Friday’s commissioner meeting (CD April 16 p1). The agency shouldn’t impose more “burdens” on cable operators required to carry TV stations that forego compensation, the association said executives told aides to the two regular commissioners. “The must carry provisions of the Cable Act only require cable operators to carry certain low-power stations that meet specific statutory criteria,” so channel-sharing rules shouldn’t expand low-power TV’s “limited cable carriage rights,” said a filing Friday in docket 10-235 (http://xrl.us/bm4uk5).