The FCC should try out important rule changes in small-scale “policy sandboxes” before issuing decisions, incentivize efficient use of spectrum, and take steps to attract up-and-coming engineers, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel told the IEEE at its Global Communications Conference Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1gt0OYa). “What if instead of always relying on the big reveal, we set up small-scale policy experiments?” asked Rosenworcel. “What if we examined the effects of new rules before unleashing them all at once?” The commissioner pointed to experimental spectrum licenses as an area where the FCC is already encouraging trial phases for new ideas and said the concept might also expedite the authorization process for new radio equipment. “Because the number of devices in this process is expanding, our systems deserve an update to meet this demand,” said Rosenworcel. “By moving new devices through our approval process more quickly we can move them from sandbox to market much faster.” Small-scale policy experiments could also “kick-start” the IP transition, Rosenworcel said. “After all, big issues are at stake -- how to foster deployment, how to spur investment, and how to best serve consumers,” she said. The FCC should work with carriers to come up with location-specific and service-specific IP trials, she said. “Trying them out on a small scale just makes sense.” To increase the efficiency of spectrum, the FCC should hold a contest, with a prize of 10 MHz of mobile broadband spectrum to be awarded to the first person to make spectrum use below 5 GHz 50 times more efficient over the next decade, Rosenworcel said. “Think of it as [White House education incentive program] Race to the Top, the Spectrum Edition,” she said. The prize is worthwhile, because “if the winner can truly use spectrum 50 times more efficiently, they can make their 10 MHz do the work of 500 MHz,” she said. Rosenworcel also said the FCC could benefit from an influx of engineering talent. The commission should establish an engineering analog to its honors attorney program, she said. “By mixing young men -- and women -- with experienced engineers already on staff, the FCC could be better prepared to face the challenges of next generation communications networks,” said Rosenworcel.
Hill pressure on the idea of cellphone conversation on airplanes while in-flight escalated Thursday as all five FCC commissioners faced the House Communications Subcommittee, hours before the agency took up an item to propose allowing such conversation from a technical perspective (see separate report in this issue). At the hearing, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler defended the proposal and said he’s talked with others in government about what will happen next. Members of both houses of Congress have raised the controversial issue, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is kicking off a process that may ban voice calls on planes, officials said.
AT&T filed tariff changes that would limit future special access contracts to no longer than 36 months. The prospect worries competitive providers and other purchasers of special access services. They say eliminating longer contracts also eliminates discounts, and is effectively a rate increase. AT&T needs FCC approval for the change to go into effect, an AT&T spokesman said. That approval will happen automatically in 15 days unless the commission suspends the tariff. Petitions to reject the tariff are due by Dec. 2, an FCC spokesman said.
The FCC is seeking comment on procedural updates to the way the CALM Act calculates the loudness of commercials, the commission said in an order and FNPRM Friday (http://bit.ly/1b7wISy). The move is prompted by changes in March to the Advanced Television Systems Committee’s (ATSC) recommended practices, which updated the algorithm -- called BS.1770-3 -- used to calculate loudness, said the order. Because the old standard is referenced in the CALM Act legislation, the commission is proposing to update the language with the new standard. The change is “designed to prevent advertisers from using silent passages to offset excessively loud passages when calculating the average loudness of program material,” said the order. Once the new standard is implemented, “consumers may notice a modest decrease in the perceived loudness of certain commercials,” said the order. The FNPRM specifically seeks comment on the possible costs that would go along with the technical update, and proposes a one-year deadline to make the change. The order also waives the current CALM Act rules to allow stations to make the switch to the new standard early. In a statement attached to the order, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said the enforcement of the CALM Act should be stepped up. She said the FCC has received nearly 20,000 complaints involving excessively loud commercials. Rosenworcel endorsed a proposal from Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I,, to issue quarterly reports on CALM Act noncompliance. “I believe this will not only facilitate enforcement of our rules -- it could help us put this irritating, persistent problem to rest,” she said.
The FCC approved by a 3-0 vote Monday technical rules for the 700 MHz broadband spectrum licensed to FirstNet, with an eye on prompting equipment makers to start seeking certification for devices first responders will use on the network. The FCC also approved an industry agreement on 700 MHz interoperability through an electronic vote Friday, taking the item off the agenda for the commission’s October meeting Monday.
AT&T was a key focus of congressional debate on the IP transition Wednesday. The House Communications Subcommittee, at a hearing on the evolution of wired communications networks, pressed AT&T’s Jim Cicconi, senior executive vice president-external and legislative affairs, on the nature of IP-enabled services and the FCC’s urgency in conducting trials. Written testimony from the hearing’s witnesses showed friction on how some IP transition principles should be executed and how to handle such controversial topics as all-IP interconnection agreements (CD Oct 23 p6).
There’s no stopping the transition to IP-enabled services, and the FCC needs to step up its game, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President-External and Legislative Affairs James Cicconi plans to tell the House Communications Subcommittee Wednesday. According to written testimony (http://1.usa.gov/16sWLlM), he will emphasize consumer demand for wireless and IP-enabled services, which he will tie to the virtues of the IP transition that AT&T has urged the FCC to focus on. Stakeholders will debate before the subcommittee what principles and timeline should accompany this transition.
The FCC started what is expected to be a long process of digging out Thursday, opening its doors for the first time since Oct. 1. The FCC put out a notice early in the day saying all filing deadlines were suspended, other than Network Outage Reporting System filings, through Monday (http://fcc.us/19THOiF). ECFS is back, but one lawyer told us he had been unable to make a filing. The commissioner offices have started to talk about such issues as rescheduling the October FCC meeting and other meetings as well as agency filings delayed by the closure, agency officials told us. Some communications lawyers said FCC staffers have been reaching out to ask about urgent issues for the FCC to address now that the agency is open.
The FCC approved 2-1 Thursday, over Commissioner Ajit Pai’s second dissent of the meeting, an NPRM on whether carriers should be required to report data on tower outages during emergencies. The dissent was expected (CD Sept 26 p3). Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel indicated she also had questions about the NPRM. FCC and industry officials told us the NPRM was largely “bureau driven” with the Public Safety Bureau’s strong support. Consumers Union (CU) asked the FCC to require carriers to release to consumers the data that they must already file at the FCC.
The FCC approved, on a 3-0 vote Thursday, launching a rulemaking aimed at cutting red tape on deployment of distributed antenna systems and small cells and allowing for faster deployment of temporary cell towers. The NPRM was the only item to get a unanimous vote Thursday.