The goal the FCC set to wrap up its media-ownership review this year will be tough to meet, said commission, industry and public-interest figures we surveyed. The FCC hasn’t issued notices of inquiry or rulemaking and must deal with a legal challenge to the previous review. Issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) soon with proposed rules, rather than starting with a notice of inquiry (NOI), would speed up the work, the officials agreed. They said time is tight for the commission to wrap it up this year, a goal apparently shared by Chairman Julius Genachowski, Media Bureau Chief Bill Lake and others. Congress mandated the reviews every four years, including 2010.

Motorola, Qualcomm and AT&T separately asked the FCC to reject the 700 MHz Block a Good Faith Purchaser Alliance’s calls for a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring all 700 MHz capable devices to operate on every paired 700 MHz band. The alliance also sought an immediate freeze on FCC authorization of mobile equipment that cannot operate on every band. U.S. Cellular and small carriers groups weighed in in support of the alliance.

The FCC should be careful as it takes up the Broadband Task Force’s recommendation that TV providers include a broadband gateway device to not ignore some of the unique features of direct broadcast satellite service providers’ technology, said DBS companies. The commission will begin to take up the issue April 21 (CD March 31 p10).

The FCC will vote at the April 21 meeting on an order that would pull back the in-market roaming exclusion, approved in 2007 as part of the commission’s automatic roaming rules. The same item calls for the FCC to put out a further rulemaking notice seeking additional comment on data roaming. The actions have been expected since December (CD Dec 9 p1).

FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker said she remains open-minded about net neutrality, but she questioned whether a compromise can be made to gain her support by removing the application of rules to wireless. Baker, who joined the commission in July, told us she’s pleased with the approach of the National Broadband Plan toward spectrum. Baker also called for a quick review of all deals before the FCC, including Comcast-NBC Universal, limiting conditions to those directly involved, and helping broadcasters in small- and mid-sized markets in the media ownership review.

The weak economy and a recent surge in prepaid wireless plans indicate that the trend toward them will continue throughout the year, said speakers on a New Millennium Research Council teleconference Wednesday.

Municipal broadband, stimulus funding and Google’s fiber projects are among alternatives some cities are looking at as Verizon backs away from further FiOS expansion and concentrates on completing current commitments, experts told us. Cities probably won’t make quick decisions to pursue their own fiber buildouts, but Verizon’s pause in seeking new franchises will prompt them to raise the possibility again, said lawyers who represent cities in these matters. Baltimore and Boston are among the major cities likely to consider the idea, they said.

The Rural Utilities Service announced its final Broadband Initiatives Program award Tuesday for the first funding round, the day after second round applications were due. NTIA has yet to finish making first round grant announcements, though the final deadline for second round Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program applications was Friday.

A draft order upholding an earlier FCC decision is a step along a path for new low-power FM stations because the translators dealt with in the current item are limited for each applicant, commission officials said. The order is likely to be approved without much eighth-floor controversy and outside a commission meeting, an official said. It upholds an earlier order limiting to 10 the number of applications from any entity that will be granted in Auction No. 83, several commission and industry officials said.

The emergence of cloud computing and ubiquitous mobile devices has complicated the federal statute covering law-enforcement access to electronic communications, written when e-mail was a new technology, a coalition of Internet companies, privacy groups and think tanks said Tuesday. They are pushing for revision of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act at a time when the Obama administration is defending a government right of access without warrants to information about cellphone locations (CD Feb 16 p11). Those pressing for change have allies in the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary committees. But they don’t expect legislation to move this year.