FCC strengthened its line sharing rules in an order released Mon. that acts on petitions for clarification or reconsideration of rules agency adopted last year. Among changes adopted in new order: (1) Line sharing applies to entire loop, even where portion of loop is on fiber facilities. (2) ILECs must provide line splitting so competing carrier can provide voice and data over same line either by itself or in partnership with data carrier.
Pa. Attorney Gen. filed lawsuit against Pittsburgh telemarketer Liberty Publishing Co. and Liberty Pres. George Lee, alleging they used deceptive tactics to convince Pennsylvanians to donate $3 million for law enforcement groups in 2000. Alleged violations of Pa. telemarketing laws include misleading donors as to how their contributions would be spent, employing convicted felons as telemarketers, implying solicitors were police officers, implying that donations would entitle consumers to special treatment by law enforcement officials, using intimidation tactics, listing higher amounts on pledge invoices than agreed, implying donations would go to all police agencies rather than just to their clients and failing to register as a telemarketer and post required $25,000 bond. Suit seeks immediate end to unlawful conduct, restitution to affected consumers, minimum $1,000 fine per telemarketing violation, reimbursement of AG’s investigative costs and legal fees.
In much-anticipated announcement, President Bush tapped FCC Comr. Powell as chairman Mon., just days after departure Fri. of FCC Chmn. William Kennard. Powell, who has been on FCC since Nov. 1997, had been widely viewed as front-runner for post, although official word didn’t come until White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced appointment at news briefing Mon. Separately, executive memorandum issued by Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card began circulating more widely at FCC Mon. Though it wasn’t clear how much authority Executive Branch has over decisions of independent agencies like FCC, memo is intended to suspend regulations that agencies have approved recently but which haven’t yet been published in Federal Register.
Mobile TV production van owner National Mobile TV (NMT) said it would provide production services and end-to-end solutions for Webcasting from remote sites. Under agreement, programming would be produced using NMT trucks, and distributed to Web by digital media infrastructure company Activate.
LAS VEGAS -- Mandatory digital tuners in TV sets was subject of sharp exchanges at ALTV panel here Mon., with CEA Pres. Gary Shapiro arguing that consumers shouldn’t be required to buy unwanted tuners while Cox TV Pres. Andrew Fisher said mandatory tuners were “a must… if we're going to get this [DTV] going.” Paxson TV CEO Lowell Paxson said “I'm ready to go to the Supreme Court” on tuner issue, saying All-Channel Receiver Act passed by Congress in 1964 requiring UHF tuners “is the law.” Paxson also got into exchange with panelist Susan Fox, deputy chief of FCC Mass Media Bureau, on what he said was agency’s slowness in acting on DTV applications by TV stations.
FCC voted Fri. to approve SBC’s Sec. 271 application to offer long distance service to customers in Kan. and Okla., agency said late Mon. Commission said action wouldn’t become effective for 43 days to permit pricing amendments, filed recently by SBC, to become effective. Ex-FCC Chmn. William Kennard cast his vote before leaving Fri. New Chmn. Powell dissented in part because he disagreed with 43-day delay.
Conn. Dept. of Public Utility Control (DPUC) approved plan by Southern New England Telephone (SNET) Personal Vision competitive cable unit to exit cable business in state by May. DPUC approved SNET’s cable departure because carrier backed wrong technological horse with its hybrid fiber-coaxial network for full-service phone/cable system and it would be prohibitively costly for company to adopt newer technologies. To ensure orderly transition for Personal Vision customers, DPUC draft decision requires SNET to credit customers $50 to defray their costs of switching to incumbent cable company, to either transfer coaxial drops to incumbent or remove them from customer premises without charge to customer, accept mail-ins of leased set-top boxes, and support its public access affiliates’ move to incumbent cable companies with subsidies until May 2002.
Broadcasters on TV Ch. 52-69 should have to give back their analog channels Dec. 31, 2006, regardless of whether 85% of U.S. households have access to DTV, outgoing FCC Chmn. William Kennard said in letter to Congress, and broadcasters on other channels should begin paying escalating spectrum fee to continue analog broadcasts. Changes were among several that Kennard proposed to Congress as way to speed DTV transition.
Nokia Neu CommTech, joint venture of Nokia in China, and Beijing and Hubei arms of China Mobile Communications (CMM), reached agreement for delivery of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology, terms not announced. Companies said gear would be used to start wireless Internet services to northern, central and western regions of China. Nokia said deliveries had begun and system would start operating next month. CMM plans to offer WAP- based services to more than 1 million customers. Separately, Nokia signed $160 million pact to deliver GSM 900 MHz and 1800 MHz network equipment to China’s Yunnan Mobile Communications Co. Nokia said it would provide high-capacity mobile switching equipment and base station controllers. Companies said network upgrade would increase capacity of network for Yunnan’s nearly 2 million subscribers in southern China.
BURBANK, Cal. -- Saying current economic slowdown “is just a speed bump” and new technology offers his company exceptional opportunities, Disney Pres.-COO Robert Iger told us “we have a feeling of exhilaration at the Disney Co. right now… as a company, we're extremely optimistic.” He said, “I think the economy is still sound [but] a feeling of pessimism” has set in among industry executives and national advertisers that’s causing concern. “It’s still too early to tell” about overall TV economic performance in 2002, Iger said.