The FCC turned aside a request from the Channel Islands Telephone Co. to be designated an ILEC, the Wireline Bureau said in an order dated Tuesday and circulated Wednesday. The company “has deployed only limited facilities to date and appears to serve only one customer,” the Wireline Bureau said (http://xrl.us/bmm5wr). The company filed its petition in June 2008, and asked to be designated an ILEC for the Channel Islands, eight islands that run for about 160 miles along the California coast that comprise about 346 square miles. Verizon opposed Channel Island Telephone’s petition, saying its wireless division “was not discontinuing service to the populated portion of Santa Cruz Island as CIT claimed, and in fact had recently upgraded its wireless service to that area,” Wednesday’s order said. “Verizon also argued that the Commission ’should not act on CIT’s request until [California’s regulatory body] designates CIT as an incumbent LEC’ and CIT provides more information on the potential costs and benefits” of its proposal, Wednesday’s order said.
Mike Florio and Catherine Sandoval appointed to California Public Utilities Commission … Nebraska Public Service Commissioner Anne Boyle nominated by NARUC to Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, replacing former Commissioner Ray Baum, who’s moved to Capitol Hill staff job … Discovery Communications changes: Laurie Goldberg promoted to executive vice president-public relations, Discovery and TLC Networks; Elizabeth Hillman moves to senior vice president, international communications, new position … Lon Goldstein, ex-NCTA, named senior vice president-government relations, CIT Group … Fox Networks promotes Jamia Bigalow to senior vice president of affiliate marketing … Bravo Media promotes Jenn Levy to vice president of development and production … New Cable Center board members: Kimberly Edmunds, Cox; Peter Kalan, CSG Systems; Paul Liao, CableLabs; and Josh Sapan, Rainbow Media.
The FCC should deny a Channel Islands Telephone petition to be treated as an incumbent local exchange carrier in Channel Islands National Park unless the company provides “additional, persuasive evidence,” Verizon said. In comments, Verizon said the small carrier wrongly claims that Verizon Wireless planned to abandon service on the remote California islands. This year, Verizon upgraded the area to digital service, it said. The Bell also questioned how the other carrier plans to operate there. Channel Islands wants to provide wireless service, but it’s unclear what spectrum the carrier would use, Verizon said. “If CIT intends to use licensed Verizon Wireless spectrum in areas where Verizon provides wireless service, that is not permissible under the Commission’s rules without Verizon’s consent,” the Bell said. Regardless, the FCC shouldn’t treat the carrier as an incumbent until the California Public Utilities Commission does, it said.
A Tuesday FCC hearing in New York on hurdles to women and minorities getting financing to buy communications properties will serve as the July commission meeting, the agency said Friday. The hearing has been moved to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture from its previous Barnard College site. Speakers on the first witness panel, about equity financing, are Spanish Broadcasting System CEO Raul Alarcon, Dempster Group Managing Partner Percy Berger, Delman Coates of Enough is Enough, Columbia Capital Partner James Fleming, ZGS Communications CEO Ronald Gordon, Opportunity Capital Partner Anita Stephens Graham, Quetzal/JP Morgan Partners Managing Partner Reginald Hollinger, Syncom Funds Managing General Partner Terry Jones, Catalyst Investors Managing Partner Brian Rich, Media Access Project President Andrew Schwartzman, ShootingStar President Diane Sutter and Tower of Babel Chairman Frank Washington. Witnesses on the second panel, about loans, are CIT Communications Managing Director Charles Dreifus, InterMedia Partners Managing Partner Leo Hindery, Media Ratings Council CEO George Ivie, Oppenheimer & Co. Managing Director William Lisecky, Access.1 Communications President Chesley Maddox- Dorsey, Arbitron CEO Steve Morris, Patrick Communications Co- owner Susan Patrick, Roberts Cos. Chairman Michael Roberts, LIATI Capital Managing Director John Stevens Robling, Azteca America Executive Vice President Mayela Rosales, Inner City Broadcasting President Charles Warfield and National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters Executive Director James Winston.
More than 95% of Africa’s international traffic is carried by satellite, CIT-PriMetrica said in new research report. Satellite-based regional IP operators are emerging as new trend in service provider category, CIT said. Pan African Communications Network is one such operator offering voice, data and broadcast capability. Research is part of company’s Yearbook of African Telecommunications-2003, available in March. CIT said continent offered strong growth opportunities not only in terms of satellite services, but also in telecom operators’ providing mobile services.
House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) has concerns about process leading up to ultra-wideband (UWB) order approved by FCC last month (CD Feb 15 p3), aide told conference at Va. Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) Wed. After panel discussions in which several industry and govt. officials referred to order as having “ultra-conservative” interference protections, House Commerce Committee Senior Counsel Howard Waltzman said: “That’s an understatement.” CIT conference touched on concerns raised by federal agencies such as Defense Dept. and FAA over potential for UWB devices to interfere with GPS and other critical safety-of-life systems, issue that was major point of contention among stakeholders in UWB proceeding. Of UWB’s potential to put intentional emissions in protected govt. bands, Waltzman said that “issue has been described in terms of being ‘religious’… The problem with that is there is a certain thing called separation of church and state, and government agencies are supposed to be agnostic.” Waltzman also questioned whether emission mask adopted by FCC for UWB devices was based on sound science. “There are a couple of things about the whole proceeding that really concern us,” he said.
Saying ultra-wideband (UWB) has potential “to revolutionize the consumer electronics industry,” Va. state agency Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) will host seminar on subject March 6 at its hq in Herndon. “This breakthrough technology [which hasn’t yet been authorized by FCC] has the potential to dramatically change the way we access the Internet,” said CIT. Session includes presentation on regulation by Bruce Franca, deputy chief of FCC Office of Engineering & Technology -- www.cit.org/uwb.asp.