FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has reached out to Department of Defense officials first hand on making more spectrum available for wireless broadband, he said in a press conference following the FCC’s meeting Friday. DOD is a major spectrum user and a key player in talks with federal officials over freeing up more spectrum for sharing or reallocating for a future auction. Half the meeting had a wireless focus, with the FCC approving an order designed to spur greater use of microwave for wireless backhaul. The meeting was the third August session in a row where the commission addressed wireless backhaul rules.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition asked the FCC’s two newest members to not back “any relaxation” of media ownership rules before the agency gets and analyzes data on minorities and women as required by a remand from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Prometheus Radio Project v. FCC. A study on the subject that was the topic of a commission workshop last month (CD June 27 p7) is a good “first step,” CEO Alex Nogales and other NHMC staff reported telling commissioners Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel during separate meetings. There should be “a much large[r] examination of ownership of media outlets by women and people of color,” the coalition said in ex parte filings posted Tuesday to docket 09-182 (http://xrl.us/bndr2o, http://xrl.us/bndr2q).
The FCC approved an order authorizing ID codes of longer than three characters for new wireless devices that have been submitted for testing. Rashmi Doshi, chief of the FCC’s lab in Columbia, Md., told commissioners the Office of Engineering and Technology also is looking at other changes to streamline the certification process. The agency must certify a broad range of consumer and business products, from cellphones to Wi-Fi devices to children’s toys.
The FCC approved an order authorizing ID codes of longer than three characters for new wireless devices that have been submitted for testing. Rashmi Doshi, chief of the FCC’s lab in Columbia, Md., told commissioners the Office of Engineering and Technology also is looking at other changes to streamline the certification process. The agency must certify a broad range of consumer and business products, from cellphones to Wi-Fi devices to children’s toys.
The FCC approved on a 5-0 vote Wednesday changes to rules designed to push more widespread use of the 4.9 GHz band. The band, once set aside for federal operations, was reallocated to public safety a decade ago, but is little used today. Almost all public safety focus in recent years has been on its fight for a wireless broadband network in the 700 MHz band. Among proposals on which the agency will seek comment is whether to allow commercial use of the 4.9 band by utilities and other critical infrastructure providers and possibly other companies as well.
Federal Democratic policymakers praised a commitment from the major broadcast networks to begin putting content rating information on their full-length programming when it’s shown on websites they control. The commitment, to take effect next year, will cover shows streamed on each network’s own site. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., praised the commitment. A critic of the networks’ ratings policies said the move will do little to help parents make decisions about their children’s viewing habits. Disney’s ABC, News Corp.’s Fox, Comcast’s NBC and Telemundo, CBS, Univision and its TeleFutura network all signed on.
Federal Democratic policymakers praised a commitment from the major broadcast networks to begin putting content rating information on their full-length programming when it’s shown on websites they control. The commitment, to take effect next year, will cover shows streamed on each network’s own site. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., praised the commitment. A critic of the networks’ ratings policies said the move will do little to help parents make decisions about their children’s viewing habits. Disney’s ABC, News Corp.’s Fox, Comcast’s NBC and Telemundo, CBS, Univision and its TeleFutura network all signed on.
The Rural Cellular Association said it’s “difficult to overstate” the importance of a 700 MHz interoperability mandate to “the future health of the wireless industry,” in comments to the FCC. RCA has made an interoperability requirement one of its top priorities. The main resistance has come from Verizon Wireless and AT&T. But CEA and TIA weighed in against a mandate, giving the two major carriers critical support. Where the newly reconstituted FCC will come down remains to be seen, agency and industry officials agreed Monday.
BOSTON -- Usage-based data pricing can spur competition in broadband, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said of ISPs’ moves to systems not always charging flat prices regardless of consumption. NCTA CEO Michael Powell asked Genachowski about the practice in a Q-and-A Tuesday at The Cable Show, noting ISPs of all sorts, including cable operators, are starting to charge based on consumption. “Business model innovation is very important, particularly in new areas like broadband,” Genachowski replied. The commission’s 2010 net neutrality order allowed such practices. Nonprofits that backed the order criticized Genachowski’s remarks, while AT&T supported the comments.
Having five FCC members for the first time in about a year automatically gives the agency more legitimacy, and the new additions may push the commission to act on some long-pending issues, industry officials and the most recent member to step down predicted. USF contribution is an issue that will see commission action soon anyway, and adding Ajit Pai as the new Republican member and Jessica Rosenworcel as the new Democratic commissioner brings differing views that could be helpful (CD May 8 p1). Meredith Baker left the FCC late last spring, and Pai fills her term through 2016.