The FCC voted 3-2 Thursday to launch a rulemaking (see 1602160072) seeking comment on numerous changes to set-top box rules intended to make it easier for third parties to build and sell retail set tops that can access pay-TV content. Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly as expected (see 1601280066) opposed the proposal, which they said was “slanted” and an unnecessary regulatory intrusion. “I’m confident that most consumers would rather eliminate the set-top box altogether,” Pai said.
CTA sides with Apple in its refusal to comply with a court order requiring the company to help the FBI unlock an iPhone 5c used by one of the attackers in the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California (see 1602170068), CTA said in a Thursday statement, making it the second major tech association to weigh in on the controversy. On Wednesday, the Information Technology Industry Council released a statement expressing "worry about the broader implications both here and abroad of requiring technology companies to cooperate with governments to disable security features, or introduce security vulnerabilities into technologies.”
While coverage on tribal lands has improved over the past few years, native American leaders are still frustrated and confused by telcos' lack of willingness to help bring service to their people, some said during a panel at NARUC’s meeting in Washington. Because wireless companies don’t always make it easy for the tribes to build out new service, many times the tribes become their own communications companies, said CEO Forest James of tribal communications firm EnerTribe and a member of the Smith River Tribe. American Indian Chamber of Commerce California President Tracy Stanhoff said it doesn’t make sense to her that telcos don’t want to partner with tribes given that tribes that put in their own infrastructure and start a service, immediately get customers. Sidney Dietz, Pacific Gas & Electric regulatory relations director, said PG&E's Lifeline product has good adoption rates, has built its own towers to improve service and is starting to build out more broadband so tribal members can keep up with current technologies.
The Telecom Subcommittee and full committee adopted four resolutions over the weekend with very few major changes during NARUC's meeting in Washington. Most of the changes were grammatical with a few word additions and deletions. The resolutions (see 1602040062) include one that focuses on Lifeline overhaul and keeping states involved so as to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Another would support preserving the fundamental features of legacy services during the IP transition. A third would back streamlined access to rights of way on federal lands to accelerate broadband deployment. The last is on FCC process overhaul. The full NARUC board meets Wednesday to vote whether to adopt the resolutions officially.
The Telecom Subcommittee and full committee adopted four resolutions over the weekend with very few major changes during NARUC's meeting in Washington. Most of the changes were grammatical with a few word additions and deletions. The resolutions (see 1602040062) include one that focuses on Lifeline overhaul and keeping states involved so as to reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Another would support preserving the fundamental features of legacy services during the IP transition. A third would back streamlined access to rights of way on federal lands to accelerate broadband deployment. The last is on FCC process overhaul. The full NARUC board meets Wednesday to vote whether to adopt the resolutions officially.
While coverage on tribal lands has improved over the past few years, native American leaders are still frustrated and confused by telcos' lack of willingness to help bring service to their people, some said during a panel at NARUC’s meeting in Washington. Because wireless companies don’t always make it easy for the tribes to build out new service, many times the tribes become their own communications companies, said CEO Forest James of tribal communications firm EnerTribe and a member of the Smith River Tribe. American Indian Chamber of Commerce California President Tracy Stanhoff said it doesn’t make sense to her that telcos don’t want to partner with tribes given that tribes that put in their own infrastructure and start a service, immediately get customers. Sidney Dietz, Pacific Gas & Electric regulatory relations director, said PG&E's Lifeline product has good adoption rates, has built its own towers to improve service and is starting to build out more broadband so tribal members can keep up with current technologies.
Inmarsat wants to add its Inmarsat-5 F3 satellite at 180 degrees east as a point of communication for all its authorized and pending earth stations covered by Global Xpress Ka-band maritime mobile blanket earth station license. In an FCC International Bureau filing Thursday, Inmarsat said the satellite's coverage area would add the Pacific Ocean, West Coast and Pacific Rim to the terminals' area of operation. Inmarsat said it also was seeking authority to operate fixed or temporary earth station terminals communicating with the satellite on land within the continental U.S., Hawaii and U.S. territories, and on fixed and mobile offshore platforms.
The Mobile Now spectrum package introduced Thursday doesn't include what were considered some of the wireless industry's most highly anticipated priorities. The bipartisan 32-page version now filed as S-2555 no longer modifies a 2015 budget deal to specify that the federal government free up 50 MHz of spectrum rather than 30 MHz by 2024, nor does it include potent incentives for federal agencies to give up spectrum. Observers affiliated with the wireless industry said they were disappointed about the loss of those proposals, which followed intense Senate engagement with the Obama administration, while other observers outlined a desire for more focus on unlicensed use.
The Mobile Now spectrum package introduced Thursday doesn't include what were considered some of the wireless industry's most highly anticipated priorities. The bipartisan 32-page version now filed as S-2555 no longer modifies a 2015 budget deal to specify that the federal government free up 50 MHz of spectrum rather than 30 MHz by 2024, nor does it include potent incentives for federal agencies to give up spectrum. Observers affiliated with the wireless industry said they were disappointed about the loss of those proposals, which followed intense Senate engagement with the Obama administration, while other observers outlined a desire for more focus on unlicensed use.
With panels on some of the major telecom concerns, NARUC’s upcoming winter committee meetings will offer some robust discussion, commissioners told us in interviews Thursday. The telecom committee panels Feb. 14-17 coincide with some active proceedings at the FCC, as well, NARUC members said, with topics including Lifeline, carrier of last resort (COLR) and enabling competition in a broadband world, the agenda shows. FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai is expected to speak at a general session about the commission pre-empting state laws on municipal broadband, net neutrality and inmate calling.