This is expected to be a bellwether week at the World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva, providing a gauge for whether the “positive tone and attitude” of last week extends beyond the conference’s opening days on some of the more contentious agenda items, U.S. WRC Ambassador Janice Obuchowski said. “It’s not necessarily the highest tension week, but it’s the workhorse week where everybody has settled,” she said. Meanwhile, the U.S. is making progress in advocating its position on a proposal to harmonize spectrum at for wireless local area networks at 5 GHz, she said.

The opening day of the FCC’s lower 700 MHz auction Wed. generated $24.5 million in gross bids, led by Aloha Partners II with $8.4 million after 2 rounds. Qualcomm was the 2nd highest bidder with $7.6 million, including $3.7 million for an economic area grouping license covering the Southeast. Cavalier Group was 3rd highest at nearly $5 million. Among broadcasters vying for licenses in the auction Capitol Bcstg. bid $164,000 and Banks Bcstg. $191,600. The auction includes 265 licenses in the lower 700 MHz C-block and D-block, including 251 C-block and 5 D-block licenses that remained unsold in an auction that closed in Sept. 2002. The C-block consists of a pair of 6 MHz segments while the D-block is a 6 MHz unpaired block licensed over economic area groupings. The FCC Wireless Bureau recently granted Qualcomm an additional year to use the remainder of an auction discount voucher that had been set to expire June 8. Qualcomm had told the agency it was considering using the $114 million voucher in the lower 700 MHz bidding.

The FCC’s Media Bureau sent a flurry of letters to all of the industry players involved in the digital TV transition seeking more specific details on their efforts to move the transition forward. Bureau Chief Kenneth Ferree asked the major TV networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PAX, PBS, UPN and WB -- to describe in detail their digital programming being fed to affiliates, including the time period of the programming, the source of the material and the format in which it was transmitted.

FCC released staff report Tues. on ultra-wideband (UWB) testing, outlining results of study that showed ambient radio noise levels in GPS bands in certain environments were “well above” emissions limits for UWB. FCC Lab also measured emissions from devices ranging from personal computers to electric drills, which it found had emissions above limits set for UWB devices but still within current Part 15 restrictions. Report underscored conservative levels of UWB limits by showing, for some GPS bands, ambient noise levels, and for consumer devices, emissions, that were many times greater than levels set for UWB in FCC order, several sources said.

Commerce Secy. Donald Evans met with wireless industry Thurs. on 3rd generation wireless issues, sending signal that all spectrum bands still were on table, sources said. Evans held hastily-called 30-min. meeting with wireless carriers and equipment manufacturers in advance of final reports that are set for release today (Fri.) from FCC and NTIA on options for additional spectrum for advanced wireless services. “The report that is coming out tomorrow is a first step in the process,” Evans spokesman said. Several sources indicated meeting appeared to be proactive step by Administration to allay industry concerns over serious questions raised by Dept. of Defense on challenge of sharing spectrum with commercial wireless systems in short term.

Cablevision Systems said it added 99,000 cable modem subscribers in 4th quarter, about 7,600 per week, to close 2000 with 238,500 and penetration rate of 11.9%. As it continues to upgrade its plant to 750 MHz capacity, company said, it aims to double its high-speed data customer total to 475,000 by end of 2001. But Cablevision, which originally planned to introduce digital cable service this winter, said it wouldn’t begin deploying digital set-top boxes until next fall because it wanted to bolster its customer support operation first. Plans now call for installing 100,000 Sony digital boxes in subscriber homes by year’s end. In conference call with analysts Wed., Cablevision executives denied that there were any problems with new Sony boxes or their cable plant. “We are technologically ready” for digital, Cablevision CEO James Dolan said. Executives said they planned to roll out digital broadly in 2002. They also expressed strong interest in pursuing expanded relationship with MGM, which just bought 20% stake in Rainbow Media, as well as building PCS business in N.Y.C. area and possibly selling various PCS licenses elsewhere.