Former FCC Chief Economist Thomas Hazlett and Michael Calabrese, vp of the New America Foundation, disagreed sharply on where the FCC should draw the line in promoting unlicensed spectrum as an alternative to auctions. They faced off in a Catholic U. telecom symposium debate on the advantages of unlicensed vs. licensed spectrum.
Howard Buskirk
Howard Buskirk, Executive Senior Editor, joined Warren Communications News in 2004, after covering Capitol Hill for Telecommunications Reports. He has covered Washington since 1993 and was formerly executive editor at Energy Business Watch, editor at Gas Daily and managing editor at Natural Gas Week. Previous to that, he was a staff reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Greenville News. Follow Buskirk on Twitter: @hbuskirk
CTIA and the major carriers urged the FCC to back away from tentative conclusions in a proposed rulemaking that the Commission no longer should award bidding credits or other small business benefits to “designated entities” that have a “material relationship” with the major national carriers. The FCC earlier this month sought comment on a further rulemaking changing its DE rules before June’s advanced wireless services (AWS) auction (CD Feb 6 p2). DE Council Tree had asked the FCC to bar ties between major carriers and DEs in areas where a carrier already has spectrum (CD Jan 18 p1).
The FCC likely will vote March 17 for an order permitting it to create a Public Safety/Homeland Security Bureau, sources said Mon. On a 2nd security-themed item in the same meeting, the FCC is likely to pass an order that could clear the way for public safety to provide video and other broadband applications, in addition to voice communications, on 700 MHz spectrum. Chmn. Martin late Fri. began to circulate both items with colleagues in preparation for the March meeting.
A group of 7 wireless carrier executives, joined by 2 investors and the Rural Telecom Group, wrote to Chmn. Martin asking he back off a proposal to conceal bidders’ identities in a June advanced wireless services (AWS) auction. Their letter signals what’s expected to be a full court press. Last week Martin said he would ask the Commission to vote on a public notice, though none is required (CD March 24 p3).
Congress will hold discussions with the FCC but may pass legislation even if the FCC moves on a long-stalled item and opens broadcast “white spaces” to unlicensed use, said Senate Commerce Committee Staff Dir. Lisa Sutherland.
Paris-based Alcatel and Lucent confirmed they're in formal merger talks to create the world’s largest telecom equipment company, with combined sales of $25.33 billion. Alcatel is a dominant equipment supplier to carriers in Europe and Asia, and a merger could give Alcatel a stronger position in the U.S. Lucent, an AT&T spinoff that includes Bell Labs, has been a dominant supplier to carriers in the U.S., but has lost market share to competitors led by Nortel. The firms said there’s no assurance a deal will get done, and they won’t comment further until talks end.
No Senate Commerce Committee member has indicated intent to file more amendments Thurs., when the committee marks up the cellphone privacy bill (S-2389), Committee Staff Dir. Lisa Sutherland told reporters Fri. “We've sent out a notice telling people that the amendments that they filed previously will be deemed to be filed for the markup,” she said: “Nobody has some to us and said, ‘We have new ideas.'”
Chmn. Martin wants a full FCC vote on a contentious public notice that would require blind bids in an advanced wireless services (AWS) auction this June, sources said Thurs. The Wireless Bureau had been expected to issue the notice. Now the FCC is expected to vote at its April 12 meeting. In another wireless sector matter, sources said Martin is recirculating a BRS/EBS order. An earlier version was withdrawn.
Canada’s Policy Review Panel, which completed an exhaustive review of how telecom is regulated there, said in a report released late Wed. that the nation’s regulatory framework should undergo “fundamental reform” away from heavy regulation. The panel, appointed by the Minister of Industry last April, released a report with 392 pages and 127 recommendations.
The Wireless Communications Assn., National ITFS Association (NIA) and Catholic TV Network (CTN) are trying to resolve conflicts over the length of leases on spectrum owned by educational groups to be made available for sale in the secondary wireless broadband market. But the groups may not be able to broker a deal, onlookers said Wed.