Puerto Rico ISP Open Mobile says hurricane-disrupted service could be fully restored to its 250,000 customers across the island by year's end, as long as electricity is similarly restored. "Nothing could prepare us for what happened," said OM Advertising Manager Ricardo Hernandez. He called Hurricane Irma, which preceded Maria, "like a dress rehearsal" that had OM working on restoring towers.
Matt Daneman
Matt Daneman, Senior Editor, covers pay TV, cable broadband, satellite, and video issues and the Federal Communications Commission for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications in 2015 after more than 15 years at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, where he covered business among other issues. He also was a correspondent for USA Today. You can follow Daneman on Twitter: @mdaneman
Many small and mid-sized cable operators will have options for accessible user interfaces by the Dec. 20, 2018, deadline, letting them meet accessibility obligations, and others will be able to meet at least some, the American Cable Association said in an FCC docket 12-108 filing posted Tuesday. Consumer groups representing the deaf or hard of hearing pushed for the agency to keep the due date. Monday was when comments on compliance for small and mid-sized MVPDs were due, replies due Nov. 13 (see 1709280057). ACA said commercial options available include the advanced user interface developed by TiVo, and various "plug-in" devices like the TiVo Bolt and a simpler digital terminal adapter under development. Those plug-ins are only partial solutions for some operators since they aren't compatible with QAM-delivered VOD, all-analog systems or systems not offering broadband, ACA said. But it said likely as much as 97 percent of all domestic MVPD subscribers will have access to three or more MVPDs that can provide a talking guide that meets agency requirements. The FCC "set generous compliance deadlines" in its 2013 user accessible interface order, and the ability of people with disabilities to access video programming outweighs "any challenges that may remain" for meeting the deadline, said Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Association of the Deaf, American Foundation for the Blind, Cerebral Palsy and Deaf Organization, and Hearing Loss Association of America.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology's looking for input on the Technological Advisory Council’s hunt for technical regulations in need of modification (see 1708310035) got suggestions on new filing requirements for internal reorganizations and reforming rules on marketing and operation of RF devices before authorization. Monday was the deadline for docket 17-215 comments.
The 5.9 GHz band likely is the best near-term opportunity for additional Wi-Fi spectrum, said speakers at WiFi Forward discussions Monday. A benefit of the band is lack of significant deployed incumbents there, as opposed to the C-band, said NCTA Associate General Counsel Danielle Pineres, noting that, paired with the 6 GHz band, it could represent a wide swath of spectrum. Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld said the change in administration at the Transportation Department could move things along since the Republican administration brings a suspicion of technology mandates and there are LTE options in the market.
Congress needs to remind the FCC that satellite has a legitimate need for spectrum being eyed for 5G usage, particularly in the high frequency bands, ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg said in an interview. Whether it will provide that kind of messaging is "a little bit of a black box," he said. Dankberg and executives at three other satellite operators testified last week before the Senate Commerce committee (see 1710250025). The FCC didn't comment Friday.
Comcast and Charter Communications combined lost nearly 230,000 video subscribers in the most recent quarter, though Charter CEO Tom Rutledge said he expects the company's video sub loss history to turn around despite price and piracy pressures. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said changing consumer habits and "aggressive video activity from incumbents" are a challenge.
More governance over satellites' altitude and "spectrum certainty" were among an array of recommendations and asks of lawmakers in satellite executives' testimony Wednesday before the Senate Commerce Committee. There was some satellite criticism over how well prepared the FCC is to handle the wave of planned non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations.
Increased orbital congestion is bringing with it more need for meaningful regulations on overlapping constellations, OneWeb Executive Chairman Greg Wyler said in testimony prepared for Wednesday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on satellites. Minimum altitude spacing of 125 kilometers for large-scale constellations could isolate the impact of debris from a collision, he says. The U.S. last significantly addressed space debris via regulation more than 20 years ago, and while other nations are looking at rules, the U.S. "can take a leadership position and drive standards ... worldwide," he says. The company backed updating re-entry rules that require re-entry casualties be highly unlikely, since those rules still could see large constellations dropping "tens of thousands of fragments." The company's first launch is scheduled for May, with plans to bring low-latency broadband to Alaska in 2019, followed by nationwide broadband the following year. It says its system's initial speeds will be 500 Mbps, with its subsequent constellation, scheduled for 2021, to increase that to 2.5 Gbps, and that by 2027 its goal is "fully bridging the global digital divide." Also due to testify are Intelsat, SpaceX and ViaSat executives (see 1710180056).
VidAngel is trying to buy time with its Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize around its new, streaming-centric business model (see 1710190046), but there's no consensus among copyright experts on whether that new business model will fare better in court because it's not clear how the streaming model operates. VidAngel General Counsel David Quinto told us the streaming service does result in some technical violations of exclusive rights, but it doesn't cause any actual harm to copyright owners and ultimately benefits consumers. "The fair use argument is very, very strong," he said.
Facing increased calls to respond to President Donald Trump's questioning whether NBC should continue to have a "license" in light of its alleged news bias (see 1710160011), Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday seemed to rebuff the presidential tweets (see 1710110075). "For years, I've said I believe in the First Amendment," Pai told a Mercatus Center at George Mason University event, saying legally, the FCC doesn't have the right to review a station license based on content. He said "fake news" issues haven't traditionally been in the agency's jurisdiction. Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and other Democratic senators told us the comments didn't completely satisfy their concerns.