The FCC sought comment on whether noncommercial, educational broadcasters should be permitted to devote airtime to raise funds for charities and other nonprofits. A notice of proposed rulemaking was released ahead of Friday’s FCC meeting (http://xrl.us/bm5ae3), as expected (CD April 26 p11). Although its approval would pertain to all NCEs, some industry officials have said there may not be much interest in on-air fundraising for third-party entities (CD April 20 p5).
The U.K. Health Protection Agency’s independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation found there’s still no solid evidence that cellphones cause adverse effects on human health, including cancer. The report updates the group’s previous evidence review from nine years ago.
The Obama administration believes it’s “critical to find a smart innovation-leaning balance” to cybersecurity legislation, said Danny Weitzner, White House deputy chief technology officer for Internet policy. And part of the balance is for the government to have authority to ensure that companies that have “our critical infrastructure are engaging in adequate security practices,” he said at the Computer & Communications Industry Association’s Washington caucus.
The FCC must resolve some accessibility issues where advocates for the disabled and the TV and consumer electronics industries couldn’t reach consensus, participants in the recently completed work of an advisory committee said. The Video Programming Accessibility Advisory Committee wrapped up its work April 9, as mandated under a 2010 disabilities access law to finish the last three of four reports. A report on device and user interface accessibility, and one on getting emergency information had areas where VPAAC members couldn’t reach consensus. So the commission sought comment (http://xrl.us/bmhahx) Wednesday on those issues (CD April 26 p12), which participants in the panel said will inform the rulemakings the agency will undertake on proceedings that must, by law, be competed next year.
High-cost loop support got a major overhaul Wednesday, in an order designed to fix “problematic incentives and inequitable distribution of support” (http://xrl.us/bm49qi). The FCC Wireline Bureau order fleshed out the details of 2011’s commission-level USF/intercarrier compensation order, which set out a framework for reform. About 100 study areas with “very high costs relative to similarly situated peers” will see a total reduction in support of $65 million, the bureau said, and the reduction will be phased in between July 1 and 2014. “By delaying the full impact of the reductions until 2014, we provide companies who would be adversely affected adequate time to make adjustments and, if necessary, demonstrate that a waiver is warranted either to correct inaccurate boundary information and/or to ensure that consumers in the area continue to receive voice service,” the order said. The bureau expects about 500 study areas to receive $55 million to fund new broadband investment.
LTE is becoming significantly more important as prepaid carriers like MetroPCS saw growth slow in Q1 due to competition and economic uncertainty, executives said. MetroPCS’s Q1 profit of $21 million was a 63 percent year-over-year decline, while another prepaid carrier, Leap, reported a widened Q1 loss of $98.4 million. Meanwhile, MetroPCS said it is interested in spectrum that could potentially be divested as part of the regulatory approval of the Verizon/cable deal.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the FCC is “finally acting in good faith,” and he’s “hoping” that he will be able to release his hold on the confirmation process for FCC nominees Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel the week after the Senate returns from its April 30-May 4 recess. His comments came in an interview Thursday. Grassley’s comments indicate that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid., D-Nev., could notify the Senate in the second week of May by “hotline” that he intends to schedule a vote on the FCC nominees. The nominees would then likely go through as long as no other senator issues a hold.
Time Warner Cable plans to introduce its usage-based billing broadband product in more markets this year, CEO Glenn Britt told investors during the company’s Q1 earnings teleconference Thursday. TWC began selling the service in South Texas earlier this year at a lower price for consumers who use less data, and “our plan is to roll that out further across our footprint as the year goes on,” he said.
Reps. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif., introduced a bill Thursday to require the FCC to pair for commercial auction the 1755-1780 MHz band with the 2155-2180 MHz band. Stearns said the Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act would bring more spectrum to the commercial market and raise $12 billion for the U.S. Treasury while offering the Defense Department protections for reallocation. Wireless groups hailed the bill, which they called an important step towards alleviating the spectrum crunch and bolstering the economy. The 1755 MHz band has long been a top target of carriers.
CenturyLink will get up to $90 million in Connect America Fund money, Frontier $72 million, Windstream $60 million, AT&T $48 million and Verizon $20 million, if they agree within 90 days to deploy broadband to unserved areas, the FCC announced late Wednesday (http://xrl.us/bm455q). Carriers accepting the incremental support must certify that their current capital improvement plan did not already include plans to complete broadband deployment to those locations within the next three years. Based on rules adopted in the USF/intercarrier compensation order, the number of new broadband deployments must be equal to the amount of support each carrier accepts, divided by $775, and they'll have three years to do it. FairPoint, Alaska Communications Systems, Consolidated, Hawaiian Telcom and Vitelco were offered about $10 million among them.