The FCC Wireline Bureau sought comment on Alaska Communications Systems Group’s petition for a limited waiver of the call signaling rules adopted in the USF/intercarrier compensation order (http://xrl.us/bmy9mz). ACS requested a limited waiver “for the SS7 Charge Number requirement, the MF Signaling Automatic Numbering Identification requirement, and the VoIP signaling requirements” (CD Mar 20 p7). The company argued that the costs of compliance would outweigh the potential benefits. Comments are due April 23, replies May 8.
Samsung and satellite operator SES are partnering in an effort to drive digital broadcasting via satellite in sub-Saharan Africa, the companies said at the Samsung Africa Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday. Samsung will deliver an LED TV with an integrated free-to-air satellite receiver in August for distribution in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon, with additional countries to follow, the company said. Christoph Limmer, SES senior director-marketing development in Africa, said fewer than 10 million homes receive content in digital form, but the companies hope the joint venture will help to improve African consumers’ access to digital content by encouraging African broadcasters to launch more content. SES provides programming to more than 40 African countries and sees an opportunity to provide “an increasingly sophisticated African viewership with a significantly increased number of TV channels,” a “first” for many African countries, he said.
Families and friends of people incarcerated in the U.S. face predatory pricing whenever they call prisons, a large group of advocates told FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, an ex parte filing said (http://xrl.us/bmy9gq). Advocates spoke of $25 hourly rates billed in 15-minute increments, and high monthly charges that are an “extreme hardship” for those on fixed incomes. A representative from Prison Legal News “emphasized in the strongest possible terms the immorality of monetizing the communications between families and their vulnerable loved ones,” and argued that high call costs “result in a short-term gain for prison budgets at a long-term cost for society in terms of recidivism.” Families have long been waiting for reform, and need “urgent action,” the group said, urging Clyburn to “take a strong stand."
Allbritton Communications’ concern on FCC imposition of a “soviet-style” TV station public-file standardization system (CD Jan 31 p13) only applies to a notice of proposed rulemaking’s proposal to require political ad files go online in a centralized and searchable database, the broadcaster clarified. “Apart from other concerns raised in the proceeding regarding jurisdiction and the wisdom of posting proprietary information online, to the extent that the Commission is not contemplating such a national, government-directed, searchable database, our concerns would be appreciably reduced,” the company said. “Our hope is that the Commission will not pursue its ‘ultimate goal’ preliminarily approved in the NPRM.” Thursday’s filing is in docket 00-168 (http://xrl.us/bmy89z).
Comcast seeks an end to rate regulation in 15 Pennsylvania franchise areas, contending it faces effective video competition because more than 15 percent of households get DBS service or because the company itself has less than 30 percent of subscribers. Areas covered in the petition posted Thursday to docket 12-1 include Clarks Green, Factoryville, Old Forge, Pittston and South Abington (http://xrl.us/bmy89i).
Eleven nonprofits and unions want a 30-day delay to May 3 for the reply comment deadline on the FCC quadrennial media ownership review rulemaking notice. “An extension is needed to permit Citizen Commenters to analyze the voluminous industry filings and to coordinate their responses,” said Common Cause, Communications Workers of America, Free Press, Media Alliance, Media Access Project, National Organization for Women Foundation, National Hispanic Media Coalition, United Church of Christ and others. Thursday’s motion is in docket 09-182 (http://xrl.us/bmy882).
Scripps Networks Interactive said it agreed to pay about $102.8 million for Travel Channel International, an independent company in the U.K. that distributes the Travel Channel in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. The companies said they expect the transaction to close before July 2012. Scripps owns the Travel Channel in the U.S.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed the state’s VoIP bill, SB-229, this week. The legislation codifies the status quo in Utah that the Public Service Commission maintains no regulatory authority over IP services, including VoIP. The bill won’t affect, mandate, or prohibit the assessment of taxes, 911 fees, universal service fund fees, relay service fees, public utility regulatory fees or other fees of general applicability.
Hackers compromised 174 million records in 2011, according to Verizon’s 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report (http://xrl.us/bmy59f). Target selection by these groups “didn’t follow the logical lines of who has money and/or valuable information.” The number of compromised records across 885 incidents skyrocketed after reaching an all-time low in last year’s report of nearly 4 million. External agents accounted for 98 percent of data breaches and 58 percent of all data theft was tied to activist groups, the report said. More than 80 percent of breaches were a result of some form of hacking, nearly 70 percent incorporated malware and 10 percent involved physical attacks. Mainline cybercriminals continued “to automate and streamline their method du jour of high-volume, low-risk attacks against weaker targets,” the report said. Smaller organizations should focus mitigation efforts on implementing a firewall or Access Control List on remote access services and changing default credentials of point-of-sale systems and other Internet-facing devices, it said. Larger organizations should “monitor and mine event logs” and “eliminate unnecessary data.” The report results are based on first-hand evidence “collected during paid external forensic investigations conducted by Verizon from 2004 to 2011,” Verizon said. Other contributors include the U.S. Secret Service and the Irish Reporting and Information Security Service.
Belo Corp. is more likely to invest in digital media than TV stations, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker wrote investors after meeting with the company’s senior management. Contrary to investor concern the company may be hoarding cash to buy back some debt or fund acquisitions, Belo’s recent dividend increase was chosen as a use of cash that would give the company some flexibility and allow for sustainable increases, she said. Discussing the market for buying and selling TV stations, Ryvicker asked Belo’s management whether the company would be a “net buyer” or “net seller” of assets, she said: “The response was ‘either,'” depending on what opportunities arise.