Comr. Abernathy said Wed. a pending air-to-ground (ATG) order, scheduled for a vote at the Dec. 15 meeting, presents difficult questions she’s still working through. “We are still struggling with who are the correct engineers,” she told reporters at a press breakfast: “Our goal would be multiple providers, but it may be that that’s just not technically possible and that’s what we're looking at.”
Howard Buskirk
Howard Buskirk, Executive Senior Editor, joined Warren Communications News in 2004, after covering Capitol Hill for Telecommunications Reports. He has covered Washington since 1993 and was formerly executive editor at Energy Business Watch, editor at Gas Daily and managing editor at Natural Gas Week. Previous to that, he was a staff reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Greenville News. Follow Buskirk on Twitter: @hbuskirk
The White House released a memorandum late Tues. setting up a process under which federal agencies will have to explain their spectrum requirements. The memo, signed by President Bush, directs federal agencies to implement the other recommendations issued in 2 June reports on spectrum use in the 21st Century.
CTIA Tues. laid out 6 principles for intercarrier compensation reform and contended most proposals unveiled so far would be good for the companies proposing them but bad for consumers. CTIA Pres. Steve Largent elaborated on the principles in a 4-page letter to FCC members. A few CTIA members previously had filed positions on intercarrier compensation, but this is the wireless carrier industry position.
The Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials asked the FCC to refrain from allowing unlicensed operations between TV channels in the 470-512 MHz band, citing a potential risk to public safety. APCO made the filing late last week on a controversial May FCC rulemaking seeking to provide more unlicensed spectrum “in the broadcast television spectrum at locations where that spectrum is not being used.”
The FBI and DEA met with the FCC last week to ask the Commission to take into account CALEA concerns as it wraps up an air-to-ground (ATG) rule for communications made on commercial airliners, including broadband. Meanwhile, an ATG order is on circulation on the 8th floor and could be finalized before the Commission’s Dec. 15 agenda meeting, we learned. Chmn. Powell could schedule a vote at the meeting if Commissioners otherwise don’t finish voting on the order.
The U.S. and U.K. could be headed for a conflict over the need for the World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC) to approve a comprehensive overhaul of Articles 9 and 11 of world Radio Regulations. The FCC Advisory Committee for the WRC approved a resolution Wed. opposing those efforts, saying they could undermine the world satellite industry.
The FCC voted 5-0 on Tues. to adopt masks, based on requests by law enforcement agencies, for their use of 4.9 GHz spectrum. As expected, the FCC overrode objections by Motorola, which asked for a more restrictive mask, citing potential interference concerns. Members of the Commission emphasized that the masks give agencies significant flexibility to buy equipment from a broad array of manufacturers.
If cable companies move into wireless through a consortium, they're most likely to do so initially as resellers of services offered by Sprint and other operators rather than as new entrants in spectrum markets, sources said Mon. Financial analysts said several questions remain about whether cable operators -- which carry significant debt after years of rebuilding their systems -- would want to invest heavily now in buying the spectrum needed to become a national wireless operator.
The FCC’s decision giving Nextel 1.9 GHz spectrum as part of the 800 MHz rebanding doesn’t violate federal law against private sale of public resources, the GAO found. Verizon dropped its legal objections to the rebanding order last week, and the GAO action was one remaining area of uncertainty (CD Nov 3 p1).
Verizon Wireless agreed to buy all of NextWave’s PCS licenses for $3 billion, the companies said Fri. A federal Bankruptcy Court will be asked to rule on the request at a Nov. 30 hearing in White Plains, N.Y., since the sale represents NextWave’s new reorganization plan. Meanwhile, a top FCC official said the deal likely won’t set off regulatory red flags.