Wireless has already faced deep cuts in universal support and the goal of the FCC now should be to encourage more deployment of mobile broadband, CTIA said in replies on an inquiry and rulemaking on changes to the high-cost universal service program. As a result of the 2008 cap on support for competitive eligible telecom carriers, wireless carriers and other CETCs have already lost $800 million in funding, the group said. The notices follow up on recommendations in the National Broadband Plan that the Universal Service Fund be restructured to pay for broadband.
Debate about FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s third-way broadband reclassification proposal comes on the eve of a key international meeting on broadband, October’s ITU Plenipotentiary Conference where government regulation of the Internet is expected to be a key topic. Genachowski has not indicated when the FCC will vote on a reclassification order.
The National Transportation Safety Board Wednesday recommended that the Coast Guard issue a policy on cellphone use by members of the service while on duty. That came in response to two accidents between Coast Guard patrol boats and commercial craft. The NTSB issued a second recommendation to the maritime industry, asking it to also issue a notice on the danger of cellphone use while operating a boat.
Google’s and Verizon’s proposal for net neutrality legislation, unveiled Monday (CD Aug 10 p1), is having an unintended side effect, industry and public interest group officials said Tuesday: Galvanizing opponents and broadening interest in net neutrality. News of an agreement last week saw net neutrality emerge as a key issue for interest groups like MoveOn.Org, which played a big role in the election of President Barack Obama two years ago.
Verizon and Google unveiled Monday the details of their agreement on a proposal for net neutrality legislation, which would exempt wireless from rules except those on disclosure. The principles would create what critics say is an “insurmountable” bar for consumers to lodge complaints, requiring demonstration of actual harm. In another surprise to some observers, the proposed law would eliminate the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection role regarding broadband. The proposal builds on an earlier statement by the two companies on net neutrality rules.
CTIA asked the FCC to drop a proposal that spectrum licensees make a detailed renewal showing, a new requirement that the group said would be “unnecessary, vague, and burdensome” and subject to legal challenge. The objections came in response to a May 20 notice of proposed rulemaking examining how the license renewal process can be more consistent. CTIA, the Rural Cellular Association and major carriers also filed a petition for reconsideration raising legal issues about an accompanying order.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski made a round of calls to key participants in the net neutrality discussions that fell apart Thursday (CD Aug 6 p1), in the wake of a still-to-be unveiled deal between Verizon and Google, FCC and industry officials said Friday. While the commission is unlikely to host the same kind of talks that have grabbed headlines for in recent weeks, some agreement remains possible under which the FCC could avoid reclassifying broadband as a Title II service.
Industry discussions aimed at forging a consensus on net neutrality rules and broadband reclassification, have ended without an agreement, FCC Chief of Staff Eddie Lazarus said in a brief statement Thursday. The statement followed reports that Google and Verizon had reached a separate agreement, under which Verizon would agree to nondiscriminatory treatment of all traffic on its wireline network and additional transparency on the management of wireless traffic. The firms had not confirmed such an agreement by our deadline.
The FCC approved 5-0 Thursday a notice of proposed rulemaking and notice of inquiry aimed at spurring investments in wireless backhaul, a recommendation of the National Broadband Plan. Neither was particularly controversial. The FCC also unanimously approved an order aimed at increasing the number of wireless handsets available to the deaf and hard of hearing. The monthly meeting was over in less than an hour, and most of the questions in a press conference afterwards by Chairman Julius Genachowski focused on negotiations over net neutrality and broadband reclassification (see related story this issue).
HOUSTON -- The FCC is showing more willingness to consider the reallocation of the 700 MHz D-block as an alternative to the commission’s proposed plan for a national wireless broadband network for public safety, APCO President Richard Mirgon told us as the group’s national meeting neared its end. Public safety’s focus has shifted from the FCC to Capitol Hill, where legislation that would give public safety the D-block appears to be gaining support, he said. Mirgon noted that legislation by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., in the House and Sens. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and John McCain, R-Ariz., would reallocate the key band. Plus, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Commerce Committee, appears committed to offering legislation.