FCC Wireless Bureau is seeking comments on request by Verizon Wireless to postpone 700 MHz auction beyond scheduled date of March 6. Company wrote to FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Thomas Sugrue Jan. 18, asking that auction be postponed to ensure that there would be “reasonable interval” after close of current C- and F- block auction, bureau said in notice released Thurs. Verizon Wireless contended in letter that if auction were held on schedule, participants wouldn’t have enough time to “accurately assess” their interest in acquiring additional spectrum. FCC has Feb. 2 deadline for participants to file short-form applications to participate in bidding. Comments are due Jan. 24. Most recent postponement of auction came last year, when FCC agreed to move it from Sept. 6 at request of several carriers. Verizon Wireless is seeking 2-month delay as “prudent,” although it argues that longer delay is required. Verizon cited issues that remained with incumbent analog broadcasters in Ch. 60-69 spectrum that’s at stake in auction. Carrier said further notice of proposed rulemaking on possible mechanisms for clearing band in advance of DTV transition date of 2006 still was pending. “Consequently, no new band-clearing mechanisms have been established and there is no greater certainty today about the prospects for clearing the 700 MHz band than there was last summer,” Verizon wrote.
FCC turned down petition by advocacy group Rainbow-PUSH Coalition to deny license renewal application of U. of Mo. for noncommercial radio station KWMU(FM) St. Louis for alleged violation of EEO rules, but fined university $8,000 for “willfully omitting” material facts about employment discrimination complaints in information provided to Commission. Rainbow alleged that station had discriminated against several black applicants and former station employees, citing declarations by 2 former staffers and 2 applicants. In order adopted Dec. 20 but not released until Jan. 17, Commission said Rainbow had failed to make prima facie case in its petition to deny. Individual complaints, in general, didn’t suffice to make prima facie case that grant of renewal application would be inconsistent with public interest, it said. FCC’s policy has been that such complaints ordinarily should be resolved first by EEOC or other govt. agency and/or court established to enforce nondiscrimination laws, agency said, and Rainbow hadn’t raised facts “that would warrant a departure from our general policy.” As for Rainbow’s charge that number of minorities employed by KWMU indicated that station violated Commission’s EEO program requirements, agency said it couldn’t consider allegations relating to EEO program requirements because they were held unconstitutional by U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., in Luthern Church-Missouri Synod v. FCC. FCC found that licensee had “willfully omitted” facts involving EEO litigation involving 2 part-time employees -- in one instance even after Commission staff sent letter specifically asking it to identify such cases. Finding that licensee’s “behavior is more egregious” than in previous such cases of apparent liability, agency granted renewal subject to notice of apparent Liability for $8,000.
Minority Media & Telecom Council said it would appeal court decision overturning FCC EEO rules (CD Jan 17 p1). Group said it would fight U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., decision “with all our strength.” Exec. Dir. David Honig said: “Unless reversed, this decision could put a halt to 32 years of progress in desegregating some of the nation’s most influential industries.” Court rejection of FCC EEO rules “will make it even more difficult to achieve a broadcast industry that reflects America’s rich cultural diversity,” FCC Comr. Tristani said in response to decision. She said she was particularly disappointed that U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., rejected rules entirely, even parts that might have been constitutional.
Telecom officials didn’t get answer from Bush Administration representatives Wed. to question who would be named FCC chmn., and when, we're told. Industry officials, primarily contributors to campaign, met with Bush transition office Wed. afternoon in what was described as “very generic and nonspecific” meeting. Most of attention focused on FCC reform, expediting agency decision-making and similar broad issues, we're told.
Canada’s Copyright Board is moving forward on Internet Webcasting tariff that may give legitimacy to such sites as iCraveTV and JumpTV (CD Oct 27 p8, Sept 26 p2). Board Secy. Gen. Claude Majeau sent letter to parties calling for interim hearings March 12 on JumpTV’s application for Internet retransmission tariff. Participants have until end of this week to respond to timetable that calls for prehearing conference early in March, he said.
Time Warner Cable and Intellicast.com said they teamed up to start Broadband Weather, new online weather information service delivered over high-speed cable lines, in MSO’s Portland, Me., system. New on-demand, 24-hour service features hourly local weather forecasts, national forecasts, video segments, local radar, storm watches and warnings, severe storm tracking. Time Warner said it would offer broadband service to its Road Runner subscribers in Portland area first and then extend it to several other regions.
FCC approved WorldCom’s acquisition of Intermedia Wed., subject to only one condition -- that Intermedia and its subsidiaries be regulated as dominant in their provision of service on U.S.-Brazil route. Commission action transferred control of wireless, international and domestic wireline licenses from Intermedia to WorldCom. FCC’s action was somewhat perfunctory because WorldCom is required to divest all of Intermedia except its controlling interest in Web-hosting company Digex under consent decree with Dept. of Justice (CD Nov 20 p4). FCC said that it therefore viewed this order as “interim” transfer of licenses and authorizations. It said “once a third-party purchaser is identified, we will review the subsequent transfer of control of the Intermedia assets to ensure the public interest is served.” Agency rejected AT&T concern that merger would give WorldCom too much dominance over Internet backbone market. FCC pointed out that it didn’t regulate Internet Web hosting but said that, regardless, it disagreed with AT&T. WorldCom spokesman said company still needed “handful of state approvals” before deal could go through.
PanAmSat Net36 and Hughes Network Systems (HNS) said Net36 would provide additional streaming content delivery for DirecPC services. With addition of new service, Net36 now has access to half of N. American broadband households via satellite-to-edge servers. Meanwhile, HNS said it was expanding its relationship with Telkom SA Ltd. of S. Africa. HNS will supply Telkom SA with 14,000 very small aperture terminals (VSATs) that will meet 90% of nation’s VSAT needs. HNS technology will support delivery of Telkom SA’s VSAT service to provide advanced communications systems for election monitoring, air traffic control, rapid financial transactions, multimedia, other services. No terms were disclosed.
VoiceStream and Deutsche Telekom (DT), in brief filing Wed. with SEC, disclosed they had entered into agreement with U.S. Dept. of Justice and FBI on issues related to proposed mergers of VoiceStream, DT, Powertel. Pact addresses national security and law enforcement matters in proposed deal, companies said, but didn’t outline details. They said they and federal law enforcers jointly had petitioned FCC to defer granting applications for merger approval until after agreement was reached with DoJ and FBI. Merger still must be approved by Commission, Committee on Foreign Investment in U.S., VoiceStream and Powertel shareholders.
SANTA CLARA, Cal. -- Internet is at a “critical time” as data and telephony converge, and that convergence could offer “the best or the worst of both worlds,” Packet Design CEO Judy Estrin said at Supernet conference here Jan. 16. Future trends include consolidation of voice, video, and data services, she said. “We are still in the covered wagon stage” of Internet, and it will progress via developments such as ubiquitous bandwidth, increased ease of use, greater connectivity and improved security, Estrin said.