1. Monthly archive
  2. March 2013

March 2013

Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission
April 18, 2013
10:30 am
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-319840A1.pdf

Agenda

  1. Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Facilitating Investment by Streamlining Foreign Ownership Review: The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order to streamline the foreign ownership policies and procedures that apply to common carrier radio licensees and certain aeronautical radio licensees under section 310(b) of the Act, significantly reducing regulatory burdens while ensuring the Commission continues to receive the necessary information to protect the public interest.
  2. Promoting Innovation and Competition by Facilitating Direct Access to Numbers: The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry on expanding direct access to telephone numbers to promote competition and innovation by IP-based providers, while protecting consumers and the reliability of phone calls. It will also consider an Order to allow a limited trial of direct access to numbers for VoIP providers.
  3. Presentation on the Status of Alerts to Prevent Bill Shock: Pursuant to CTIA's revision to its Code of Conduct for Wireless Service, April 17, 2013 is the deadline by which the participating CTIA member wireless carriers must provide their subscribers with four specified types of alerts to allow consumers to avoid unexpected charges for wireless usage exceeding their plan limits, and for additional charges for international roaming. The Consumer and Governmental

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda For April Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the following items will be on the tentative agenda for the next open meeting, scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 2013:

  1. Reducing Regulatory Burdens and Facilitating Investment by Streamlining Foreign Ownership Review: The Commission will consider a Second Report and Order to streamline the foreign ownership policies and procedures that apply to common carrier radio licensees and certain aeronautical radio licensees under section 310(b) of the Act, significantly reducing regulatory burdens while ensuring the Commission continues to receive the necessary information to protect the public interest.
  2. Promoting Innovation and Competition by Facilitating Direct Access to Numbers: The Commission will consider a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry on expanding direct access to telephone numbers to promote competition and innovation by IP-based providers, while protecting consumers and the reliability of phone calls. It will also consider an Order to allow a limited trial of direct access to numbers for VoIP providers.
  3. Presentation on the Status of Alerts to Prevent Bill Shock: Pursuant to CTIA's revision to its Code of Conduct for Wireless Service, April 17, 2013 is the deadline by which the participating CTIA member wireless carriers must provide their subscribers with four specified types of alerts to allow consumers to avoid unexpected charges for wireless usage exceeding their plan limits, and for additional charges for international roaming. The Consumer and Governmental

A Chance to Comment on Commerce’s Report on Cybersecurity Incentives

As part of the Executive Order signed by President Obama directing agencies to use their existing authorities and work with the private sector to better protect our nation’s power, water, and other critical systems, the Commerce Department is preparing a report on ways to incentivize companies and organizations to improve their cybersecurity. To better understand what stakeholders – such as companies, trade associations, academics and others – believe would best serve as incentives, the Department has released a series of questions to gather public comments in a Notice of Inquiry.

The Notice will remain open for public comment until April 27, 2013. All comments will be posted on the Department’s Internet Policy Task Force web site. The Department will submit its recommendations to the President no later than June 12, 2013. The Executive Order also directs the Secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security to recommend incentives to participate in the Program. The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of General Services are tasked with reporting on government procurement-related issues.

It’s Big TV vs. Big Telecom Over Broadcast Spectrum

The government’s plan to auction off broadcast spectrum to expand wireless services has pitted Big TV against Big Telecom at the Federal Communications Commission and in the halls of Congress.

Some say the nation is facing an apocalyptic capacity crunch due to the proliferation of mobile devices, while others insist those fears are overblown. The chaos has opened the door for profiteering by TV station owners who suddenly find themselves sitting on valuable real estate. There’s a buying spree going on in the upper reaches of the TV dial, the largely forgotten universe of UHF stations made up of many mom-and-pop owners who long ago gave up ambition in favor of a mix of home-shopping and reruns like Matlock. The stations are being scooped up by private equity and investment firms that are widely believed to have designs not on their assets but their airspace. They are speculators in spectrum — the slice of the nation’s airwaves allocated by the federal government to individual broadcast entities in order to avoid massive signal interference for TV and radio stations, as well as emergency communications services. The sales bounty is coming as the government embarks on an ambitious but untested plan to entice flailing stations to call it quits, put their spectrum up for auction and share in the proceeds from the sale to wireless firms; stations also have the option to share spectrum or move to another part of the band.

US May Sell Airwaves That Help Broadway Sing

Broadway producers are alarmed that a carefully balanced system is about to crumble. The Federal Communications Commission is considering plans to force the users of cordless microphones — not only Broadway producers but also megachurches and the National Football League — to move to a less desirable spot on the nation’s airwaves. The FCC, backed by Congress, hopes to auction most of those prime airwaves now used by singers, preachers and coaches to data-gobbling smartphone companies, potentially for billions of dollars. The FCC says that the airwaves are public property and that theater owners have long gotten preferential access to the frequencies. The commission also points out that the first $7 billion raised by the auction is to build a nationwide public safety communications network, and that many members of Congress have urged the commission to sell everything it can to raise money to reduce the nation’s deficit. Still, Broadway producers say that moving to a new spot on the airwaves, or spectrum, will compromise the sound quality of shows making the melodies less full and rich. They say a failure of a wireless intercom could endanger a performer or crew member and that they will be forced to buy expensive new equipment or risk having their transmissions overwhelmed by smartphones that use the same airwaves.

Can T-Mobile’s gamble pay off?

T-Mobile changed its pricing game plan, announcing that it will charge users for their devices separately from their talk, text and data plans. Nor will T-Mobile require customers to sign on for two-year service plans, or wait for the end of their contract to upgrade to the latest smartphone.

The company touted it as a break from contracts and a new approach to an industry that is “broken.” It says that its approach is more transparent about letting users know what they’re paying for when they turn in their monthly bill. Those are bold claims, but a fresh approach to the market may be exactly what T-Mobile, the nation’s fourth-place carrier, needs to gain subscribers back, said Yankee Group senior analyst Rich Karpinski.

Letting Down Our Guard With Web Privacy

Alessandro Acquisti, a behavioral economist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, studies how we make privacy choices. In a series of provocative experiments, he has shown that despite how much we say we value our privacy — and we do, again and again — we tend to act inconsistently.

The Child, the Tablet and the Developing Mind

Although some people might have opinions, no one has a true scientific understanding of what the future might hold for a generation raised on portable screens.

“We really don’t know the full neurological effects of these technologies yet,” said Dr. Gary Small, director of the Longevity Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of “iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.” “Children, like adults, vary quite a lot, and some are more sensitive than others to an abundance of screen time.” But Dr. Small says we do know that the brain is highly sensitive to stimuli, like iPads and smartphone screens, and if people spend too much time with one technology, and less time interacting with people like parents at the dinner table, that could hinder the development of certain communications skills. So will a child who plays with crayons at dinner rather than a coloring application on an iPad be a more socialized person?

Oversight Hearing -- The Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline Program

Communications and Technology Subcommittee
House Commerce Committee
April 25, 2013
http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/communications-and-technol...

House Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) announced the panel will hold a hearing on April 25, 2013, to examine the Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline program, which has tripled in size from $800 million in 2009 to $2.2 billion per year in 2012. In advance of the hearing, House Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Walden, Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) sent a series of letters to obtain more information on the government’s efforts to reform the program and determine what more can be done.

In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the members wrote, “While reforms the FCC adopted starting in 2011 may be slowing growth, they do not appear to be containing the absolute size of the fund. We remain concerned that the trajectory is still unsustainable. Since the American people ultimately pay for the program through a surcharge on their phone bills, and because many of those footing the bill face their own challenges in this economy, we want to make sure ratepayer funds are being spent wisely. And since waste and abuse will divert funds from helping those who truly need it, we want to make sure the funds are being appropriately targeted.”

The members also requested the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) provide assistance gathering best practices from states taking steps to combat waste, fraud and abuse. This will allow the subcommittee to explore whether these practices might be a good model for the FCC or other states to follow.

Letters
Consumer Groups
Consumers Union
Asian American Justice Center
National Disability Rights Network
Center for Media Justice
Springwire
Senior Service America
League of United Latin American Citizens et al
Center for Rural Strategies

Petition
Save Wireless Lifeline petition


Benton Foundation Statement on Genachowski Departure

The following statement can be attributed to Charles Benton, Chairman of the Benton Foundation.

The Benton Foundation places a high value on pragmatic government policies that ensure affordable broadband networks are available to all, especially those with the greatest need. While we may not have always agreed with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, we do appreciate his commitment to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of age, income or geographic location, have access to affordable and robust broadband. Under his leadership, the National Broadband Plan is taking the first steps to achieve this goal. The transition of the Universal Service Fund to include broadband also promises to move the ball forward on this front. We encourage the Obama Administration to fill the chairman's position with a person fully equipped and committed to finishing this very important process.
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The Benton Foundation (benton.org) works to realize the social benefits made possible by the public interest use of communications. Bridging the worlds of philanthropy, public policy, and community action, Benton seeks to shape the emerging communications environment and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. This statement reflects the institutional view of the Foundation and, unless obvious from the text, is not intended to reflect the views of individual Foundation officers, directors, or advisors.

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