The FCC on Friday approved a notice of proposed rulemaking that will establish rules for an incentive auction of broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband, to take place as early as 2014. The NPRM moves the FCC a step closer to what is already the most anticipated auction since the 700 MHz auction four years ago. Commissioner Ajit Pai concurred only on parts of the NPRM, saying the commission leaves too many critical questions unasked. Meanwhile, CEA hailed the NPRM as “a great step forward."
MINNEAPOLIS -- A text-to-911 order could be released next month, FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Turetsky told the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) conference. Last September the bureau sought comment on near- and long-term options for next generation 911, and received a variety of ideas on how to best support a text-to-911 service, he said. While only a fully deployed next-gen system will support the full range of multimedia communications, including photos and video, “it’s feasible to quickly and cost-effectively implement” an interim version, which would allow people to use SMS text messaging to contact 911. An order could come at the September or October monthly meeting, he said.
A top aide to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski unsuccessfully suggested this spring that some major U.S. cable networks could add parental content ratings to all TV shows placed on their websites, several industry executives said in recent interviews. Shortly before Josh Gottheimer stepped down as senior counsel to Genachowski and left the commission in late June, he’s said to have asked the major broadcast-TV networks if they'd be willing to expand program-length linear shows’ parental ratings to those episodes when they go on the Internet. The broadcast networks acceded to the suggestion in a joint June 11 (CD June 12 p4) announcement that seven will, for new programs put online after Dec. 1 on websites they control, put ratings at the start of videos and in descriptions on the Internet.
A top aide to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski unsuccessfully suggested this spring that some major U.S. cable networks could add parental content ratings to all TV shows placed on their websites, several industry executives said in recent interviews. Shortly before Josh Gottheimer stepped down as senior counsel to Genachowski and left the commission in late June, he’s said to have asked the major broadcast-TV networks if they'd be willing to expand program-length linear shows’ parental ratings to those episodes when they go on the Internet. The broadcast networks acceded to the suggestion in a joint June 11 (WID June 12 p3) announcement that seven will, for new programs put online after Dec. 1 on websites they control, put ratings at the start of videos and in descriptions on the Internet.
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.