Chairman Ajit Pai said the FCC has been more productive in his tenure than under recent past permanent chairmen, with 49 items adopted in his first 100 days, compared with 34 under Julius Genachowski and 25 under Tom Wheeler during the same time period. Pai's comments were in a talk Friday at the American Enterprise Institute in which he largely recapped agency actions since he took over and described how they fit into closing the digital divide, modernizing rules, promoting innovation, consumer and public safety protection, and operational improvement. Text of the prepared remarks, which we heard live, was posted by the FCC along with a fact sheet.
More local governments could sue states over small-cells wireless siting laws, officials and attorneys told us last week. They said localities’ case for violation of the "takings" rule in some states may not be as strong as in Ohio, where Cleveland and 80 other municipalities sued the state (see 1704240023). Not yet threatening lawsuit, a Phoenix official said the city remains opposed to the small-cells law signed into law by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R), even though the state’s municipal league supported it and some lawmakers cited the state’s negotiations as a success story at a congressional hearing.
Chairman Ajit Pai said the FCC has been more productive in his tenure than under recent past permanent chairmen, with 49 items adopted in his first 100 days, compared with 34 under Julius Genachowski and 25 under Tom Wheeler during the same time period. Pai's comments were in a talk Friday at the American Enterprise Institute in which he largely recapped agency actions since he took over and described how they fit into closing the digital divide, modernizing rules, promoting innovation, consumer and public safety protection, and operational improvement. Text of the prepared remarks, which we heard live, was posted by the FCC along with a fact sheet.
Talks on a treaty updating broadcasting protections against signal piracy continued at the World Intellectual Property Organization, but progress at least temporarily stalled, said representatives from nongovernmental organizations Wednesday. Under a new Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) chairman, Singapore Intellectual Property Office Chief Executive Daren Tang, it became clear the treaty text wasn't ready to move to diplomatic conference next year, they said. Key issues remain unresolved, but broadcasters hope for some forward movement, European Broadcasting Union Head-Intellectual Property Heijo Ruijsenaars told us.
Talks on a treaty updating broadcasting protections against signal piracy continued at the World Intellectual Property Organization, but progress at least temporarily stalled, said representatives from nongovernmental organizations Wednesday. Under a new Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) chairman, Singapore Intellectual Property Office Chief Executive Daren Tang, it became clear the treaty text wasn't ready to move to diplomatic conference next year, they said. Key issues remain unresolved, but broadcasters hope for some forward movement, European Broadcasting Union Head-Intellectual Property Heijo Ruijsenaars told us.
Dish Network has multiple options for how to build out its planned IoT network expected to be operational by March 2020 (see 1703080026) and should make decisions later this year on frequencies being used, CEO Charlie Ergen said in an analyst call Monday. The planning process will then follow, with construction to start in late 2018, he said.
Dish Network has multiple options for how to build out its planned IoT network expected to be operational by March 2020 (see 1703080026) and should make decisions later this year on frequencies being used, CEO Charlie Ergen said in an analyst call Monday. The planning process will then follow, with construction to start in late 2018, he said.
Dish Network has multiple options for how to build out its planned IoT network expected to be operational by March 2020 (see 1703080026) and should make decisions later this year on frequencies being used, CEO Charlie Ergen said in an analyst call Monday. The planning process will then follow, with construction to start in late 2018, he said.
EPA’s determination to deny Energy Star Version 8.0 certification to TVs found to be less energy-efficient when tested “with content that reflects a variety of typical viewing experiences” without agreed-upon definitions of what that actually means has been an obvious sticking point as the agency works to finalize the V8.0 spec by early June (see 1704110050). Acknowledging that “typical viewing experiences” can mean different things to different people, EPA is offering to referee and monitor TV makers’ test methods and results applicability before a set is offered for Energy Star certification or its qualification is denied, it said in its recently released second draft of the V8.0 spec.
The Florida House passed small-cells wireless siting legislation despite continued opposition from local governments. It voted 110-3 Friday to send HB-687 to the Senate, which was scheduled to consider the similar SB-596 on third reading that day. Florida counties are opposed to the legislation, which takes away local authority on wireless infrastructure siting (see 1704270043). Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) enacted a similar small-cells bill last week that won support from the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, and the Republican state representative who sponsored the legislation is set to testify Wednesday in the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee (see 1704280050). Local groups at first balked at the Arizona proposal when industry first showed it before this year’s legislative session, but later worked out a bill with industry that they could support, the league’s Legislative Associate Tom Savage emailed us Friday. “It appeared the industry was taking an aggressive approach to preempt local management of rights-of-way and with little to no regard for the aesthetics of the technology or where the equipment is to be placed.” Mayor and council members directed the organization to negotiate “to retain police and land use powers over city and town rights-of-way and find compromise in the fee schedules and expedited timeframes the industry was seeking,” he said. “Our mayors and council members understood the bill presented an opportunity for our cities and towns, and the state, to be positioned for the rollout of 5G and this technology helps to better provide cell and data coverage that business and our citizens use every day.” Negotiations took months, Savage said. “After many hours of stakeholder meetings, phone calls and two complete rewrites of the bill, we ended up with legislation that the League, our member city and towns and the wireless industry supported.”