Women hold smaller percentage of jobs in cable and DBS than year ago, while minorities hold more cable positions but fewer DBS jobs, FCC said in new report. Relying on annual employment reports submitted by cable operators, Commission found that total cable industry employment at companies with more than 5 employees had slipped to 130,953 in 1999 from 133,705 in 1998 and total female representation fell to 40.4% from 41.7%. Among full-time employees in upper-level posts, women held 26.9% of jobs in 1999, down from 28.9% year earlier. At same time, minorities boosted their representation in total cable work force to 32.7% from 30.9% and increased their share of upper-level jobs to 29.1% from 21.7%. Other multichannel video program distribution (MVPD) operators, consisting largely of DBS providers, nearly doubled their overall employee base to 10,322 in 1999, but total female representation fell to 43.2% from 52.7% and minorities to 27% from 27.7%. Among full-time employees in upper-level jobs, however, women increased their share to 33.6% from 32.2% and minorities to 22.9% from 16.9%.
Hot topics at N. American Numbering Council (NANC) meetings Wed. were elimination of certain numbering/dialing options and expansion of N. American Numbering Plan (NANP)capacity. Industry Numbering Committee (INC) proposed elimination of proposals to: (1) Use 4-digit area code. (2) Use 1-digit national destination code that would be dialed as “1” is now for long distance calls. (3) Dial NANC steering committee’s proposed 2-digit geographical code before area code. Also discussed were: (1) How to transition changes once decision is made on dialing methods and whether transition should be gradual or “flash cut.” (2) Whether 10-digit dialing question has been decided. (3) Whether need to move to new dialing regimes is pressing, since it appears significant amount may be accessible soon. NARUC representative said real resolution of numbering issues wouldn’t occur soon.
Ill. Commerce Commission Chmn. Richard Mathias this week asked other 4 Ameritech state commissions whether they ought to call another joint session with top SBC and Ameritech officials to get explanations for seeming contradictions between what companies were telling states and what they were telling securities analysts about service quality, competition and regulatory compliance burdens. In letters Tues. to heads of Ind., Mich., Ohio and Wis. commissions this week, Mathias cited “discrepancies” in statements by SBC Chmn. Edward Whitacre and other top SBC/Ameritech officials to state regulators in Oct. 16 summit meeting, and what Whitacre and other officials told securities analysts in Dec. 16 briefing. He asked other states “whether it would be helpful to know” which story contained real reasons for company’s troubles of past year. Mathias said SBC/Ameritech told securities analysts service problems of 2000 were caused by aging outside plant and capacity difficulties but told states problems were caused by technician shortages coupled with weather problems and surges in demand. He also said SBC/Ameritech had been telling Great Lakes state regulators and legislators company was being hammered by local competitors, while telling securities analysts that Tex. was where most local competition was happening, and that elsewhere companies expected growth in vertical service revenues would offset access line losses to CLECs. Mathias also questioned SBC/Ameritech’s blaming regulators for delays in entering long distance and other new markets when companies were paying millions of dollars in penalties for failing to serve retail and wholesale customers they already had. He said that while Ameritech seemed to have improved service for retail customers, it still was falling short in wholesale service to its competitors. “We should determine whether the seeming discrepancies between the comments by SBC/Ameritech to securities analysts and to state regulators demand immediate clarification,” Mathias wrote, and asked whether states wanted another summit with Whitacre to hear explanations. Ameritech spokesman said there wasn’t any pressing reason for another joint session with regulators because service problems that led to first session in Oct. “by and large have been addressed.” He said Ameritech hired hundreds of technicians and its service performance was at or close to state service quality standards. In related action, SBC’s Whitacre Tues. publicly apologized for Ameritech’s poor phone service in appearance before 250 Mich. business leaders at Economic Club of Detroit. “I know we stumbled coming out of the gate” following Ameritech-SBC merger, he said: “I'm not saying the problems are over. We are all embarrassed by them, but we are well on the way to correcting them.” He said Ameritech was upgrading its network to digital fiber system, which he said should cut down on maintenance problems, and has hired and trained more technical workers. He said service quality in Mich. still wasn’t quite as good as in other states, but vowed that it “will be and will be quickly” as good as elsewhere in region.
Public broadcasters’ DTV transition will run $779 million shortfall with no funding increases from federal govt., White House said in final Economic Outlook report. PTV made list of “pending policy proposals” -- Clinton Administration budget items that were cut severely by Congress -- after receiving only $44 million of requested $110 million for FY 2001. White House also said FCC’s spectrum auction authority had reaped $20 billion since 1994, and failure to renew it past 2008 would cost federal govt. $500 million annually.
Internal Revenue Service established new rules for space, ocean and telecom income sources Jan. 16, setting guidelines that income from space or ocean activity by U.S. person will be sourced in U.S., while income from foreign people will be foreign-sourced. Exceptions to rules include foreign companies with half or more ownership by U.S. persons. As result, foreign satellite companies established in no-tax jurisdictions could conduct most of business in U.S. but pay no U.S. or foreign taxes on satellite leasing income.
Broadlogic said iBeam signed agreement to use Satellite Express XR1 Fast Ethernet receiver/router developed by Broadlogic as standard satellite receiver platform for current and new deployments within iBeam networks.
NTIA, in notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) Wed., outlined changes for how private sector would carry out mandates for reimbursing govt. agencies that relocate from spectrum after frequency reallocations are made. NTIA Dir. Gregory Rohde outlined details of NPRM at Commerce Dept. meeting with industry on upcoming 3rd-generation wireless decisions. Govt. officials stressed proposed framework for reimbursing federal entities that were relocated to other spectrum berths could play “critical” role in upcoming 3G decisions. FCC and NTIA are examining possibility of 2 bands for additional spectrum for 3G and other advanced services: 1755-1850 MHz now used by military systems and 2500- 2690 MHz used by Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service and Instructional TV Fixed Service licensees. At meeting, some industry representatives also raised concerns that more information was needed from govt. on issues such as relocation cost estimates for private sector to complete its own analyses of different 3G spectrum scenarios.
STM Wireless and Alcatel said Wed. they signed OEM partnership agreement under which Alcatel will integrate STM’s VSAT products into its range of carrier grade systems and software in order to offer satellite broadband solutions to service providers using current satellites and emerging Ka-band systems.
WorldGate Communications and Commerce.TV said they formed partnership to integrate latter’s data processing network with former’s interactive TV service. Companies said agreement would make Commerce.TV’s electronic shopping service available to all WorldGate subscribers through digital cable set-top boxes.
FCC issued schedule for reviewing Verizon’s refiled application to offer long distance service in Mass.: (1) Feb. 6 for comments, including those by Mass. Dept. of Telecom & Energy. (2) Feb. 21, Dept. of Justice evaluation. (3) Feb. 28, reply comments. (4) April 16, deadline for FCC action. FCC Common Carrier Bureau said it would be available for ex parte meetings on application Jan. 30 and Feb. 23 in case parties wanted to discuss issues they planned to bring up in comments or replies.