FCC set deadlines Wed. for comment on its proposed rulemaking on DTV must-carry issue, following publication of notice in Federal Register. Commission tentatively concluded in Jan. against imposing dual-carriage obligations on cable operators during current digital broadcasting transition but left issue open for final determination. Comments are due May 10, replies June 25.
Dean Ferris promoted to exec. vp-labor relations, News America… Bill Taylor, ex-ePod, named senior vp-sales, Space.com… Pieter Winters, Fokker Space, appointed dir.- technical and operational support, European Space Agency Council… Mark Rubin, ex-FCC Wireless Bureau, named dir.-federal govt. relations, Western Wireless Corp… John Kelly promoted to senior vp-ad sales, CNBC… Maura Colleton, ex-MCI WorldCom, joins Qorvis Communications as managing dir., concentrating on technology public affairs.
ALTS told FCC that Verizon was overcharging competitors for electricity to operate colocated switching equipment in Verizon central offices. In filing Tues., ALTS asked Commission to require Verizon to lower its rates. It said that Conversent Communications had made similar request in March 6 letter to FCC and that Cavalier Telephone was battling Verizon over same issue before Pa. PUC. ALTS Pres. John Windhausen said Verizon charged “blatantly discriminatory power rates.”
Broad group of wireless, GPS, satellite radio and air transport interests urged FCC not to take final action on operation of ultra wideband (UWB) equipment under Part 15 rules without issuing further notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). In letter sent late Tues. to Chmn. Powell, 26 companies and trade groups stressed it would be “premature and inappropriate for the Commission to adopt any final rules at this time.” Agency issued NPRM on UWB operations last May (CD May 11 p1), but it didn’t contain specific regulatory language, group said. Since then, FCC has received large volume of test results on potential interference of UWB operations in both GPS and non-GPS bands. “However, the interested parties cannot logically extrapolate from the various test submissions any comprehensive picture of the direction of the Commission’s final thinking with respect to a potential regulatory framework,” group said in letter obtained by Communications Daily. Companies signing letter include AT&T Wireless, Lockheed Martin, Nortel, Qualcomm, Satellite Industry Assn., U.S. GPS Industry Council, WorldCom.
Rep. Udall (D-N.M.) led group of 21 House members in defending e-rate in letters to FCC Chmn. Powell and President Bush. They said they found “alarming” Powell’s comments questioning existence of “digital divide” since FCC had such discretion over size of e-rate fund. “Mr. Powell’s comments reflect a lack of understanding about the new economy and why wiring our schools is so vital to our future,” Congress members said. In their letter to Bush, they urged President not to roll e-rate into block grants to states.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) told FCC Chmn. Powell in informal discussion Mon. that market generally didn’t address communications needs of rural residents and emphasized challenges govt. faced in finding remedy to telecom services in remote areas, congressional staffer said. Stevens believes that continued support of universal service program, for example, is critical to rural America’s future broadband service deployment as well as existing basic phone service, staffer said. “The market just doesn’t go where the roads don’t go or where there’s no government support,” she said. “Communications becomes a life-or-death issue” for Alaskans and other residents of remote areas, particularly when facing medical- or weather-related emergencies and phone service isn’t available, she said. Stevens and Powell also spoke about possible action to prevent exodus of “best and brightest” FCC engineers to higher paying positions in private sector, staffer said. They explored possible remedies such as including FCC budget assessment to accommodate competitive salaries and increase staff retention, solution Stevens said also was needed in retention of key Hill telecom staffers, aide said. Stevens asked what Powell needed to address engineering staff retention issue, but didn’t have immediate plan to introduce legislative remedy, she said.
Pegasus filed motion with FCC Tues. to combine first-round and 2nd-round actions to resolve impasse on satellite slots between company and agency. Company proposed making 4 Conus orbital locations available from first round: 95 degrees W, 113 degrees W, 91 degrees W and 87 degrees W; giving priority for 2 of Conus slots to new entrants and requiring first-round licensees to submit evidence of ability to meet deadlines for making satellites available for use. Pegasus also filed information it said demonstrated that Netsat had abandoned its license and requested that Motorola licenses be reassigned.
“Some of the answers we've gotten so far are vague at best,” House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) spokesman Ken Johnson said of responses CLECs sent to committee questions on costs of terminating calls made to ISPs. Correspondence was meant to get at “root question” in reciprocal compensation debate, “what is the true cost of terminating a call,” Johnson said. “There continue to be ongoing discussions between the companies and our committee staff,” he said. Only one response -- that of WorldCom -- was posted to Committee’s Web site, with other 5 citing inclusion of proprietary information. WorldCom Exec. Vp-Gen. Counsel Michael Salsbury told committee his company now felt it was “more appropriate” to treat reciprocal compensation received from incumbent phone companies as cost offsets rather than revenue, an accounting practice change made Sept. 30. He said WorldCom “incurs actual economic costs” in terminating phone calls, but rather than provide specific economic data he referred to past rulemakings by FCC, state commissions, Telecom Act. Salsbury said federal and state laws “generally do not require CLECs to file cost studies measuring and reporting their actual costs,” so WorldCom never has compiled them.
President Bush announced Tues. he would nominate Patrick Wood to be commissioner on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Announcement ended months of speculation about Wood’s possible appointment to FCC. Wood is Tex. PUC chmn. and was staff member of FERC in 1991-1993. According to Pa. PUC source, White House also is expected to nominate PUC Comr. Nora Brownell to FERC.
FCC called for comments on reports on potential for ultra wideband (UWB) systems to cause interference to other radio operations, including GPS systems. Commission wants comments by April 25, replies May 10, on: (1) March 5 Qualcomm report on interference potential to PCS wireless phones. (2) March 9 report from UWB developer Time Domain on report by U. of Tex. and Johns Hopkins U. on interference potential to GPS receivers. (3) March 9 NTIA report on interference potential to GPS receivers. (4) March 21 report by Dept. of Transportation, through Stanford U., on GPS interference potential.