Wireless carriers cautioned the FCC against imposing a mandate that they be able to broadcast emergency alerts to subscribers, warning that the delivery of millions of alerts would choke networks, possibly during times of national emergency when subscribers need to place other calls. Carriers also advised the Commission that the costs for wireless carriers would be significant and shouldn’t be imposed without federal support.
Lucent highlighted its IMS contract with Verizon and the buildout of UMTS-based 3G networks by Cingular and other carriers, as it reported a net loss in its first quarter and a 12% drop in revenue from last year in what CEO Patricia Russo repeatedly called a “disappointing” quarter.
Conservative Stephen Harper’s Mon. victory in Canada’s national elections, ending 13 years of Liberal Party rule, has carriers and analysts there alert for shifts in telecom and other communications policy. Since he didn’t win decisively, Harper will form a coalition govt. In one of Canada’s hottest regulatory fights, the Canadian Radio-TV & Telecom Commission (CRTC) voted last year to regulate VoIP offered by traditional telecom carriers but not by Vonage, cable companies or other nontraditional players. In 2005 the old administration set up the Telecom Policy Review Panel (TPRP), which took 2 rounds of comments and is preparing a report on possible ways to change telecom oversight. One of Harper’s key moves will be to name an Industry Minister replacing Liberal David Emerson, in that job since 2004. “Everyone will hang tight and low until a new minister is announced,” Brian Sharwood, analyst with Seaboard Group, told us. The next big phase will be the TPRP report’s emergency, which will spur the new minister to introduce a telecom reform bill, Sharwood said. Action could be speedy, he said: “New governments, even in this minority situation, like to try and accomplish something early. They could probably get broad support for change, or at least across the Liberals, which is really what they need.”
The FCC’s focus in a probe into cellphone data sales remains on wireless carriers and their privacy procedures, sources said Mon. That’s despite disclosure Fri. the Commission subpoenaed owners of 2 websites that sell cellphone customer data and despite the FCC’s working with the FTC on the matter. Fri., the FCC brought together major wireless carriers to discuss how they protect customer records (CD Jan 23 p1). The issue heated up Mon., as T-Mobile filed suit in Wash. state under criminal profiteering laws, pursuing firms the carrier says traffic in cell records.
The WiMAX Forum said it certified the first fixed- wireless products to be used in wireless substitution for DSL and cable broadband. Certification is an important step in the commercial rollout of products using WiMAX technology. The forum put its seal on products from Aperto, Redline Communications, Sequans Communications and Wavesat, and dozens of other certification announcements are expected in coming weeks. The forum, meanwhile, is developing standards for mobile WiMAX, a significantly larger prospective market.
The IEEE 802.15.3a task group is abandoning its pursuit of a single ultra wideband standard after 3 years of trying. The group declined to endorse either of the rival standards promoted by the WiMedia Alliance and Motorola spinoff Freescale. The task group voted Wed. at a meeting in Hawaii not to accept one standard after neither appeared likely to achieve 75% support in the group.
Major wireline and wireless carriers asked the FCC not to impose additional regulations on carriers on social issues -- including new rules protecting consumer records or covering truth in billing -- tied to a notice of proposed rulemaking the Commission voted out at the same time it approved an order in Aug. reclassifying wireline Internet access service as an “information service.”
Chmn. Martin indicated the FCC Enforcement Bureau is investigating “availability and sale” of telephone records (CD Jan 18 p11) with an eye on how Internet-based firms that sell obtain it from phone companies. Rather than bring carriers under more rules, Martin appears inclined to push enforcement of rules already approved by the Commission, sources said Wed.
Ties between major carriers and designated entities (DEs) are coming under the Wireless Bureau microscope against a backdrop of long-pending action on a further notice of proposed rulemaking on DE issues. Late last week, that NPRM began to circulate on the 8th floor. But, due to an Aug. 2005 FCC agreement to launch an NPRM before a summer 2006 advanced wireless services (AWS) auction, FCC staffers already are asking more questions about relationships between carriers and DEs, industry and FCC sources said. The NPRM would go a step further and prohibit some relationships altogether.
Six public safety groups told the FCC in a filing many of their members are running into a dead end as they seek reimbursement from Sprint Nextel for planning needed for 800 MHz rebanding. The groups warned that the problem “threatens to stall the entire rebanding process” set in motion by the FCC’s 800 MHz rebanding order approved in 2004. Signing the letter were the Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs and 3 other national police groups.