President Bush is expected to issue Executive Order “very shortly” directing Office of Management & Budget (OMB) project called Safecom to accomplish its goal of interoperability for federal public safety systems, said William Speights, public safety program mgr. at NTIA’s Office of Spectrum Management. Speights spoke at Assn. of Public- Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Homeland Security Summit in Washington Wed. at which continued lack of interoperability of some public safety systems was among key themes. Wireless Public Safety Interoperable Communications Program, called Project Safecom, is OMB e-govt. initiative designed to accelerate readiness of public safety wireless systems for homeland security for federal agencies. Public safety community is important part of federal Project Safecom, said Mike Byrne, senior dir. for response and recovery in Office of Homeland Security. It “isn’t about the federal government telling state and local jurisdictions how they need to do things,” said Byrne, former N.Y.C. firefighter. “It’s about a bottom-up approach in terms of local [agencies] and the states determining and helping to craft what the right solution set for communications is.”
Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA) can’t support “first- come, first served” approach on space station rules proposed by FCC, Pres. Richard DalBello told us. SIA offered new proposal and opposition to procedural changes in comments to Commission Mon. FCC is seeking amendment of Space Station Licensing Rules and Policies (IB Docket No. 02-34). Commission also is holding 2002 Biennial Regulatory Review -- Streamlining and Other Revisions of Part 25 Governing Licensing and Spectrum Usage by satellite companies (IB Docket No. 00-248). FCC shouldn’t abandon established rules and policies for licensing, SIA said. Adoption of first- come, first-served approach would encourage speculation and inefficient use of spectrum, resulting in significant retreat from statutory obligation to manage spectrum use in public interest, it said. Boeing, PanAmSat, Hughes, Final Analysis, Pegasus, SES Americom and CTIA also filed comments, most of them supporting SIA.
Marine Corps Systems Command gave sole source contract to JPS Communications for technology to make its phone and radio networks interoperable. Agency said JPS was only known maker of system capable of “allowing 12 or more previously incompatible communications systems to be directly connected providing real-time interoperability.” Corps is acquiring 23 modular-interconnect systems, which it will deploy for use among its high-frequency, land mobile radio and satellite communications systems. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Relative silence following call for national broadband policy by Senate Governmental Affairs Chmn. Lieberman (D- Conn.) (CD May 29 p2) was broken Fri. by Heritage fellow, who agreed Bush Administration hadn’t been active enough but questioned Lieberman’s approach. “As a rule of thumb, one should be wary of anyone in Washington invoking President Kennedy’s call to land a man on the moon,” James Gattuso said. He said there was “certainly reason to be bullish on broadband, I am too,” but faulted Lieberman for avoiding explicit positions in his lengthy report. “On most issues,” Gattuso wrote in piece distributed by Competitive Enterprise Institute, “Lieberman performs an awe-inspiring politician’s dance, discussing the topic, grimly intoning how important it is, then moving on without stating a position.” Gattuso cited Lieberman’s discussion of need for competition, in which he outlined debate at FCC and said policymakers couldn’t avoid debate on competition. “It then goes on to avoid the debate over competition, not even hinting at a position,” Gattuso said. He noted Lieberman was likely 2004 Presidential candidate, but as for his criticism of White House’s lack of position on broadband, Gattuso said: “Fair enough -- the White House has been conspicuous by its silence on broadband regulation.” He said Lieberman, who isn’t on either Commerce or Judiciary committees and until now has been relatively silent on broadband, “is but the latest player in an increasingly crowded Senate broadband debate.”
Adelphia revealed new details about its intertwined relationship with founding Rigas family in SEC document filed late Fri. Document, 8-K, reveals among other things that: (1) Some of Rigas family businesses, including Eleni Interiors and SongCatcher Films, may not have had any other clients besides Adelphia. (2) Company didn’t follow general practice of seeking approval of board or independent directors on drawdowns on co-borrowing credit facilities, which amounted to as much as $4.58 billion. (3) Company had spent $13 million on development and equipment of golf course on 830 acres near company hq of Coudersport, Pa. (4) Company paid more than $26 million for timber rights on Rigas-owned land. (5) Family members used company aircraft for reasons unrelated to business. (6) Company bought 500 cars from dealership in which former Adelphia Chmn. John Rigas holds interest. (7) His daughter and son-in-law used company-owned apartments in N.Y. on rent-free basis. (8) Same daughter was paid $50,000 last year for consulting services.
FCC released orders on private land mobile radio (PLMR) services that declined to restrict new citizens band (CB) radio service to industrial/business pool users under Part 90 of Communications Act. Part 90 contains rules for PLMR services for public safety entities, state and local govts. and other users of 2-way radio systems. Commission affirmed decision to license 5 VHF frequencies formally used for low- power industrial/business use by putting them in new CB service under Part 95 called multi-use radio service (MURS). “The general public is licensed by rule to use MURS for communications related to personal or business activities,” Commission said. FCC also clarified that MURS was 2-way, short-distance voice or data communications service “intended for transmissions that do not typically require long duty cycles.” FCC updated airport terminal use list, which identifies airports at which certain 450 MHz band frequencies are used by nearby stations for servicing and supplying planes. In separate order, FCC adopted proposal of American Automobile Assn. to revise power limit on certain frequencies now reserved for low-power operations for cargo handling at docksides. Order didn’t accept AAA proposal to require all applicants to obtain AAA’s concurrence before using those frequencies. Agency also adopted proposal to eliminate eligibility restriction on school and park operations in public safety pool. Motorola, RadioShack and Industrial Telecom Assn. had petitioned for reconsideration of MURS policies, arguing FCC had decided to include general consumers in class of licensed users even though notice had proposed only to eliminate licensing requirement for eligible business and industrial users. Concern of Motorola and others was that expanding use of those frequencies to general public would increase interference and congestion for business communications. As result, Motorola and ITA asked that that spectrum be returned to Part 90 PLMR services. Concerns over congestion and other issues “do not adequately address or appropriately balance the sharing issues raised on reconsideration,” FCC concluded. Rather than abolishing MURS, Commission said it was adopting technical restrictions to address those concerns.
With prices for conventional CRT-based digital TVs moving lower, alternative display technologies are making push with more cost-effective strategies that would allow them to carve out niches in digital market, according to trends emerging at this week’s Society for Information Displays (SID) convention in Boston.
Intelsat added terrestrial component to broadband offerings with new GlobalConnex Solutions program that combined terrestrial and satellite network, company said Tues. GlobalConnex is portfolio of bundled services that combines satellite links with terrestrial capabilities, including teleport services, fiber and points of presence (POPs) at strategic exchange points. GlobalConnex will deliver voice, data, Internet, video. “Intelsat can now offer customers a one-stop shopping experience,” Global Sales & Mktg. Pres. John Stanton said.
Key “threshold” question to ancillary terrestrial component request by mobile satellite service (MSS) licensees is whether such sharing is technically feasible, FCC Comr. Abernathy said at National Spectrum Managers Assn. conference Tues. “If it is, the Commission should hold an auction to allow those rights to evolve to the most highly valued use, and that includes potentially being bought by the satellite licensees who have the satellite rights,” Abernathy told conference in Arlington, Va. She said MSS licensee New ICO had asked FCC for approval to develop terrestrial spectrum using bands allocated to MSS. Sprint PCS and Cingular Wireless submitted new technical data to Commission last week that contended MSS operators didn’t plan to share spectrum between MSS and ATC, but wanted to separate band into one segment for each, conclusion to which ICO objected. In other areas, Abernathy told reporters after her speech that Commission decision on 700 MHz auction probably still was several days away.
Newly created “Blu-ray Disc Founders” group of 9 companies said it would disclose technical specs for proposed high- definition optical disc recording format beginning June 14 (CED Feb 20 p1). Consortium said purpose of disclosures was to let parties study specs in time for start of licensing, targeted for end of June. Besides revealing new group name and schedule for implementation, Blu-ray Disc Founders said Philips would be contact for specifications process but didn’t outrightly name company as licensing agent for format.