ORLANDO -- FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski offered no comment on AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, made public Sunday afternoon (CD Bulletin March 21), in a keynote speech Tuesday at CTIA’s annual meeting. Instead, he made a major pitch for incentive auctions and explained the importance of the data roaming order teed up for a vote at the April 7 FCC open meeting. “I know everyone here had been talking about the proposed transaction that was just announced,” Genachowski told a standing-room-only crowd. “Of course, you'll understand that I'm not going to comment on it.” He didn’t have time to take questions from reporters, an aide said.

EchoStar’s purchase of Hughes could lead to a policy shift by the second company on the Universal Service revamp because the acquiree has voiced different positions on the issue from the acquirer, FCC filings show. Hughes, which has previously said satellite broadband should be left out of the USF and Connect America fund, could change its position if EchoStar takes over. A united satellite broadband front would “be a big positive for the industry and provide a very strong response to the FCC” General Counsel Lisa Scalpone of WildBlue said in an interview.

Members of Congress won’t weigh in on Android application security concerns, which mobile security experts say is just as well. Lawmakers familiar with mobile security issues said they haven’t fully studied the topic and aren’t considering regulation of the Android Market. Android app security remains elusive, despite Amazon’s screening efforts for its new Appstore, security experts said.

LONDON -- The U.K. Office of Communications said it will auction 250 MHz of spectrum next year for 4G mobile services. The “largest ever single award” will include spectrum in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands, Ofcom said Tuesday. Part of the 800 MHz band freed up by the digital switchover will be used for next-generation mobile services in rural areas, it said.

LONDON -- The European Commission’s push for high-speed broadband for all worries some ISPs, because the business model isn’t there, several speakers said Tuesday at the IIR Telecoms Regulation Forum. The EC expects private-sector investment to be primarily responsible for delivering the ultra-fast speeds envisioned by the EU 2020 agenda, possibly with help from the public sector in areas where companies are unwilling to build out networks, said Antti Peltomaki, deputy director general of the Information Society Directorate General. It’s far from clear whether, if operators build fiber networks, users will come, representatives from France Telecom and Telefonica said. The conference ends Wednesday.

FCC review of the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile deal (CD Bulletin March 21) could take at least a year because the commission will review not only the deal’s impact on the national market but will go through individual markets around the country to assess the costs and benefits of the merger, an agency official said Monday. The commission is already trying to build up staff in the Wireless Bureau for the review, the official said. One name that has already surfaced is FCC economist Susan Singer, who had been detailed to the Office of Strategic Planning and may well be recalled to the Wireless Bureau to lead its review, the official said.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Regardless of what deals may be struck that reconfigure the wireless industry, carriers will need more spectrum, said Rick Kaplan, senior advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Kaplan declined to comment on AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile. (See separate story in this issue). The deal soon will be pending before commissioners. Genachowski did not release a statement on the merger after it was announced Sunday, but is slated to keynote at CTIA Tuesday.

AT&T’s deal to buy T-Mobile could have mixed implications for the TV and video industry, industry officials said. Some said the $39 billion deal will have no real effect on the cable industry and is unlikely to provoke a change in cable operators’ wireless plans. Others saw danger for smaller content owners and entities that will have to rely on increasingly larger distributors to reach consumers. In the context of the TV spectrum reallocation battle (see separate report in this issue), it’s unlikely the deal will be much of a distraction for the wireless industry, a broadcast executive said. “I won’t say it’s a bad thing that they're occupied on other matters as well. It certainly causes them to work overtime to hold their positions together.” Carriers are capable of handling more than one policy item at a time, the executive said: Suggesting otherwise would “be like saying someone’s battle plan excludes the possibility of more than one battle front."

Expect more Capitol Hill scrutiny on AT&T and T-Mobile’s merger than was seen for the Comcast-NBC Universal combination, telecom industry lobbyists said. The $39 billion deal could steal attention from spectrum and other telecom issues, they said. The House and Senate Judiciary committees each announced hearings Monday. Neither Commerce Committee announced a hearing, but Democratic members from each have urged close scrutiny of the landmark deal (CD Bulletin March 21).

Whether the FCC should promulgate rules for TV antennas came up in several filings, posted to docket 10-235, on a rulemaking notice setting the stage for the agency to hold incentive auctions if it gets congressional authority. The NAB and Association for Maximum Service Television said the regulator ought to look into requiring antennas to carry labels outlining their performance. That filing and others said labeling won’t overcome technical hurdles (CD March 11 p6)to designing antennas so portable devices can get mobile DTV in the VHF band, where the commission seeks to voluntarily move some stations. Consumer electronics industry filings said the FCC lacks authority to take any action on antennas.