Starting in 2014, CTIA will no longer hold its spring show, the largest of the year for the association, consolidating that show with MobileCON, its fall show, into a single “super mobility week” Sept. 9-11 in Las Vegas, it said Wednesday. That scheduling decision puts the CTIA show in direct conflict with the schedule of one of its biggest rivals, the Competitive Carriers Association, which is slated to meet the same week in Las Vegas.

Satellite companies are expanding their Ka-band services to the government and to the public, satellite industry executives said. Ka band provides the opportunity to provide more capacity for consumers, but it will not replace services in Ku, C and other bands, they said.

As the industry’s share of the North American business services market continues to grow by double-digit percentages, large U.S. and Canadian cable operators are increasing their emphasis on midsize and larger firms with 20 to 500 employees, by introducing more advanced Metro Ethernet, cellular backhaul, hosted voice and other cloud-based telecom products.

The FCC adopted a report and order Friday on rules to support the deployment of Internet services on airplanes. The action establishes earth stations aboard aircraft (ESAA) as a licensed application for communication with fixed satellite service (FSS) stations, the FCC said in a news release (http://xrl.us/bn8cbe). “Rather than have to license on-board systems on an ad hoc basis, airlines will be able to test systems that meet FCC standards, establish that they do not interfere with aircraft systems, and get FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] approval.” The decision also launched a rulemaking seeking comments on a proposal “to elevate the allocation status of ESAA in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band from secondary to primary,” making the ESAA allocation equal to the allocations of earth stations on board vessels (ESV) and vehicle-mounted earth stations (VMES), it said.

As 2012 draws to a close, federal agencies were preparing to dramatically reduce their expenses, a spokesman for the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said last week while lawmakers and the White House struggled to avoid a Wednesday funding sequester deadline. The Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management told federal union groups Friday that “while they are still hopeful that a deal can be reached ... they are taking prudent action so agencies can be prepared for this contingency,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley in a statement. NTEU represents FCC and Commerce Department employees, among others. Spokespeople for OMB, FCC, FTC, NTIA, departments of Justice and Homeland Security, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and RUS did not comment.

If the FCC ensures affordable prison phone rates, it could reduce recidivism, decrease the burden on taxpayers, and benefit society at large, commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel said Friday, as the agency released a notice of proposed rulemaking to address the expensive calls (http://xrl.us/bn8bz9). The FCC wants to know whether incentives, regulations or a combination of both will best ensure just and reasonable Inmate Calling Service (ICS) rates for end-users, while still dealing with the security concerns and expenses inherent to ICS, the NPRM said. Martha Wright petitioned for rules to address the high cost of telephone calls to her incarcerated grandson in 2003. He was released earlier this year (CD Dec 3 p16).

Two years after the FCC approved net neutrality rules by a 3-2 vote after a protracted debate, much uncertainty and controversy remains. Next year should prove a key year, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit hears combined appeals by Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS challenging the FCC’s authority to impose the regulations (CD Dec 22/10 p1).

All groups other than Asian Americans increased the number of full-power TV stations they owned over a four-year period through 2011. Our review of analyses of FCC broadcast ownership data by nonprofits opposed to media consolidation also showed African Americans were the only demographic to see ownership declines in all other types of broadcast outlets, except for low-power TV. Calculations of data from the agency’s most recent biennial ownership forms, in some instances comparing statistics companies gave the FCC to earlier figures from nonprofits’ own efforts, show all groups other than whites owned a disproportionately low share of all types of radio and TV stations.

The FCC’s Public Safety and Wireless bureaus approved New York City’s request for a waiver of the FCC’s Jan. 1 VHF/UHF narrowbanding deadline for many of the radio systems operated by city agencies. With a key deadline a few days away, waiver applications continue to be filed at the agency. FCC officials have warned that many licensees haven’t moved their systems and haven’t sought waivers, which could lead to FCC penalties down the road. The FCC also granted narrowbanding compliance waiver requests this week sought by Philadelphia and Chicago, addressing waiver requests by two other big systems that have struggled to make the changes required by the agency.

Lawmakers debated Thursday whether to pass the FISA Amendments Act (FAA) (HR-5949) to reauthorize a law that permits intelligence agencies to monitor international communications such as phone calls and emails. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., sparred on the Senate floor over whether to consider amendments that would bring more oversight and privacy protections for the communications collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Feinstein said the Senate should not consider any amendments to the reauthorization bill because any changes to the bill would slow down its passage and potentially disrupt ongoing intelligence activities that are critical to protecting the nation from attacks. At our deadline the Senate had not voted on the bill.