An FCC order providing some USF relief for tribal operational expenses looks imminent, agency officials said Wednesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Chairman Ajit Pai traded fire in February over Clyburn's decision to change her vote to a partial dissent. She said the order should also act to expand tribal broadband (see 1802020058). The FCC recently issued an NPRM proposing a tribal broadband factor to target additional USF support to Native American lands (see 1803230025).
An FCC order providing some USF relief for tribal operational expenses looks imminent, agency officials said Wednesday. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Chairman Ajit Pai traded fire in February over Clyburn's decision to change her vote to a partial dissent. She said the order should also act to expand tribal broadband (see 1802020058). The FCC recently issued an NPRM proposing a tribal broadband factor to target additional USF support to Native American lands (see 1803230025).
The judge overseeing U.S. v. AT&T and Time Warner might be considering reworking or amending the arbitration and no blackouts affiliation offer Turner made to MVPDs (see 1711280063). At the end of testimony Wednesday by Charter Communications Executive Vice President-Programming Acquisition Tom Montemagno, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of Washington asked Montemagno if different arbitration terms, such as "non-baseball-style arbitration," might assuage some fears about the Turner offer. DOJ witnesses raised red flags about perceived shortcomings (see 1803260047 and 1803220033).
Commissioner Brendan Carr said Wednesday he's still figuring out what the FCC should propose to address impediments to broadband deployment posed by local and state governments and on siting on federal lands. Carr said the FCC’s job is to get the regulation right while industry has to figure out a business plan. Wireless Infrastructure Association President Jonathan Adelstein worries how carriers will monetize the costs of building 5G. Both spoke at the Wireless Connect event.
The judge overseeing U.S. v. AT&T and Time Warner might be considering reworking or amending the arbitration and no blackouts affiliation offer Turner made to MVPDs (see 1711280063). At the end of testimony Wednesday by Charter Communications Executive Vice President-Programming Acquisition Tom Montemagno, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of Washington asked Montemagno if different arbitration terms, such as "non-baseball-style arbitration," might assuage some fears about the Turner offer. DOJ witnesses raised red flags about perceived shortcomings (see 1803260047 and 1803220033).
The judge overseeing U.S. v. AT&T and Time Warner might be considering reworking or amending the arbitration and no blackouts affiliation offer Turner made to MVPDs (see 1711280063). At the end of testimony Wednesday by Charter Communications Executive Vice President-Programming Acquisition Tom Montemagno, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of Washington asked Montemagno if different arbitration terms, such as "non-baseball-style arbitration," might assuage some fears about the Turner offer. DOJ witnesses raised red flags about perceived shortcomings (see 1803260047 and 1803220033).
Miguel Gamiño, New York City chief technology officer who last week resigned from a Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee working group, told us he questions the integrity of the group in light of his and other defections. Other officials said at the Wireless Connect event (see 1804040042) Wednesday that they are hopeful FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will appoint more local representatives to the group. BDAC officials said the organization's work could continue into next year, possibly with new local government officials to replace those who resigned (see 1804030066).
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision throwing out antitrust claims against San Juan Cable, doing business as OneLink (see 1803020004), contradicts other circuit courts and distorts antitrust petitioning immunity doctrine, antitrust scholars told the Supreme Court in a docket 17-1215 amicus brief filed Monday. The brief was filed on behalf of petitioner Puerto Rico Telephone Co., which argued OneLink's regulatory petitions aimed at blocking cable-TV competition from PRTC. The antitrust academics said the Supreme Court should review the appeal to resolve the circuit split. They said the 1st Circuit's rationale would let a monopolist sidestep antitrust scrutiny of a pattern of petitioning activity as long as each petition meets a minimal threshold of objective merit, thus letting the monopolist abuse the administrative and adjudicative process. Signing the brief were professors Michael Carrier of Rutgers Law School, Peter Carstensen of University of Wisconsin Law School, Nicholas Economides of New York University's Stern School of Business, Einer Elhauge of Harvard Law School, Eleanor Fox of NYU School of Law, Robert Lande of University of Baltimore School of Law, Abbott Lipsky of George Mason University's Scalia Law School, Roger Noll of Stanford University, Sasha Volokh of Emory Law School and others. OneLink outside counsel didn't comment Tuesday. The company in a filing last week said it didn't intend to respond to PRTC's petition for writ of certiorari unless requested by the court.
With “ever growing interest in digital media,” there's a “need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhance the listening experience,” said a U.S. patent (9,930,463) Sonos landed last Tuesday. It describes methods of “defect detection via audio playback” in a multiroom home entertainment network, describing a company product for streaming within a household. A spokeswoman declined further comment Monday.
With “ever growing interest in digital media,” there's a “need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhance the listening experience,” said a U.S. patent (9,930,463) Sonos landed last Tuesday. It describes methods of “defect detection via audio playback” in a multiroom home entertainment network, describing a company product for streaming within a household. A spokeswoman declined further comment Monday.