FCC Common Carrier Bureau said it planned roundtable discussion on toll-free number administration at 1 p.m. March 4 at FCC hq. Bureau said parties would discuss administration under current system, whether system should be restructured, whether market-based system could be established.
Donald Ohlmeyer, recently retired exec. producer of ABC’s Mon. Night Football and former NBC west coast pres., will keynote April 5-7 Bcst. Education Assn. (BEA) convention in Las Vegas. BEA also plans panels on Internet, digital conversion, eroding TV audience, “Law & Policy” updating what’s happened since passage of 1996 Telecom Act, “Hot Topics” in broadcast regulation with panelists to include Washington attorneys Barry Umansky and Richard Wiley and Catherine Bohegian, legal asst. to FCC Comr. Martin. For first time, NAB Educational Foundation is underwriting cost to take 5 faculty members from minority colleges to BEA -- Louisa Nielsen, 202-429-5355 or lnielsen@nab.org.
FCC Common Carrier Bureau approved Verizon request to modify certain business rules for special access performance measurements. Specifically, Verizon had asked Commission to delete exclusion for orders having commitment dates set by customers. Company said that every due date for special access installed by Verizon was negotiated by customer and Verizon, and as result its current business rules would exclude all data for that measurement.
Initial reaction to long-anticipated White House announcement of intention to nominate Jonathan Adelstein to vacant FCC commissioner seat has been positive. Senate Commerce Committee members have signaled they'll approve nomination of Adelstein, currently senior staff member to Senate Majority Leader Daschle (D-S.D.), overwhelmingly in confirmation hearing, which hasn’t been scheduled. Committee staffer said Chmn. Hollings (D-S.C.) saw Adelstein as “good candidate” and tentatively had given thumbs up for his confirmation. Hearing date will be set once President Bush submits nomination and formal paperwork to committee, he said. Ranking minority member Burns (R-Mont.) “looks forward to working with him” and said Adelstein’s track record indicated that he had “a great rural vision” for communications policy, Burns spokeswoman said. Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said Adelstein’s experience working with Daschle made candidate “well aware of the special difficulties that rural and underserved Americans have when it comes to getting communications services, particularly newer services such as high-speed Internet facilities. In particular, Jonathan knows first hand the importance of wiring schools and libraries, so that Americans everywhere can access the benefits of an increasingly digital society. We hope and expect that Jonathan will continue to keep this focus during his tenure at the FCC.” Sen. Dorgan (D-N.D.) “thinks highly” of Adelstein, aide said. Sens. Breaux (D- La.) and Kerry (D-Mass.) presumably will support him, while Sen. Allen (R-Va.) believes “President has a right to appoint who he sees fit,” respective staffers said. Sen. Edwards (R- N.C.) declined comment.
NARUC Telecom Committee unanimously adopted policy resolution Mon. on unbundled network elements (UNE) that had been supported unanimously Sun. by telecom staffs. Resolution urges FCC, in its current triennial review of minimum national unbundling requirement, to continue allowing states to order additional network unbundling. Resolution said states were in best position to determine whether their particular market conditions required unbundling beyond national minimum standards and that such additional unbundling was consistent with procompetition intent of Telecom Act. Telecom Committee will take up Tues. another resolution urging FCC to adopt minimum national performance standards and monitoring system for incumbent telcos’ special access services. Resolution was supported unanimously by telecom staffs despite heavy lobbying by industry against it.
State commission telecom staffs gathered for NARUC winter committee meetings in Washington refused Sun. to support broadband-related policy resolutions on access to local rights of-way-and on pending EchoStar takeover of Hughes in satellite deal. But in unusual move for NARUC, some state commissioners pushing for those resolutions said they would ask Telecom Committee today (Feb. 12) to adopt resolutions despite staffs’ disapproval.
FCC’s Local & State Govt. Advisory Committee (LSGAC) recommended Commission “unambiguously” classify cable modem service as cable service to avoid litigation, delay and further investment uncertainty in build-out of cable service. Localities and capital markets need predictability and certainty of established legal precedent, LSGAC said, and existing legal and policy framework for cable services is “clearly understood and working well and provides explicit rights and remedies to cable operators, subscribers and information service providers.”
Leap Wireless revenue in quarter ended Dec. 31 soared to $103.9 million from $14.2 million in same period year ago and loss was reduced to $79.6 million loss from $103.5 million loss. For year, carrier said it had $255.2 million revenue, up from $50.3 million. It ended fiscal year with 1.2 million customers, up from 724,000 Sept. 30. It said it met its forecast of adding 1.1 million customers in year and that net customer additions of 394,000 in quarter were record for carrier. “We expect to nearly double our customer base in 2002 and end the year with at least 2 million Cricket customers,” Leap Chmn. Harvey White said. Leap said Nextwave re-auction had been “substantially delayed and there is no clear path to completing the transfer of those licenses to Leap.” Leap won 22 PCS licenses in NextWave re-auction that was overturned by U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., when it reversed FCC decision to cancel NextWave licenses. Leap said it planned to use funds earmarked to pay for licenses to finance its build-out plan for 40 markets.
FCC Wireless and Mass Media bureaus said stakeholders could take part in process to develop uniform procedure to review communications towers and antennas. Bureaus have been working with Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and ACHP Telecom Working Group. Groups have focused on evaluation and mitigation of adverse effects on towers and antennas on properties that are listed or eligible for listing on National Register of Historic Places. Such evaluations fall under Sec. 106 of National Historic Preservation Act. State prototype program agreement on which groups are working would streamline Sec. 106 review process and create uniform procedure that each state or tribe could adopt or use as model. Bureaus invited participation by Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and tribal historic preservation officers in drafting and negotiating of agreement -- 202-418-7444.
Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) urged public safety agencies to respond to FCC spectrum audit for land mobile radio licenses below 512 MHz. Audit covers construction and operational status of those licensees to update Wireless Bureau licensing database. Without responding, agencies could “suffer some serious consequences,” said Ron Haraseth, dir.-APCO automated frequency coordination. FCC has been auditing spectrum below 512 MHz to assess who is using licenses and where spectrum is lying fallow and should be returned to Commission. In first wave of letters to licensees, FCC sent out 266,000 requests for information, with responses requested by mid-March. “Failure to respond within the specified time frame may eventually subject you to administrative action such as a forfeiture or license cancellation,” said Haraseth, who said FCC was expected to be flexible with compliance dates. One concern cited by APCO is that many public safety agencies haven’t maintained current contact information on police, fire, ambulance or other radio authorization license with FCC. Each licensee is responsible for maintaining such information and can lose license if they fail to respond, APCO said. Licensees can verify whether their stations are included in audit by checking Wireless Bureau database at www.fcc.gov/wtb/plmrs/audit.html. APCO said 128,034 licensees had responded and 139,833 hadn’t yet.