John Kneuer, who became acting NTIA dir. with the departure of Michael Gallagher last week (CD Feb 16 p11), is expected to be appointed to the post for the nearly 3 years remaining in the Bush Administration, sources said Thurs. Kneuer could be unseated if another candidate with better political connections emerges, but he’s the clear front runner for the post as the President’s top spectrum and Internet adviser and the head of an agency of almost 300 people.
NTIA Dir. Michael Gallagher left office last week, NTIA confirmed Wed. Gallagher’s last day was last Thurs., NTIA staff learned via e-mail the next day. Deputy John Kneuer is acting dir. Gallagher said in Dec. he would leave NTIA, but had not set a date (CD Dec 21 p1). Gallagher took over at NTIA shortly after Nancy Victory left in Aug. 2003, but wasn’t confirmed by the Senate until Nov. 2004.
In a Tues. notice of proposed rulemaking, the FCC asked a battery of questions about steps the Commission could take to protect customer proprietary network information (CPNI). The Commission at least broaches the possibility of a number of mandates wireless carriers decry as burdensome. An FCC press release on the NPRM preceded the document itself by a week.
Small and large wireless carriers want the FCC to drop a proposal to allow both traditional simultaneous multiple round (SMR) bidding and experimental “package” bidding in a June advanced wireless services (AWS) auction. Carriers also said they fret over a proposal to keep critical bidder data secret as the auction progresses. But 2 major carriers expected to be in on the auction -- Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile -- did not agree on whether secrecy would help or hinder bidding. The AWS auction of 1,122 licenses and 90 MHz of spectrum is deemed one of the most significant in many years, especially as carriers roll out spectrum-intensive 3G offerings.
Interoperable communications needs national focus, plus an outlay of billions, safety personnel can communicate in emergencies, officials first responder told a Wed. hearing by the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness, Science & Technology Subcommittee.
The Assn. of Public Communications Officials Tues. voiced deep concern that the White House budget fails to dedicate funds for interoperable communications. Without such funding many agencies can’t buy radios, an APCO lobbyist said. APCO spoke out ahead of a hearing today (Wed.) by a House Homeland Security Committee panel on interoperable communications.
CTIA officials are promoting a new proposal for USF reform that combines the “numbers-based” approach to collections promoted by Chmn. Martin with a capacity-based assessment for large users. CTIA began circulating its version of USF reform the past few weeks, a spokesman said. CTIA Pres. Steve Largent highlighted the USF proposal Mon. during a lunch with reporters, calling it one of the Assn.’s top priorities.
The FCC late Fri. released a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require all telecom carriers to submit to the Commission each year certifications providing details on their protocols for protecting customer proprietary network information (CPNI). The FCC proposed that with the certificates a carrier submit a summary of all consumer complaints the previous year on the unauthorized release of CPNI, and a summary of any actions taken against data brokers.
Equipment makers Nokia and Lucent joined Motorola in urging the FCC to impose restrictions on power levels of ISM devices, including microwave ovens. The Assn. of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) shot back Fri., saying Nokia and Lucent had been quiet on the issue for more than a year and filed late in the fight “presumably at the urging” of Motorola.
NTIA and the FCC said they reached agreement on criteria allowing sale of unlicensed devices operating in the 5 GHz band, exploiting dynamic frequency selection (DFS) technology to permit coexistence between the devices and military radars. The development opens 255 more MHz spectrum to unlicensed use, such as Wi-Fi. Gear makers Cisco, Motorola and Atheros have been pushing for agreement and are expected to be among the first to market with 5 GHz devices.