Industry and FCC officials said they're watching two FCC dockets to see what parties may reveal their policy positions and potential business plans related to the distribution of video over the Internet. Comments on a proposal by Comcast to clarify how it can access information submitted by online video distributors (OVDs) to prove they can avail themselves of the certain Comcast-NBCU approval conditions were due after our deadline Tuesday. And the Media Bureau issued a Public Notice Friday about the definition of the term “multichannel video programming distributor,” for which comments are due at the end of the month.
T-Mobile USA brought CEO Philipp Humm to the FCC last week to push for FCC decisions granting T-Mobile the AWS licenses it got as part of the breakup fee when the AT&T/T-Mobile deal ended in December, and denying Verizon Wireless’s buy of AWS licenses from the cable companies. Humm met with Chairman Julius Genachowski, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Angela Giancarlo, the top aide to Commissioner Robert McDowell, and Rick Kaplan, chief of the Wireless Bureau, among other FCC officials. The visit was Humm’s second to the FCC this year.
Industry and FCC officials said they're watching two FCC dockets to see what parties may reveal their policy positions and potential business plans related to the distribution of video over the Internet. Comments on a proposal by Comcast to clarify how it can access information submitted by online video distributors (OVDs) to prove they can avail themselves of the certain Comcast-NBCU approval conditions were due after our deadline Tuesday. And the Media Bureau issued a Public Notice Friday about the definition of the term “multichannel video programming distributor,” for which comments are due at the end of the month.
Fundraising for communications policy nonprofits has been difficult since the recession hit, which contributed to the Media Access Project board’s decision to wind down the operation this month. “It’s been very hard for many of the public interest groups since the recession, and foundation funding is very hard to get,” said Andy Schwartzman, MAP’s policy director since 1978. MAP said Tuesday that it plans to suspend its operations May 1, ending a nearly 40-year run as one of the communications bar’s most effective public interest advocates.
NTIA’s 1755-1850 MHz report could be bad news for Verizon, SpectrumCo and Cox and their proposed spectrum deal. The long timetables and huge price tags baked into Tuesday’s report mean more pressure on the FCC as it reviews whether to approve the sale of AWS licenses from the cable operators to Verizon, commission officials said.
House Democrats and the FCC are targeting cellphone theft, using efforts revealed Friday. Leading Democrats on the Commerce Committee sent letters Friday to wireless carriers, device and operating system makers, asking how they protect their customers after their cellphones are stolen. Separately, committee member Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., proposed a law requiring carriers to track stolen devices. And FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the commission is working with industry and public safety officials to address the issue. CTIA promised to cooperate with the FCC and law enforcement. But the possibility that Congress could take on legislation raised red flags for groups that don’t often agree with each other.
The FCC is launching a task force to oversee the work the agency has to do to get ready for the upcoming auction of broadcast spectrum, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Wednesday. The task force will be overseen by former Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman. The announcement came amid questions about how quickly the FCC will be able to move forward on the auction, which is expected to be the most complicated in the history of the agency.
The FCC should rethink the spectrum parts of the National Broadband Plan in light of the experience of the last two years, said Blair Levin, manager of the plan, and FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell last week in separate interviews. Friday marked the two-year anniversary of the formal release of the plan, at the FCC’s March 2010 meeting.
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell is questioning whether the time frame for a voluntary incentive auction of broadcast spectrum laid out by a top FCC official last week is realistic. Amy Levine, a senior aide to Chairman Julius Genachowski, predicted an auction would occur in the next 18-24 months (CD March 7 p3). McDowell suspects it could take at least twice as long, given the complexities involved.
FCC nominees’ chances of Senate confirmation remain uncertain even if Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, lifts his hold on confirmation of Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel, communications industry lobbyists said. A House Commerce Committee request for LightSquared documents from the FCC could appease Grassley, but political dynamics in the Senate may still stand in the way of confirming new commissioners, they said. Top House Commerce members indicated last week that the committee would share with Grassley.