Three public interest groups that are strong proponents of building out broadband in the U.S. came to the defense of local governments in a filing at the FCC responding to the commission’s April acceleration of a broadband deployment notice of inquiry (http://xrl.us/bmeu7w). The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative, the Media Access Project and Public Knowledge said the FCC should not impose “sweeping, standardized federal regulations on states and municipalities” in the interest of providing broadband providers easier access to public rights of way. Access Humboldt also signed the filing.
AT&T filed motions in the U.S. District Court in Washington asking the court to dismiss complaints filed by Sprint Nextel and C Spire Wireless (formerly Cellular South) against AT&T’s buy of T-Mobile. Judge Ellen Huvelle is expected to consider later this month following oral argument whether to allow the two to join the Department of Justice’s case against the deal (CD Sept 22 p1).
Some contraction of TV stations’ footprints as part of voluntary broadcast spectrum auctions is a possible and acceptable scenario, said Sherrese Smith, an aide to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Speaking for herself and not the FCC, Smith was responding to concerns for the voluntary auction process raised by Marcellus Alexander, president National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. He said the voluntary incentive auction process may significantly lessen the reach of broadcasters who don’t choose to auction of their spectrum. They spoke during a National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications panel at NCTA Thursday night.
Wireless carrier officials say they see some willingness on the FCC’s part to make changes to the final Universal Service Fund/intercarrier comp order to address wireless concerns. Numerous small and mid-sized carriers have been at the commission in recent days to make clear their concerns. One discussion point has been the size of the fund, industry officials said. A second has been putting in place rules that would guarantee a dedicated fund for wireless buildout.
Ongoing regulatory uncertainty for the wireless communications service band has left licensees unable to develop equipment standards for wireless broadband needs, said WCS licensees. That uncertainty is driven by pending petitions for reconsideration filed at the FCC by the WCS Coalition, which represents WCS licensees, and Sirius XM, they said, and those petitions may mean technical changes to the rules in the band, depending on what the FCC decides. The WCS Coalition is now seeking an extension to buildout requirements imposed when the FCC changed the WCS rules last year.
San Diego County, Calif., fired back at NextG Networks, which argued in a July FCC filing that the county’s siting process for new wireless facilities is “protracted, bureaucratic and replete with hidden, circular and unreasonable requirements.” Delays are the fault of NextG, not the county, the county said. Meanwhile, other local governments are filing early reply comments at the FCC questioning the need for the FCC to take any steps regarding local management of rights of way and wireless facilities siting, as examined in an April notice of inquiry (http://xrl.us/bmeu7w).
NAIROBI -- The U.S. data protection situation took some hits during several sessions on security, privacy and openness at the U.N. Internet Governance Forum. Customers with privacy-sensitive data should think twice about using the services of U.S. companies, said U.S. security and privacy researcher Christopher Soghoian, a former technical consultant to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, on a panel that included Google evangelist Vint Cerf.
Comcast is getting into the wireless tower business through a company just set up by its venture capital arm, Comcast Ventures. CTI Towers said it will take the 800 towers Comcast already owns and try to lease them to wireless companies. For now, CTI Towers’ holdings overlap entirely with Comcast’s service area, but the company is looking to expand its footprint either through acquisitions or developing new tower sites, said CEO Anthony Peduto.
Religion and news media have more in common than it may appear at first glance, the author of the FCC’s report on the future of the industry said as he prepares to leave the agency next week (CD Sept 27 p4). Steve Waldman said the news industry and religious leadership have both grappled with how to stay abreast of technological trends and make sure those trends don’t undermine some of their reason for existence. Both have at times wondered “how they won’t be overrun by technology,” he said in a Wednesday lecture on ethics in telecom.
Free Press sought judicial review of the FCC’s December 2010 net neutrality order in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston. Free Press is based in Boston. Meanwhile, the Mountain Area Information Network, based in Asheville, N.C., also challenged the order in 4th Circuit in Richmond, and the Media Mobilizing Project filed a challenge in the 3rd Circuit in Philadelphia. Both are represented by the Media Access Project.