Paxson Communications urged broadcasters Fri. to oppose Verizon Communications request that FCC postpone upcoming 700 MHz auction at least 2 months, but ideally until Sept. 6. Auction, which had been set for last Sept. 6, now is scheduled for March 6, with short-form applications due Feb. 2. FCC Wireless Bureau is seeking comments on request until Jan. 24, after Verizon Wireless wrote to Bureau Chief Thomas Sugrue, arguing that if auction were held as scheduled, participants wouldn’t have enough time to assess their interest in acquiring additional spectrum, in part because C-block PCS auction that started Dec. 12 was continuing (CD Jan 19 p9). Paxson urged broadcasters, particularly incumbents in Ch. 60-69 spectrum, to oppose request for delay, noting that bidding already had been delayed 3 times. “We cannot support a 4th delay of the 700 MHz auction,” Chmn. Lowell Paxson said. “This most recent action by Verizon will put the continuation of the information revolution in the U.S. in grave jeopardy.”
Conn. Dept. of Public Utility Control (DPUC) granted application of SNET Personal Vision (SPV), cable TV subsidiary of Southern New England Telecommunications Corp.(SNET), to wind up its cable business in state (CD Aug 14 p5). In draft decision released Jan. 19, DPUC left open possibility of competitive cable providers’ leasing network elements and colocating equipment within company’s facilities. Dept. said it lacked statutory authority to compel SPV to continue to provide competitive cable service. To make SPV’s exit from cable business nondisruptive and fair to customers, DPUC asked company to credit each subscriber $50 instead of $40 offered by company to defray charges to connect to new video provider and provide 2 separate notices to customers. It accepted company’s proposal to fund its community access providers for one additional year based on subscribership as of Aug. 11. Pointing out that forced transfer of SPV’s modified franchise agreement would raise level playing field concerns, DPUC deferred ruling on request by Conn. Broadband, subsidiary of Conn. Telephone & Communication Systems, that it order transfer of SPV’s network and its franchise to company (CD Sept 22 p8). Dept. said it made modifications in SPV’s franchise in 1999 to allow company to serve only in areas where it already provided service until it found viable alternative technology to HFC. Issues such as those will arise in any cable franchise, it said. Although federal and state law mandate that SNET’s telephone subsidiary make leased access available to competitive providers of voice and data services and not cable operators, DPUC urged company to lease facilities to cable providers either by tariff or by special arrangement “that would allow competitive provisioning of video services.
SAN JOSE, Cal. -- Standards for broadband wireless access (BWA) are necessary but shouldn’t delay “time to market” for new developments in BWA technology, said Sheldon Fisher, asst. vp- architecture and technology for Sprint’s Broadband Wireless Group in Wireless Communication Assn. (WCA) keynote here Fri. Industry “can’t wait” for standards process that takes 12-18 months, Fisher said, and such delays will impede innovation. Standards don’t “destroy innovation,” said WCA Task Force on Standards Chmn. Gary Smith of WorldCom, but standards process should be sensitive to industry’s rapidly developing new technologies.
SpectraSite Transco Communications SAS, French subsidiary of tower company SpectraSite Transco, bought 19% of share capital of Paris-based network developer Sofrer, terms not disclosed. SpectraSite said Sofrer has more than 2,500 wireless sites, with another 1,700 towers under construction. Sofrer’s wireless customers include Orange and Telefonica.
Fifth U.S. Appeals Court, New Orleans, ruled 2-1 that La. PSC wasn’t immune under 11th Amendment from federal judicial review of its decisions on carrier interconnection agreements under Telecom Act. Court was ruling on AT&T challenge to PSC arbitration decision in interconnection dispute with BellSouth. Fifth Circuit held that La. PSC had waived its sovereign immunity rights when it agreed to arbitrate interconnection dispute under terms of Telecom Act. Court also ruled that “ex parte Young” doctrine applied in cases involving states’ alleged contraventions of Act’s Sec. 251 and 252. That doctrine allows federal lawsuits against states to halt violations of federal law. This was 4th federal appeals court to deny states 11th Amendment protection for their interconnection contract decisions. Previous decisions against states have come from 6th, 7th and 10th Circuits. U.S. Supreme Court last Oct. refused to review matter.
Bidding in FCC’s C- and F-block PCS auction continued to edge up in small increments Fri., with total hitting $16.8 billion. Bids for top 3 participants were little changed, with Verizon Wireless at $8.9 billion, AT&T-backed Alaska Native Wireless $2.8 billion and Cingular Wireless-backed Salmon PCS $2.4 billion. DCC PCS had $539.4 million, followed by Cook Inlet/VoiceStream GSM with $510.4 million, VoiceStream PCS with $479.4 million, and Leap Wireless with $342.3 million. Competition appeared to have cooled somewhat for N.Y.C. licenses, whose highest bids have remained unchanged for last several rounds. Verizon has top bids of $2.05 billion and $2.03 billion for 2 licenses in that market, with Alaska Native Wireless bidding $1.5 billion for 3rd. Verizon also has top bids for licenses in L.A. and Chicago, at much lower price levels of $513.5 million and $494.6 million, respectively. Auction for 422 licenses began Dec. 12 and has gone 73 rounds, with FCC stepping up bidding last week to 6 rounds daily from 4 to accelerate pace. Among 15 most populous markets, Verizon Wireless has high bids for 9 licenses, Alaska Native Wireless for 2, Salmon PCS for 3 and DCC PCS for one in Washington.
“I'd rather be a man of principle than a man of politics,” departing FCC Chmn. Kennard said Fri. in response to criticism of his administration (CD Jan 19 p1). “It’s a sad commentary on Washington that one can be considered too nice,” remarked ex-FCC staffer who now is communications attorney. Kennard spent day in variety of going-away activities including lunch where he presented his senior staff with “certificates of appreciation” and afternoon party attended by several hundred people from inside and outside FCC. Amid music by jazz band, Kennard was spoofed by variety of people. Mass Media Bureau Chief Roy Stewart gave him “first low-power radio license” for station WWEK (Kennard’s initials) which will broadcast “150 feet between Kinkos and the 7- 11.”
Police in Vancouver, B.C., said they used satellite tracking device for first time to follow bank robber who left scene of crime in taxi equipped with global positioning system. Suspect was arrested minutes after robbery after police called taxi company, which tracked vehicle.
Women in Cable & Telecom (WICT) expressed concern about FCC’s recent report showing that women held fewer jobs in cable industry than year ago (CD Jan 18 p10). Of 2,752 overall jobs lost in cable 1998-1999, group said women lost “a startling 2,025, or 74%.” WICT called it “even more troubling” that women made up “just 34.4% of officials and managers for cable operators” in 1999, down from 35.2% in 1998 and 36% in 1997. Group warned again that if trend continued, “it would begin to cripple” cable industry as it competed with other industries for top talent. It urged cable operators to “make the fundamental changes that will address these employment issues” and provide women with more female role models, more opportunities for advancement and greater recognition of company contributions.
Qualcomm signed royalty-bearing CDMA modem card license agreement with Matsushita Electronic Components, terms not disclosed. Qualcomm said pact covered patents to build and market modem cards for existing and 3rd-generation applications, including Wideband CDMA, cdma2000, TD-SCDMA.