On December 16-17, 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held a Cargo Security Summit at the Georgetown University Conference Center. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site CBP Commissioner Robert Bonner's remarks at the summit, highlights of which are provided below.
Chmn. Powell has begun to circulate for a vote 2 items that take on intercarrier compensation (IC) reform, including a report and order that will address conflicts between wireless carriers and rural ILECs on termination rates, we've learned. The other item is a further notice of proposed rulemaking that sends out for comment proposals for revising the IC regime, including the controversial plan proposed by the Intercarrier Compensation Forum (ICF).
The 3 Indian remote sensing satellites that are providing the National Remote Sensing Agency with images of the entire region affected by last weekend’s tsunami along the coast of Asia and Africa (CD Dec 28 p7) weren’t positioned over the Indian Ocean on Sun. when the tidal wave hit, the Times of India reported Tues. Even if the satellites had been aligned with the coastline, movement of the waves is so strong that they cannot be captured by the satellite, officials from the Indian Space Research Organization (IRSO) said. IRS 1-C/1-D as well as Resourcesat-1 and a meteorological satellite Kalpana-1 all assess climatic changes over sea and land, but the IRSO said no satellites in the world can predict a tsunami.
SpatiaLight raised $10 million from the sale of senior secured convertible notes that will fund the first-quarter start of production of LCoS microdisplays at a new factory in S. Korea. The Novato, Cal.-based LCoS display developer secured LG Electronics earlier this year as its first customer for the plant and is expected to deliver 21,000 displays in the first 6 months of 2005. The LG order is for 0.8” microdisplays with 1,920x1080p resolution.
Microsoft lost its bid to avoid remedies ordered by the European Union while it awaits appeal of its antitrust case. In a decision Wed., the EU Court of First Instance rejected the software maker’s claim that unbundling its media player from the Windows operating system and providing workgroup server code to competitors would cause the company long-term harm. The European court found Microsoft guilty March 24 of breaking antitrust laws.
The FCC is poised to approve an order as early as this week delaying a Jan. 1 mandate for requiring that some radios be narrowband-ready, and making other changes to dates for narrowband rules. The FCC also appears on target to vote out an order sua sponte -- on its own initiative -- by tonight (Wed.) addressing Nextel’s request for changes to the FCC’s Aug. 800 MHz rebanding order.
The State Department has issued a public notice announcing various upcoming meetings of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) to prepare for the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) Meeting and ITU-T Study Groups 3, 4, and 17 meetings. According to the notice, ITAC will meet with an agenda for preparations for an upcoming ITU-T TSAG meeting on: January 19, February 2, February 16 (teleconference) and March 2, 2005.
Sprint, Qwest, Level 3 and Williams asked the 7th U.S. Appeals Court, Chicago, on Fri. to stay a decision that could expose them to more than $3 billion of liability in federal and state class actions pending across the country. The Appeals Court’s order, handed down last week, reversed a controversial nationwide class action settlement favored by the telecom companies and lifted an injunction to allow other class action lawsuits to go forward (CD Dec 16 p11). Several are certified and set for trial. The 4 defendant companies said they had installed fiber on more than 36,000 miles of railroad rights of way, comprising their core infrastructure. But more than 30 class actions nationwide claim that the subsurface rights belong to the landowners, and that the telecom companies are intentional trespassers.
For TiVo, which has yet to land an agreement with an MSO, it’s a chance to mount a drive for new customers: The company will give away 40 GB Series 2 PVRs today (Fri.) to Comcast customers who bring their cable bills and a gift for The Family Giving Tree charity to its hq. The giveaway will run 11 a.m.-1 p.m., or until the supply runs out, and will be limited to one recorder per household. Service fees aren’t included in the giveaway, which is only for first-time TiVo owners. TiVo typically charges $199 for the recorders and a $12.95 monthly fee. The company is also in the midst of a $100 mail-in rebate promotion for its recorders that lasts until Jan. 1. This is the first time TiVo has given away recorders in a holiday promotion -- and it’s a jab at Comcast. The MSO has been promoting its PVR service in the Bay Area with a $9.95 monthly fee, but through a series of miscues, customers were told that the service wasn’t available yet or that there was a shortage of recorders, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Giveaways aren’t new for TiVo. In 2000, the company hosted an essay contest in which it gave away recorders to winners.
The FCC released a public notice seeking comment on a new study on bird deaths and wireless towers by Avatar Environmental. The study calls for a multiyear research program and asks for industry groups and others interested to file comments by Jan. 13 on its findings. The latest study is expected to reignite the debate on bird deaths and wireless towers.