The 20 percent capital expenditure contribution requirement for broadband stimulus applicants will likely include non-cash contributions, such as a spectrum license, land and rights-of-way, said consultant Coleman Bazelon. The principal of the Brattle Group, spoke on a webinar sponsored by that consulting company, the Rural Telecommunications Group and Spectrum Bridge on Wednesday.
"Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions" is a regular feature of International Trade Today. The following are brief summaries of recent Capitol Hill actions.
A federal appeals court upheld an FCC decision declaring a broadcast license held by Eagle Broadcasting Group expired after the station didn’t operate at its authorized site for 12 consecutive months. The station, KVEZ(FM) Parker, Ariz., stopped broadcasting from its authorized site June 23, 2001, because of interference and land use issues, U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit Judge Harry Edwards wrote. The station got a temporary license to operate from its studio, but went silent again Dec. 20, 2002. Though the station failed to get FCC and FAA approval to operate at a second site, it went on the air there in November 2003. It argued that it transmitted broadcast signals from that site even though they weren’t authorized, so its license shouldn’t have expired in December 2003 as the FCC claimed. “The FCC acted well within its statutory authority in rejecting Eagle’s claim that unauthorized broadcasts by unlicensed stations are adequate to avoid license termination,” Edwards wrote.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message announcing that on April 25, 2009, the Automated Commercial Environment was modified to accept all Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant travel document types.
DVD rentals by mail are stronger than ever at Netflix, even as its “instant streaming” business picks up steam, the company said Thursday as it reported Q1 results. Online streaming is complementing, not cannibalizing, physical rentals, Netflix said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano recently addressed the Border Trade Alliance's International Conference. Highlights of her written remarks and responses to questions include:
DVD rentals by mail are stronger than ever at Netflix, even as its “instant streaming” business picks up steam, the company said Thursday as it reported Q1 results. Online streaming is complementing, not cannibalizing, physical rentals, Netflix said.
"Daily Update on Capitol Hill Trade Actions" is a regular feature of International Trade Today. The following are brief summaries of recent Capitol Hill actions.
APCO announced a partnership between its frequency coordination subsidiary, APCO-AFC, and the Public Technology Institute. APCO-AFC plans to provide frequency coordination, engineering and licensing services, and licensing management services to the institute’s Private Land Mobile Radio Part 90 licensees. “APCO International is excited about this opportunity to partner with PTI and provide these services to their clients,” President Chris Fischer said. “We look forward to future partnership opportunities to promote our collective mission of advancing technology in the public sector.”
The President’s Cuba proposal revived hope for undersea cable investment throughout the Caribbean, said policy research firm Medley Global Advisors. Still, there’s currently no indication the Cuban leadership is ready or willing to open its market to new entrants any time soon given how “strategic the monopoly over telecom is for the political control of the Castro administration,” it said. Additionally, entry into the enterprise market could be even tougher given the Cuban government’s legacy investment and ownership of its operator ETESCA. U.S.-based carriers interested in bidding for contracts in Cuba will also be competing with numerous foreign providers that have a strong presence in the region. The firm noted America Movil, which owns and operates the Claro wireless band in 21 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. Telecom Italia may be unwilling to cede its “dominant position” as the only commercial communications entity in Cuba to foreign competitors. It could enter partnerships with new entrants in both the consumer and enterprise segments but much will depend on how both markets are structured. However, pressure among both U.S.- and foreign-based providers and equipment companies is likely to grow in anticipation of expanding existing share in submarine cable infrastructure and capacity throughout the Caribbean. The firm noted new FCC international cable systems rules that revised the earlier pre-circuit regulatory fee structure with one that imposes fees on a per landing license basis based on the size of the system. Meanwhile, the firm noted a new $300 million Trans- Pacific infrastructure project to build a undersea cable system linking the U.S. and Japan. Google’s a partner in conjunction with Bharti Airtel, Global Transit, KDDI, Pacnet and SingTel. Google’s entry into the cable sector is significant and the company could be a contender for any joint undersea cable system landing into Cuba, the research firm said.