National Exchange Carrier Assn. (NECA) said FCC shouldn’t require ILECs to provide number pooling until they could recover their costs. In Feb. 14 comments on FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking (99-200), NECA said number pooling costs should be recovered through existing means, including interstate access charges, and should be available to carriers that aren’t local number portability capable. If FCC decides to subject carriers to number pooling rules before cost recovery is determined, rural carriers should be exempt because “they will be disproportionately affected by the implementation expense of number pooling,” NECA said. National Telephone Coop Assn. (NTCA) said rural LECs that weren’t capable of providing local number portability (LNP) should be exempted from 1,000-number block pooling. NTCA said it opposed FCC’s proposal to require rural LECs to become LNP-capable so they could provide pooling. “Rural LECs have not caused the numbering exhaust problem,” NTCA said. Imposing LNP and pooling on them “would not provide any meaningful extension to the life of the North American Numbering Plan.” Meanwhile, Assn. of Communications Enterprises (ASCENT) urged FCC not to adopt market- based allocation system for numbers, one idea mentioned in agency’s proposal on numbering resources. ASCENT said Commission didn’t have statutory authority to institute such system, whether by auction or otherwise, for giving out numbers. Assn., which represents resellers, said market-based system wouldn’t necessarily reflect cost of numbering administration, and providing numbers only to those willing to pay for them wouldn’t ensure competitive neutrality.
European Union’s (EU) top envoy in U.S., Gunter Burghardt, called Wed. for policy of “negotiate before you litigate” in diplomatic dealings between EU and U.S. In speech at Duke U., Burghardt, who heads European Commission’s Washington office, said dispute settlement before World Trade Organization should be last resort option for resolving disputes. “It is vastly preferable to address potential conflicts before they become the subjects of newspaper editorials,” he said. In sketching “new approach” for managing trans-Atlantic trade disputes, he said U.S. and EU should focus on economic issues such as launching new multilateral trade round. “On data protection, the EU is under strong pressure from its citizens to adopt much stricter control over access to personal data than is the case in the U.S.,” he said. “U.S. public opinion and that of some U.S. CEOs have moved towards the European position on this issue, resulting in agreement on adoption of the ’safe harbor’ principle.” New U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and EU Trade Comr. Pascal Lamy plan to meet in Washington early next month.
General Dynamics Worldwide Telecommunication Systems joined N.M. State U. (NMSU) in opening SpacePlex facility on NMSU campus Thurs. to provide satellite command and control service, network operations and ground-station support for up to 100 satellites. SpacePlex’s 28 control station, 11,000-sq.-ft. facility connects via high-bandwidth ATM link and fiber backbone supporting C-, S-, X- and Ku-band antennas.
Comcast said it completed its purchase of Home Team Sports, regional cable sports network in Washington/Baltimore area, from Viacom and Fox Sports Net, terms not disclosed.
First meeting of council to oversee Part 68 certification will be May 2, Alliance for Telecom Industry Solutions and Telecom Industry Assn. said. Groups are responsible for setting up Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments (ACTA) following FCC’s decision to privatize Part 68 responsibilities. Council will be responsible for certification and standards development to assure equipment doesn’t harm telephone network.
Dept. of Defense (DoD) and wireless industry remain apart on some technical issues regarding how bands occupied by military users could be altered for 3rd-generation uses. Govt. and industry officials, at meeting hosted by NTIA Thurs., emphasized that analyses of bands that could be used for additional 3G spectrum were continuing, with final FCC and NTIA reports due late next month. “We still have a lot of work to do,” Motorola’s Steve Sharkey said. “We have at least an idea of where the paths to move forward are.” Meanwhile, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) raised budget projections for proceeds from FCC spectrum auctions through 2007, with rosier outlook attributed to interest in 3G.
Loral plans to write off $1 billion loss on Globalstar “to get it behind us” while looking for new strategic partnerships to spur new growth in company (CD Feb 2 p3), CEO Bernard Schwartz told investors in conference call Thurs. He admitted company was exploring options to increase profitability and making plans to sell ChinaSat 8 satellite, if deal falls through or U.S. doesn’t authorize contract because of stringent export controls. Schwartz didn’t rule out sale or strategic alliance with another company. “There are continuing discussions across the board for consolidation,” he said: “These discussions are taking place on many levels. There is strong desire among Europeans to get into the U.S. market and among U.S. companies” to access European market: “I don’t expect any imminent decision on any discussions that Loral has participated in, but discussions are ongoing.”
FCC asked for comments by March 16 on Ariz. Corp. Commission (ACC) proposal to set service area for Smith Bagley mobile phone company that’s different from study areas of 3 rural telcos it overlaps. Changing service area definition can make it easier for wireless providers to gain designation as eligible telecom carriers (ETCs), which in turn makes them eligible for universal service support. ACC proposes to define Smith Bagley’s service area as that portion of its existing cellular contour that encompasses tribal lands in Ariz., which is area Smith Bagley plans to serve as local telco. FCC issued call for comments Thurs. in response to Smith Bagley petition for FCC’s consent (DA 01-409, CC Doc. 96-45).
Globalstar opened Brazilian gateway in Manaus, Brazil, company said Feb. 15, providing full network coverage in N. and S. America. New gateway, 3rd operated by Globalstar do Brazil will provide wireless telephone service to northern part of country.
Nortel Networks expects “slower overall market growth” of about 10% in 2001, company announced in revised guidance late Wed. New forecast is based on expected U.S. economic downturn, Nortel Networks CEO John Roth said. As result, Nortel said it plans to increase number of layoffs to 10,000 this year. Growth in revenue is expected to top fiscal 2000 by 15%, Roth said. Company expects $6.3 billion revenue in first quarter 2001.