TracFone told the FCC in a recent filing that it’s having major problems getting 911 certification from a handful of public safety answering points as it works to expand its Lifeline offering in various states. The FCC required TracFone to get PSAP sign off, since its service must allow customers to call 911 regardless of whether they have any available minutes on their phones. In November, TracFone asked the FCC to modify the requirement, allowing it to self-certify after 90 days of inaction on the part of a PSAP. TracFone, the nation’s largest provider of pre-paid wireless, said then it had invested considerable effort in trying to get clearances from PSAPs, and had succeeded statewide in only three states.
The Wireless Bureau sought comment on a request for waiver and time extension filed by PTC-220 for 12 Part 90 220 MHz licenses it hopes to use for new system to bolster rail safety. The company said in an October filing it needed more time to “develop and introduce narrowband technology that will allow for the efficient and intensive use of the spectrum, including the deployment of ‘positive train control’ technology.” Once put in place, “positive train control technology will allow PTC-220 to monitor train activity, prevent collisions, and enhance public safety,” it said. The technology must undergo additional testing and must still be approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, said PTC-220, a joint venture of Ekanet, a subsidiary of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railway. The system would cover much of the nation’s rail system, an industry official said Monday. The FRA supports the time extension, the official said. FCC rules require that a 220 MHz economic area or regional licensee construct a sufficient number of base stations to provide coverage to at least two- thirds of the population of its license area within ten years of the grant of its initial authorization. PTC-220 asked for an additional five years. Comments are due Jan. 23, replies Feb. 9.
Sprint Nextel’s could have to pay the FCC after July 1, not after the 800 MHz rebanding is complete as the company had asked, for spectrum it received in rebanding, under a commission order released Wednesday. But the FCC may extend the date for calculating the amount the carrier owes, based in part on the recommendation of the 800 MHz Transition Administrator, the commission said. The original deadline for setting an “anti-windfall” true-up payment was Friday (CD Dec 22 p1).
AT&T and Verizon Wireless called on the FCC to reject calls by the Rural Telecommunications Group and other small carriers for a new spectrum cap. The request came in reply comments on RTG’s July petition seeking to restore a modified version of the cap which the FCC did away with in 2001 in favor of a screen the agency uses in conducting merger reviews. The nation’s two biggest carriers said the record shows competition is working. RTG countered in its reply that 15 of 21 parties that filed in the original comment round support a cap.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin may still try to hold a quick December phone conference with the other commissioners to meet a Communications Act requirement that they hold a meeting every calendar month. Martin’s office sent around an e-mail Monday to his colleagues’ offices asking about their schedules the rest of the month, with an eye toward a meeting. No votes are expected if it takes place, FCC sources said Monday. A meeting may also be held Jan. 15, possibly to deal with proposed changes in the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation systems. Then again, the commission may not meet again until late January, after the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and after Martin’s expected departure. FCC officials expect to know more early next week. The three-week “white paper” deadline for document distribution for a Jan. 15 meeting would be Thursday. But that’s Christmas, and the FCC is closed, with the rest of the federal government. An FCC spokesman said Martin is willing to move on any items that other commissioners seek action on. “Several proposals and notices remain on circulation and any of the commissioners can act on those at any time,” the spokesman said.
The Public Safety Spectrum Trust asked President-elect Barack Obama to include $15 billion for a national public- safety broadband network in the economic stimulus package. Trust Chairman Harlin McEwen made the request by letter as the FCC remains stalled on the 700 MHz D block. Commission members of both parties have repeatedly said government money for a public-safety network would be better than a public- private partnership without federal money.
The FCC is set to release as early as Monday an order addressing the true-up payment by Sprint Nextel growing out of the FCC’s landmark 800 MHz rebanding order. FCC sources said Friday the order was largely uncontroversial and likely will not be accompanied by statements by the various commissioners. Sprint likely will not owe any money after it pays all 800 MHz transition costs, a spokesman said Friday.
The national trend of cutting the cord and using only a wireless phone has major implications for health surveys and other polls, the National Center for Health Statistics said in a report. The potential for bias as statistics for some groups go unreported “remains a real and growing threat to surveys conducted only on landline telephones,” the report said. The trend of cutting the cord was seen as potentially skewing poll results prior to the November presidential election. But for health surveys, the trend could be even more problematic since results from many at risk groups go unreported, said NCHS, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Legislation to require the FCC to set aside spectrum for free national wireless broadband could be part of a national stimulus package -- but whether it will make the cut among the hundreds of items under consideration isn’t clear, industry officials said Thursday.
A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial sharply criticized FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. It said he played favorites and imposed a “reign of terror” at the commission. “President- elect Barack Obama should move fast, once in office, to replace Martin,” the paper said. It said Martin had “abused his position of power to go after cable companies while treating telecommunications firms with kid gloves.” Comcast, the largest U.S. cable provider, has its headquarters in Philadelphia. Martin’s proposal to cap cable companies’ market shares is an especially bad idea, the editorial said. “It’s easy to beat up on Comcast, which often gets poor marks for customer satisfaction,” the Inquirer said. “And we're all in favor of better service, more competition, and lower cable bills. But Martin’s arbitrary decision-making seems to target one industry, when the goal should be to create an even and competitive playing field.” “It’s absolutely wrong that Chairman Martin favors telecom companies over cable or favors any particular industry,” an FCC spokeswoman said in response. “The commission under Chairman Martin has gone after both industries equally in order to ensure consumer benefits. The fact is that the commission has seen an increase in cable rates and a decrease in telecom rates, and the commission’s goal is to ensure a level playing field.”