Telecom issues are simmering on back burner in political campaigns for elected state commission seats as voters in 9 states prepare to decide Nov. 5 who will fill 17 state commission seats. Most state commission contests are focusing on energy deregulation. When telecom is brought up in campaigns, central issues include protecting consumers from abuses in retail telecom marketplace, developing rural telecom infrastructure to support delivery of advanced services, curtailing abusive telemarketers and protecting privacy of customers’ personal information. States electing commissioners next month include Ariz., Ga., La., Mont., Neb., N.M., N.D., Okla., and S.D.
LAS VEGAS -- While bemoaning fact entire $73 million budget for fiscal 2003 for wireless priority access was eliminated in recent Defense Dept. spending bill, Govt. Emergency Telecom Service (GETS) Dir. John Graves told Federal Wireless Users Forum here Fri. that funding would come from somewhere. He said timetable for transferring to Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on Dec. 31 and Full Operating Capability (FOC) following year remained on schedule. Funding options, Graves said, could range from including program in supplemental spending bill or reprogramming of funds within Defense Dept. GETS is wireline equivalent to priority access service, which gives national security and emergency personnel priority queuing on phone networks during emergencies.
NTIA Dir. Nancy Victory told state, local and federal officials Wed. her agency was preparing study for release later this year or early next year on “best practices” in how some states and municipal govts. have been able to overcome stickiest of rights-of-way issues with telecom and cable companies. To ensure that federal govt. is adequately managing rights-of-way over millions of acres of federal land, Bush Administration has formed Federal Rights of Way Working Group, headed by NTIA, to remove impediments to broadband deployment, she said. Group is composed of representatives of all federal agencies with major right-of- way management responsibilities, including U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Federal Highway Administration, Army, Navy, Air Force, General Services Administration.
FCC Chmn. Powell and other commissioners stressed importance of striking balance between interests of local govts. to manage rights-of-way and receive fair compensation and need to promote broadband deployment and other advanced telecom services, as agency opened forum in Washington Wed. to tackle ROW issues and debate scope of Commission’s authority under Sec. 253. ROW challenges have been “with us forever,” and have accompanied every new generation of technological progress, Powell said. State and local govts. historically have had primary role in establishment of policy over ROW that must be “understood and respected” by all, he said, and they're vital part of any solution. Congress had developed blueprint for new infrastructure and new technologies, Powell said, and demanded that agency advance that objective: “These are challenges that we must balance.”
Legal dispute involving 28 movie and broadcast companies against maker and users of ReplayTV personal video recorder (PVR) is getting personal. Stage for latest drama in case is courtroom of federal magistrate Judge Charles Eick in L.A., where lawyers will battle today (Oct. 15) over access to key discovery documents.
FCC issued notice of proposed rulemaking Thurs. that seeks comment on changes in use of airport terminal use (ATU) frequencies at 450-470 MHz in private land mobile radio industrial business pool. Action is response to petition for rulemaking submitted by PCIA. Proposal sought comment on: (1) Deleting total output power limit for transmitters operating on ATU mobile-only frequencies and adopting general effective radiated power standard instead. (2) Converting power limit for base transmitters operating on ATU base/mobile frequencies from 20 w total output power to 100 w effective radiated power. Proposal said revising current power limits could aid airport terminal communications. But FCC said it still was concerned such changes could harm aviation-related communications, public safety, railroad and utility operations and wireless medical telemetry service systems. (3) Potential adverse impact on operations of non- ATU firms that were co-channel licensees. Point of existing rules, some of which date back to 1968, is to protect ATU communications at 242 airports from interference caused by secondary users of that spectrum. PCIA, which is frequency coordinator, stressed need for changes because existing power limits often were too restrictive because their limits typically didn’t reach large distances and underground facilities of current airports. Comments are due 30 days after publication in Federal Register publication, reply comments 15 days later.
Key member of Congress will host debate today (Fri.) on file sharing on college campuses, event that comes as academic groups have raised concerns about online piracy and key music group charges in a new study that file sharing is harming CD sales. House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chmn. Smith (R-Tex.), who is leading candidate to succeed Rep. Coble (R-N.C.) as chmn. of Courts, Internet & Intellectual Property Subcommittee next year, has organized debate at U. of Tex.-Austin on file sharing, but his spokesman said Smith would have to participate remotely because of press of House business. Smith has asked each of his panelists, who range from peer-to-peer software executive to record industry lobbyist, to suggest specific ways government can address what he called “a proliferation of unauthorized intellectual property on university campuses.”
Ford said it would offer Sirius satellite radio receivers exclusively on select vehicles starting in 2003 calendar year in announcement Tues. that Sirius spokesman said “erases any speculation” that Ford had cooled in its commitment. Announcement applies to Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover, with Mazda and Aston Martin expected to announce market plans later. Sirius also said it had issued Ford warrants to purchase 4 million shares of Sirius common at exercise price of $3 per share, replacing similar warrants at $30 per share exercise price under 5-year agreement signed June 11, 1999. Sirius shares closed above $1 Tues. for first time in 3 days. Filing at SEC said warrants were exercisable based on number of Sirius radio sets installed by Ford and were fully exercisable after 4 million Sirius-equipped Ford vehicles were manufactured. Agreement also calls for Sirius to share unspecified portion of revenue derived from Ford-initiated subscriptions and to reimburse automaker for certain undisclosed ad and hardware costs.
Veteran Kenwood executive Joe Richter will be highest- profile casualty of Oct. 31 company reorganization announced Tues. in which 4 U.S. subsidiaries will be consolidated into Kenwood USA, of which he has served as pres. since 1993. Richter was subsidiary’s first American-born pres. and was protege of Bill Kasuga, founding father of Kenwood operations in U.S.
Sirius and Ford have signed long-term agreement for satellite receivers in cars, Sirius said Tues. Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover are planning to offer Sirius receivers on exclusive basis to select vehicles beginning next year. Mazda and Aston Martin are expected to announce plans for Sirius later.