Efforts by a clothing distributor to win its toll-free number back may have trouble overcoming language in a pre-hearing agreement that prevents the company from appealing an FCC decision in the case. Dallas-based Staton Holdings lost the number in 2001 after MCI accidentally disconnected it and handed it to Call Interactive. Staton said that it’s since discovered “new” evidence that MCI “routinely” handed numbers to different companies without checking and Staton is entitled to have the number restored.
Even historically nonpartisan telecom issues have become political in an increasingly divided Congress, and it’s become increasingly difficult to pass substantive legislation, former Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said in an interview Thursday with Communications Daily. The Commerce Committee alum urged the FCC to complete what Congress couldn’t: an overhaul of the Universal Service Fund. Dorgan blamed radio talk show hosts for politicizing the net neutrality debate, but he predicted demise for Republicans’ effort to overturn the FCC’s December order using the Congressional Review Act.
A key and closely watched question was added by FCC members during the final stages of drafting a notice on retransmission consent, and it was unanimously approved at Thursday’s commission meeting. The rulemaking notice now asks whether the commission can require binding arbitration or carriage when either TV stations or subscription-video providers are found by the regulator to have not negotiated in good faith for a retrans contract, Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake told us at a media briefing. Chairman Julius Genachowski and the other commissioners styled the notice as a way to see if the FCC can take more measures within the authority it already has under the 1992 Cable Act when talks over carriage deals for TV stations on cable, satellite and telco-TV systems break down.
The FCC unanimously adopted a rulemaking notice Thursday that begins the process of overhauling the Lifeline/Link-Up programs. Chairman Julius Genachowski said the two programs had grown in recent years but were too full of waste, fraud and abuse that threatened to undermine the Universal Service Fund reforms he’s championing. “Increases in the contribution burden are particularly concerning for the tens of millions of Americans at or near the poverty line who pay for phone service but don’t participate in Lifeline,” the chairman said. Thursday’s notice includes proposals that would cap the fund, allow the poor to buy bundled services with their monthly subsidies and create a separate “National Accountability Database,” administered by separate officials, to make sure customers receiving the monthly stipends are actually qualified to receive them.
Big ISPs are reluctant to help House Republicans scrambling to find industry support for overturning FCC net neutrality rules with legislation, said telecom industry officials. The House Communications Subcommittee on Thursday said it will have a legislative hearing Wednesday next week, but it remains unclear who will agree to testify. Republicans attempted to rally industry lobbyists in a closed-door meeting Wednesday (CD March 3 p1).
The FCC Thursday unanimously approved three items aimed at improving communications and radio service on tribal lands. Commissioners also heard testimony from tribal leaders about the state of communications in Indian country. The meeting came as the White House held a follow up meeting on last year’s Tribal Nations Summit.
Tribes without ancestral lands will now receive the FCC’s assistance in getting AM and FM stations, under an order approved 5-0 at Thursday’s meeting (CD March 3 p9). Also under the order, radio move-ins from rural to urban areas will become harder, as had been expected (CD Feb 22 p6). New procedures will apply to the pending applications to amend the FM allotments, AM allotments and non-final FM allotment orders, a commission official said. The upshot of the order is that many of the 96 pending applications for radio stations to move from rural to more urban areas may not be approved, industry and agency officials said.
Meredith Baker may get another term as FCC commissioner. Her name apparently was sent to the White House for renomination for a full term by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Republican industry lobbyists watching the process. Baker, a Republican, joined the commission in 2009, filling the unexpired term of Kevin Martin. He resigned just before President Barack Obama was inaugurated. Baker’s current term ends June 30. She had the backing of Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison, also a Texas Republican.
A divided Congress can help broadcasters avoid harmful legislation or regulation by slowing down consideration of issues detrimental to the industry, NAB President Gordon Smith said Thursday. “When it comes to broadcast issues, it is helpful to us, to have an extra check and balance between the chambers” so issues are “fully considered,” he said. That’s because decisions can have “lasting and damaging consequences,” Smith said in response to our question on C-SPAN.
The Department of Homeland Security is fully committed to allocating the 700 MHz D-block to public safety and will work with Congress to make that happen, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano told the House Homeland Security Committee Thursday. Napolitano also reiterated DHS’s commitment on cybersecurity.