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.

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.

The FCC Thursday ordered Verizon Wireless, the SpectrumCo partners and Cox to file mostly unredacted versions of the marketing agreements they signed as part of a broader deal that includes the sale of AWS licenses to the carrier. The letter (http://xrl.us/bmxh5j) was signed by Wireless Bureau Chief Rick Kaplan and outlined a ruling that had been sought by opponents of the spectrum deals. He asked Verizon Wireless and the cable operators for the documents by the end of Monday.

An FCC decision to put off a key policy call on how Dish Networks can use spectrum it’s buying from TerreStar and DBSD creates significant uncertainty for the future of the frequencies, industry officials said Monday. The International Bureau released an order late Friday (http://xrl.us/bmwqn9) that approved Dish’s purchase, but denied its request for a waiver of the integrated services rules for the spectrum (CD March 5 p1). FCC officials hope to wrap up a rulemaking notice on the use of the spectrum by the end of the year. Industry officials said Monday the delays now built into the deal underscore the complications of bringing online for broadband any of the spectrum bands delineated in the FCC National Broadband Plan.

An FCC decision to put off a key policy call on how Dish Networks can use spectrum it’s buying from TerreStar and DBSD creates significant uncertainty for the future of the frequencies, industry officials said Monday. The International Bureau released an order late Friday (http://xrl.us/bmwqn9) that approved Dish’s purchase, but denied its request for a waiver of the integrated services rules for the spectrum.