Radio ad revenue grew 3% in Nov., and overall revenue for first 11 months of year was up 11%, Radio Ad Bureau said. For Nov., local ad revenue was up 4% and national ads were flat, it said.
Radarsat International and Canadian Space Agency said they agreed with Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) to provide Radarsat-1 data to INPE for scientific research related to environmental monitoring, including estimating deforestation of Amazon River Basin.
New bill in Ore. House would make audio recordings of 911 emergency calls confidential information that couldn’t be disclosed without consent of person making call. Sponsor of HB- 2436, state Rep. Steve March (D-Portland), said treating 911 recordings as public records forces people to relive their tragedies when recordings of their emergency calls are replayed in TV and radio news broadcasts. Bill also would bar publishing verbatim written transcripts of 911 calls without consent.
After furious but failed last-min. race to win enactment last session, proponents of bill to provide tax breaks for broadband provision in underserved areas are back and optimistic for passage this year. Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) late Mon. joined 32 colleagues in introducing new version (S-88). Bill (S-4728) by then Sen. Daniel Moynihan (D-N.Y.) was co-sponsored by more than half the Senate last year and initially was folded into New Markets tax package, but didn’t make cut in final New Markets package negotiated by GOP leadership and then President Clinton.
FCC called Tues. for public input on how to implement new law that requires schools and libraries receiving federal technology dollars to block access to online child porn and other inappropriate materials. Children’s Internet Protection Act (CHIP), signed into law Dec. 21, prohibits libraries and schools from receiving discounted Internet access, Internet services and internal connection services under Sec. 254 of Communications Act unless they put Internet safety policies in place and certify that they have done so. In its Jan. 23 rulemaking (NPRM), FCC said it sought comments on several issues, including: (1) Whether agency’s conclusion that most efficient way of obtaining required certification would be to modify existing FCC form to include statement that recipient was in compliance with CHIP or that it didn’t apply. (2) Whether FCC Form 486 should be used for CHIP certification. (3) Who should make certifications. (4) When schools and libraries must certify they're in compliance. (5) Whether rules are needed to implement provisions of law that set out procedures for remedying noncompliance. CHIP has been fiercely opposed by industry and civil liberty groups as well as Clinton Administration. Comments are due 15 days after publication in Federal Register -- www.fcc..gov/e-file/ecfs.html. American Library Assn. (ALA) criticized short comment period. “It’s a very complicated issue” and the FCC has allowed only 15 days to comment, ALA Washington Office Exec. Dir. Emily Sheketoff said. Moreover, she said, schools and libraries were required to submit their applications for e-rate discount by Jan. 18. However, their spending plans had to be submitted before law was passed. Those whose plans are approved for funding in June now will have to go back and certify something that wasn’t called for in plan, Sheketoff said: “It’s a basic unfairness you don’t expect from the federal govt.”
Nortel completed installation for Spain’s Airtel Movil of what companies called first commercial radio equipment based on 3rd Generation Partnership Project Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard. Nortel said it was first to deliver commercial 3G equipment for public, nationwide UMTS network. Airtel plans to start commercial 3G services in Aug. in 23 cities, reaching at least 25% of Spain’s population.
U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., sided with U S West Tues. and remanded FCC order that had denied company’s request for forbearance of dominant carrier regulation for provision of high- capacity services in Phoenix and Seattle. Court ruled that FCC was inconsistent when it denied U S West’s petition for lack of reliable data on market share. To gain lessened regulation, U S West had to prove it faced competition for provision of high- capacity services in those 2 cities. In opinion written by Chief Judge Harry Edwards, court said FCC in past had relied on other measures such as elasticity to determine existence of competition and in one case made nondominance determination “in the absence of any market share data.” Court remanded case because FCC never specifically said market share was “essential” to prove competition, Edwards said. Court denied related petition by AT&T and WorldCom that questioned appropriateness of FCC’s telling U S West it still might qualify for pricing flexibility under separate process even though it lost forbearance request. AT&T and WorldCom argued that such language was backdoor way of giving U S West relief but Edwards called that argument “specious claim.” He said it was “clear that the forbearance order does nothing more than indicate that U S West is eligible to apply for relief under the pricing flexibility order.” However, court also denied suggestion by FCC counsel in oral argument that availability of pricing flexibility process lessened need for forbearance requests. Edwards said “U S West and other such petitioners are entitled to pursue forbearance under [Sec. 10 of Telecom Act] without regard to the pricing flexibility order.” Court panel also included Judges David Sentelle and Raymond Randolph.
Digital System Technology said it completed work on all- digital Internet Bcst. Operations Center in Seattle for RealNetworks. Technology allows video to be captured and streamed directly to Internet servers, company said.
In wake of aborted XM launch, Sea Launch said it may change countdown procedures (CD Jan 11 p2) while technicians check spacecraft and satellites for possible flaws that could cause in- orbit problems. Boeing Satellite Systems waited until 24 sec. before liftoff to issue order and 2 sec. before ignition before deciding to stop launch because of apparent out-of-specification condition that later was determined to be within operating parameters, spokesman said. Boeing engineers gave order that halted launch. Once preignition fluid was injected into Sea Launch rocket’s main engine, entire process, including engine refurbishing, must take place before it can be used in another launch attempt. “Once you get an engine wet, it has to be cleaned out,” Sea Launch spokeswoman said: “If we had done it earlier, there could have been a faster turnaround” on relaunch. Sea Launch and its customers would have to agree before change could be made.
Korean and European patent officials upheld CDMA patents held by Qualcomm, rejecting oppositions. Korean Intellectual Property Office upheld Qualcomm patent on control of transmitter power to overcome fading and reducing interference within telecom system to bolster network capacity. In separate proceeding, office also rejected opposition to Qualcomm patent that describes method for formatting data for transmission. Separately, European Patent Office confirmed patent that relates to processor used in CDMA receivers to normalize incoming blocks of data. Qualcomm disclosed decisions Tues., although European ruling was issued last month and Korean decisions earlier this month.