President Bush nominated John Kneuer to become permanent NTIA dir. He has been acting dir. since Feb. Kneuer, deputy dir. under Michael Gallagher, was expected to be nominated to the post and no other strong candidate emerged (CD Feb 17 p1). He was named deputy dir. in July 2004, after having joined NTIA in Oct. 2003. Previously, Kneuer was an attorney at Piper Rudnick, exec. dir.-govt. relations at the Industrial Telecom Assn. and an attorney-adviser in the FCC Wireless Bureau. When the Senate will act on the nomination remains an open question. “Industry thinks very highly of John,” said one regulatory attorney. The source compared Kneuer with FCC nominee Robert McDowell, whose nomination has been stuck in the Senate: “Everybody likes him, too, and it doesn’t make any difference. Getting any nomination through the Senate requires a good deal of luck and having all the stars lined up.”
Ultra-wideband (UWB) chipmaker Alereon, which predicts UWB could have a breakthrough year in 2006, plans to ask the FCC for permission to transmit at higher power levels at the upper ends of the radio spectrum. Alereon, perhaps in tandem with other UWB firms, plans to ask the FCC to revisit parts of its UWB rules, Alereon CEO Eric Broockman told us. But any proposal for higher power levels for UWB is likely to be controversial.
Transition issues for licensees that the FCC wants cleared from the 2150-2162 MHz band, as well as rural and safe harbor policy calls, are drawing fire after the FCC released its massive report and order on broadband radio service (BRS) and educational broadband service (EBS) spectrum. The Wireless Communications Assn. said it expects to go back to the Commission asking for additional changes to the order. But it’s not clear how many matters it will asked to be reconsidered.
The FCC isn’t giving a date for launching its Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau, approved at its March 17 agenda meeting, an FCC official told the Land Mobile Communications Council (LMCC) Thurs. Industry and public safety officials at the meeting told us group members have many questions about the bureau -- especially a plan to split spectrum licensing, with part staying in the Wireless Bureau and public safety licensing moving to the new bureau.
The FCC late Tues. released revised designated entity (DE) rules, in time for June’s advanced wireless services auction. They don’t bar ties between DEs and carriers, but do put tough new controls on what a DE can do with spectrum it buys at a reduced rate using bidding credits. DE sources said provisions in the order virtually guarantee many DEs will sit out the AWS auction. Comr. Adelstein partly dissented, saying the order doesn’t go far enough.
A group appointed by the FCC to address minority issues declared victory Tues. in its fight to keep the agency from significantly broadening proposed restrictions on partnerships between designated entities and carriers. Having won, the Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age scuttled a resolution asking the FCC not to ban carriers with annual revenue of more than $125 from teaming up with DEs in the advanced wireless services auction.
NTIA picked D.C.’s Wireless Accelerated Responder Network (WARN) to test spectrum sharing, fulfilling one of 24 recommendations in the Administration’s 21st Century Spectrum policy initiative. NTIA plans to complete a report on WARN this year.
Despite widespread publicity after last year’s major storms, on the eve of hurricane season the 8 hurricane-zone states “remain dangerously unprepared for another disaster,” the First Response Coalition said in a report. The document sharpens the focus on the individual states, reviewing efforts of each to build interoperable networks. The report comes as the FCC’s Hurricane Katrina Independent Panel also finishes its report.
Aloha Partners, the largest holder of 700 MHz licenses in the U.S., said it will join with satellite operator SES Americom to test-market mobile TV in Las Vegas in the fall, through a new subsidiary, Hwire, using the digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) platform. Aloha has a test of wireless broadband on 700 MHz in Phoenix. CEO Charles Townsend told us Mon. the Aloha will look at both tests at year-end and decide which course to pursue.
Barry Ohlson, senor legal advisor to Comr. Adelstein, told an FCBA lunch Fri. he doesn’t expect the imminent arrival of a 5th commissioner, and a 3rd Republican, at the FCC to make a substantial difference on wireless issues. Ohlson, along with Fred Campbell, wireless advisor to Chmn. Martin, and Aaron Goldberger, legal advisor to Comr. Tate, met with communications lawyers.