United Airlines outlined new cellphone policy for U.S. domestic arrivals, joining growing list of airlines, including American, Continental and Southwest, that have relaxed their rules on use of portable electronic devices. United said its policy will allow passengers to use cellphones onboard aircraft: (1) Only after plane has landed and “exited the active runway.” (2) While aircraft is at gate with entry door open, in line with previous policy. (3) During ground holds at captain’s discretion, also in line with previous policy. United said it wasn’t changing its policy for international flights or United Express routes. FCC rules prohibit cellphone use in-flight. United said although it wasn’t first to undertake policy change, it had to craft single policy for all existing fleet types. “This required considerable testing, research and analysis of the interaction of cellphones with communications systems which, when completed, proved the policy change was safe,” said Peggy Dedo, vp-engineering & technical support.
United Airlines outlined a new cell phone policy for U.S. domestic arrivals, joining a growing list of airlines that have relaxed their wireless phone policies. Southwest Airlines earlier this month relaxed its cellphone use policy, following similar moves by Continental Airlines and American Airlines. United said its policy allows passengers to use wireless phones on board an aircraft: (1) Only after the plane has landed and “exited the active runway.” A crew member will tell passengers when it’s okay to use their phones. (2) While the plane is at the gate with the entry gate open, in line with previous policy. (3) During ground holds at the discretion of the captain, also in line with existing policy. United said it wasn’t changing its policy for international flights or United Express. FCC rules prohibit cellphone use in-flight. United said although it wasn’t the first to undertake this change, it had to craft a single policy for all existing fleet types. “This required considerable testing, research and analysis of the interaction of cellphones with communications systems which, when completed, proved the policy change was safe,” said Peggy Dedo, vp-engineering & technical support.
MTV networks and the National Cable TV Co-op (NCTC) said they renewed a long-term distribution agreement for cable channels Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1, TV Land, CMT and Spike TV on all NCTC cable systems. The agreement also significantly increased distribution for TV Land and CMT and of MTV Networks’ digital channels, including Noggin, Nickelodeon’s Games & Sports (GAS), MTV2, VH1 Classic, Nicktoons and MTV Hits, they said. NCTC members also will introduce 6 digital networks in all systems during the rollout of digital services.
The American Assn. of Paging Carriers, Allied National Paging Assn., Arch Wireless and Metrocall Holdings petitioned the FCC Mon. to reconsider part of an order that requires commercial operators on Part 90 paging frequencies to shift to narrowband operations. The petition suggests the Feb. order may have inadvertently made this requirement, in line with a schedule adopted for private land mobile radio service licensees. The groups asked that Part 90 paging-only frequencies should be “exempted entirely” from any requirement to move to 6.25 kHz operations. To the extent the FCC mandated conversion of these frequencies to such narrowband operations, the groups said paging carriers “would be forced to replace their existing systems and equipment operating on those frequencies at significant and unnecessary cost, and with substantial disruption of services provided to customers.” Paging carriers also have argued against a new FCC requirement in which Part 90 paging-only frequencies would be required to migrate to 12.5 kHz operation on an interim basis. Recently, Motorola and several private wireless and public safety groups also asked the FCC to reconsider its decision setting dates to move to narrowband equipment below 512 MHz. The petition by the paging carriers noted the FCC’s earlier refarming proceeding to alleviate frequency congestion and foster more efficient private wireless spectrum use below 800 MHz had not applied narrowbanding to Part 90 paging-only frequencies.
The Cal. PUC opened an investigation into the facility construction contracting processes of the state’s telecom, energy and other utilities to see whether it needs to impose new rules for governing those processes. The PUC said it wanted to develop an understanding of the contracting process and to ensure that those processes were consistent with state and federal rules for public works contracting practices. The agency said it was looking into utility contracting processes in light of state laws intended to deter prime contractors on public works projects from influencing subcontractors to lower their prices for their work after the prime contract was awarded. In those situations, the PUC said, the taxpayers or utility ratepayers who ultimately pay for the projects aren’t getting what they paid for. In another matter, the PUC voted conditionally to endorse a pending Assembly bill that would allow the state to lease state lands to wireless carriers for cellphone tower sites, with 15% of the lease revenue going to grants for digital divide pilot projects through the Cal. Teleconnect Fund. However, the agency said, its endorsement was conditioned amendments to the bill (AB-855). It wanted the grant program to build up a fund of $500,000 before any grants were awarded. The bill now would start grants when the kitty reached $200,000.
Public safety groups asked the FCC to stay a decision that set dates for moving to narrowband equipment in spectrum below 512 MHz. The petition was filed by the Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials, International Assn. of Fire Chiefs, International Assn. of Chiefs of Police and others. In recent weeks, public safety groups have asked the Commission to reconsider the decision, which among other things set interim deadlines for public safety users to transition to more efficient 12.5 kHz-capable equipment. The decision barred certification of equipment capable of operating at one voice path per 25 kHz of spectrum, including dual band equipment for both 12.5 kHz and 25 kHz, starting Jan. 1, 2005. Challenges to the rule also centered on a Jan. 13, 2004, deadline, after which applications to expand the coverage area of an existing radio system would be approved only for narrowband operations. “That requirement will make it impossible for many 25 kHz public safety systems to expand operations without replacing, prematurely, their entire radio systems,” the petition for stay said. If left intact, the deadline would “lead to irreparable harm to state and local governments and to the general public,” the petition said. “Agencies could be forced to forgo essential system expansions, potentially endangering the safety of life and property.” Such expansions typically are needed to address changes in population shifts and other areas, the groups said. “The only alternatives are to implement incompatible communications operations, which will destroy interoperability, or replace prematurely entire radio systems, which will drain scarce public resources.” The groups said that nearly every part of the public safety and private land mobile community, as well as equipment makers, had participated in petitions for reconsideration.
Shares in N.Y. game publisher Take-Two Interactive were up Wed. after company reported strong results for its 3rd quarter and its executives told analysts in conference call they were upbeat about future. At same time, Take-Two revealed that it was acquiring Westlake Village, Cal., competitor TDK Mediactive (TDKM) for $22.7 million in move that Take-Two CEO Jeff Lapin said would “complement our portfolio of proprietary brands and will provide an excellent platform for Take-Two to further expand and diversify its product offerings.” TDKM boasts large line of mass market and children’s games such as Shrek franchise based on hit animated movie -- categories that Take-Two hasn’t been strongest on. In late afternoon trading, Take-Two shares were up $6.12 (20.57%) at $35.87.
Southwest Airlines became the latest airline to relax its cellphone use policy, with new rules that took effect Tues. Earlier this summer, Continental Airlines and American Airlines announced similar plans to loosen their restrictions on on-board cellphone use. Southwest said customers with cellphones now could start using them after a flight attendant allowed it upon landing and during taxi to and from the gate. Previously, customers could use their wireless phones only until the aircraft doors closed. Southwest said it had conducted required FAA testing to ensure that cellphones didn’t interfere with ground navigation equipment during taxiing. The airline said the test showed no problems with avionics or ground-based systems.
There’s a lot of money being recruited for presidential campaigns from mass media executives, but no consensus on where that money should flow, according to an examination by our affiliated publication Washington Internet Daily of about 69,000 campaign donations to 2004 presidential candidates. The data are current through June 30 and were filed by the campaigns at the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
With less than 5 months to go before the Ia. presidential caucus, companies and executives in 3 key industries -- telecom, mass media and Internet -- have begun giving aggressively to the 10 major presidential campaigns. The hard-money donations are more notable than ever this election cycle as it’s the first since the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). That law banned soft- money donations to political parties but doubled the hard- money amount individuals could give to candidates. Our affiliated publication, Washington Internet Daily (WID), reviewed the roughly 70,000 individual donations recorded by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to the 10 campaigns as of the most recent filing date of June 30, and focused mostly on donations of $1,000 or more. This is the first of a 5- part series.