Land mobile industry and public safety commenters opposed FCC efforts to require certain applications for equipment authorization received after Jan. 1, 2005, to specify 6.25 KHz capability. To get private land mobile radio (PLMR) services to migrate to narrowband technology, the FCC last Dec. set a Jan. 1, 2013, deadline for migration to 12.5 KHz technology. That technology achieves the narrowband equivalent for both public safety and industrial/business licensees using frequencies in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands. In the transition, the FCC said, after Jan. 1, 2011 it will accept applications for new operations using a bandwidth greater than 12.5 KHz only if equipment meets a new spectrum efficiency standard of one channel per 12.5 KHz of channel bandwidth (voice) or 4.8 kbps per 6.25 KHz (data). The agency also asked how to aid migration to 6.25 KHz operations and whether to impose a mandatory date. It also sought comments on transitional deadlines and requirements of a rule intended to foster movement to 6.25 KHz technology. That rule limits approval of radio equipment certification applications received on or after Jan. 1, 2005, to equipment capable of operating on 6.25 KHz channels or meeting a narrowband efficiency standard of one channel per 6.25 KHz (voice) or 4.8 kbps per 6.25 KHz (data). The national Public Safety Telecom Council (NPSTC), which opposed a mandatory date for transition to 6.25 KHz, said the transition rule on equipment certification is “counter to the interests of public safety communications.” Mandating a date would be “counterproductive to the Commission’s objective,” NPSTC said, claiming “interoperability capability would be undermined because significant challenges remain with regard to the 12.5 KHz transition, and there is no knowledge of when equipment for the public safety sector will be available.” NPSTC urged the FCC to set a date for migration to 6.25 KHz spectrum efficiency 5 years after an interoperability standard has been defined. Separately, the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) urged the FCC to abandon efforts to require users to migrate to discrete 6.25 KHz channels. “Efforts to ‘create capacity’ based on miniaturizing channel bandwidths is counter to telecommunications trends which are moving to requirements for wider rather than narrowband bandwidths,” LMCC said: “Any efforts to promote efficiency in the Part 90 VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (421-512 MHz) bands should be through the adoption of technologies with the equivalent efficiency of one voice path per 6.25 KHz of bandwidth rather than equipment that physically operates on 6.25 KHz discrete channels.”
Sirius gave a 29.4% raise to Scott Greenstein, pres.- entertainment & sports, the firm disclosed in an 8-K report filed at the SEC. Under his new contract, Greenstein -- the executive who landed Howard Stern -- will get a $700,000 annual base salary, up from $540,750. He also got 462,222 restricted stock units and 1.25 million stock options, the filing said. Greenstein’s deal was extended 2 years to July 31, 2009. CFO David Frear’s contract also was amended, raising his annual base salary 28% to $450,000 and granting him 300,000 restricted stock units and 700,000 stock options, the filing said. Sirius extended Frear’s deal 2 years to July 31, 2008. Jim Meyer, pres.-sales & operations, got 48,067 restricted stock units, with no changes to a contract that expires April 16, 2006, according to the most recent Sirius proxy statement filed at the SEC. Under his agreement, Meyer has an annual base salary of $540,750, plus options, the last 1.2 million of which vest April 15, 2007, or sooner if 2005 performance milestones are achieved, the proxy said. Meyer has agreed to stay on as a Sirius consultant for a year when his employ contract expires, the proxy said. Meyer is to get 300,000 more restricted stock units that will vest May 3, 2007, if he’s still a consultant then, the proxy said.
Sirius gave a 29.4% raise to Scott Greenstein, pres.- entertainment & sports, the firm disclosed in an 8- K report filed at the SEC. Under his amended contract, Greenstein -- the executive who landed Howard Stern -- will get a $700,000 annual base salary, up from $540,750, as reported in the most recent Sirius proxy statement filed at the SEC. He also got 462,222 restricted stock units and 1.25 million stock options, the filing said. Greenstein’s deal was extended 2 years to July 31, 2009. CFO David Frear’s contract also was amended, raising his annual base salary 28% to $450,000 from $351,488 and granting him 300,000 restricted stock units and 700,000 stock options, the filing said. Sirius extended Frear’s deal 2 years to July 31, 2008. Jim Meyer, pres.-sales & operations, got 48,067 restricted stock units, with no changes to a contract that expires April 16, 2006, according to the recent proxy. Under his agreement, Meyer earns an annual base salary of $540,750, plus options, the last 1.2 million of which vest April 15, 2007, or sooner if 2005 performance milestones are achieved, the proxy said. Meyer has agreed to stay on as a Sirius consultant for a year when his employment contract expires, the proxy said. Meyer is to get 300,000 more restricted stock units that will vest May 3, 2007, if he’s still a consultant then, the proxy said.
HELSINKI -- Reception was flawless and resolution sharp in live DTV broadcasts last week to cellphones at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics here. Nokia had invited reporters -- including our European correspondent -- to coverage of Finnish Mobile TV Project trials of DVB- H mobile DTV service set to launch next year. But the picture was fuzzier as to the business path carriers and broadcasters will take for the service, including subscriber pricing.
Verizon this year has hired 5 firms to lobby Congress, according to the latest filings with the Secy. of the Senate reflecting a flurry of activity over DTV and telecom legislation. Verizon hired the lobbyists on issues such as telecom and broadband, spectrum allocation and regulatory parity in broadband deployment, the documents show. “As issues change you want to give yourself flexibility to be effective,” said a Verizon spokesman.
Thailand’s iPSTAR was successfully launched by Arianespace Thurs. with a payload devoted exclusively to broadband delivery for the Asia-Pacific region. Three- month-old WildBlue is no longer the new kid on the satellite broadband block, and all eyes are now on iPSTAR to see how satellite broadband fares internationally.
LAS VEGAS -- Nationwide has launched a new RentDirect Div. targeting the rent-to-own market, it announced at the Assn. of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO) show here. The move builds on dealer recruitment efforts begun a year ago by a BrandDirect subsidiary and poses a challenge to the rental channel’s 22-year-old Trib Buying Group.
The Journal of Commerce reports that PierPASS has shown early success in shifting Southern California port traffic to off-peak hours. According to the article, if cargo volumes continue to increase at less than 5% over 2004 and shippers patronize the off-peak gates, Los Angeles and Long Beach may enjoy a congestion-free peak season in 2005. (JoC, dated 08/08/05, www.joc.com.)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a notice announcing its plans to test radio frequency identification (RFID) technology at five land border ports under the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (US-VISIT) beginning on or around August 4, 2005.
A recent Burst Media Internet user survey found that most consumers 14 and older get to the websites they visit through search engines. More than 1/2 (56.2%) of respondents said at home they use search engines to get to Web destinations. Other ways respondents land on sites include typing in the site’s URL or using Web browser bookmarks (28%) and using links from other sites or online ads (16.1%). Analysts found significant differences by age in how users arrive at websites. Of respondents 25- 64, more than 60% reported doing so from search engines. Of those 25 and younger and those 65 and older, just under 1/2 said they use a search engine, and 1/3 type URLs or use bookmarks.