Commercial fiber-telco networks could be a backup to the GPS system in transmitting precision time signals used in synchronization, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a news release Thursday. NIST said it and the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) worked with CenturyLink and Microsemi to find backup possibilities for when GPS signals are disrupted by radio interference or weather. That work includes an ongoing experiment that connects NIST time scales in Colorado with a USNO alternate time scale elsewhere in Colorado via CenturyLink fiber, with time signals sent in regular intervals between the two locations and researchers measuring the differences between the transmitted and local times. The results, presented this month at the International IEEE Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization for Measurement, Control and Communication in Stockholm, indicated the signals experienced "significant unequal delays," resulting in an accuracy that didn't meet goals, but that using GPS to calibrate the unequal delays could allow for time transfer within the 100 nanosecond goal if GPS were to be disrupted, said NIST. If the fiber network or its power source were to go down and then be re-established, GPS or some other time reference would be needed to recalibrate the fiber circuit, NIST said. The experiment is to run through the end of this year, and there's a possibility of a nationwide time-transfer experiment, it said.

A second submarine cable group asked the FCC to revise aspects of an undersea cable outage reporting order that are "excessively burdensome and often arbitrary." The "outage" definition is "unworkable," including a 30-minute threshold that will "capture mundane events rather than traffic- and consumer-affecting events," said the North American Submarine Cable Association petition for reconsideration posted Thursday in docket 15-206. It said a rule that outages be reported within eight hours (and within four hours, starting in three years) is inconsistent with the record, which made clear undersea cable realities "are not conducive to such a quick turnaround." The FCC also ignored the record on industry's need for 12-18 months to implement the rules, providing only six months (after Office of Management and Budget review), said the group, which also faulted the agency's "flawed" cost-benefit analysis as "significantly underestimating" industry burdens. The Submarine Cable Association filed a similar petition in August (see 1608120067).

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly sought a Metrorail wireless update from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) on efforts to enhance wireless communications in the rail/subway system. O’Rielly, a self-described “not infrequent rider” of Metro who pushed for better cellular connections there (see 1510210055), sent a letter Wednesday to WMATA CEO Paul Wiedefeld. O’Rielly asked the status of WMATA’s planned installation of hundreds of miles of coaxial cables for use by wireless carriers to improve wireless coverage for train passengers and first responders. WMATA announced the project in February, but hasn’t talked much about it since, he said. The GOP commissioner asked how much is done and when the project will be finished. O’Rielly asked for more information on a WMATA Wi-Fi pilot project announced last week for six Metro stations: “It would be helpful if you could shed greater light on the justification for the pilot, whether there are any limitations on the ability of users to contact public safety officials or other constraints regarding how the system can be used, what exactly will be analyzed during the evaluation period, and what is the expected capacity in terms of numbers of unique users and anticipated Internet access speed.” He asked if a private-sector partner is involved in the project, what equipment will be installed, and how quickly WMATA would make a decision whether to continue or expand Wi-Fi service. O'Reilly said he supports Wi-Fi, and doesn’t understand why WMATA plans to suspend Wi-Fi service at the end of the 45-day pilot. “I am at a loss as to why these critical communications features would be disabled at a set date,” he said. “The data collected during the test period should be able to be analyzed without turning off the Wi-Fi network. Given the overall questionable state of communications capabilities within the entire system, it seems counterintuitive to cease operations of an additional mechanism that the public can use to reach emergency personnel when warranted.” WMATA plans to review and respond to the letter, a spokesman said. The concern about shutting off Wi-Fi is moot because cellular service from all four mobile networks already is available at the stations, he said.

Comments are due Oct. 11 on plans to devise a national broadband research agenda, said a notice from NTIA and the National Science Foundation to be published in Friday's Federal Register. Responding to a recommendation of the Obama administration's Broadband Opportunity Council (see 1509210053), the agencies seek input to inform the development of the broadband research agenda in collaboration with the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program and other BOC agencies, the notice said. "This Agenda will reflect the most significant opportunities for data collection, analysis, and research to keep pace with, and take advantage of, the massive digital changes that permeate our economy and society."

House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., will introduce legislation to repeal broadcast cross-ownership rules, he said at an NAB Broadcast Innovations event (see 1609070065) Wednesday. The FCC's view of media ownership is “outdated,” Walden said. The cross-ownership rules are unnecessary and the commission should have repealed them, Walden said. “If the FCC can't figure it out . . .we will help them do that,” Walden said. Such legislation would be moving forward “soon,” Walden said. He also noted coming legislation that would make FCC processes more transparent and “more public.” Congress will continue “to work to improve their process,” Walden said of the commission. Public policy is “best done” when stakeholders can comment on in-progress rules “in real time,” Walden said. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaking at the event, and Walden said legislators will monitor the incentive auction and ensuing repacking process.

Programmers are “strongly opposed” to any set-top licensing scheme that gives the FCC the power to alter the terms of content licenses, representatives of Time Warner, Scripps, Viacom, Disney, CBS and 21st Century Fox said in a Sept. 1 meeting with aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler, staff from the Office of General Counsel, and FCC Chief Technologist Scott Jordan, according to an ex parte filing in docket 16-42. Numerous programmer ex parte filings and industry officials have indicated the FCC is proposing a new apps-based set-top plan that includes commission oversight of a licensing program that would allow third parties to run multichannel video programming distributors' apps on their devices (see 1609060080). Though the ex parte letter indicated programmer support for the FCC’s apps-based direction and plans to enforce copyright rules, the content companies restated their concerns about the licensing aspect. “Any arrangement in which they are forced to allow their content to be distributed on terms or conditions to which programmers would not agree would be tantamount to a compulsory copyright license, which the Commission lacks authority to impose,” the filing said. The American Cable Association also met with FCC officials Sept. 1, to ask that any set-top rules exempt MVPDs with fewer than 400,000 subscribers, and allow those with up to a million subscribers more time to comply, according to an ex parte filing. In a separate letter, TiVo indicated support for the small carrier exemption, and asked that any new set-top rules contain provisions requiring MVPDs to continue supplying CableCARDs. The FCC’s new-set top plan is expected to contain a carve-out for smaller carriers, industry officials told us. In its recent letter, set-top maker Roku asked the FCC not to require that third-party box makers use HTML5, which MVPDs had sought in their own apps proposal. Industry officials and ex parte filings indicate the set-top plan currently pursued by the FCC doesn’t require the use of HTML5, though pay-TV interests are still pushing for it. In a Sept. 2 letter, Best Buy filed in support of the original NPRM, which it said could protect the interests of both MVPDs and consumers.

The FCC could take up a proceeding on approving ATSC 3.0 before the end of 2016, NAB CEO Gordon Smith said at NAB's Broadcast Innovations event Wednesday. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler told Smith the new standard would become a priority for the commission after "a few things" are taken off the FCC's agenda, Smith said. If a new standard is approved in 2016, broadcasters could be transmitting in the new standard by summer 2017, Smith said. ATSC 3.0 would allow broadcasters to offer better visuals and audio, such as UltraHD, said NBCUniversal Senior Vice President-Advanced Technology Glenn Reitmeier on a panel. Cable and satellite providers don't require regulatory approval to offer services like UltraHD, so it's important for broadcasters to have the new standard approved, Reitmeier said.

An update to the DirecTV app gives subscribers remote access to live and recorded programming anywhere with mobile or Wi-Fi access, AT&T said in a news release Wednesday. App users also can restart live-streaming shows in progress or watch shows that aired within the previous 72 hours even if they weren't recorded on the DVR. Streaming video via the DirecTV or U-verse app no longer counts against subscribers' mobile data allotments when using Data Free TV on the AT&T mobile wireless network, the company said. The offering was criticized by Free Press, which has been critical of zero-rating consumer offerings (see 1606230065). "Tying broadband and legacy pay-TV subscriptions together like this is a huge problem. With these schemes, AT&T seems intent on favoring its own video content under the DirecTV brand," said Policy Director Matt Wood. "This isn’t really free data. It’s a way for AT&T to keep you paying for two services instead of one, and a roadblock designed to prevent you from using your data on any content AT&T doesn’t own. The anti-competitive implications for the video market are clear as a bell.” In a statement, AT&T said, "The data free feature empowers consumers by giving them more options and allows us to compete for customers in a highly competitive market.”

Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Executive Director Melanne Verveer is hosting a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Friday in Hong Kong, said an invitation posted by a Sunlight Foundation initiative. She was chief of staff for First Lady Hillary Clinton in the 1990s and ambassador-at-large leading the State Department’s Office on Global Women's Issues during Clinton’s time as secretary of state. Her husband, Phil, is senior counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. Both are seen as especially close to the Clintons going back decades and with possible implications for a future FCC under Clinton (see 1607110047).

Two telco groups, two satellite providers and a fixed-wireless association filed oppositions to petitions asking the FCC to reconsider aspects of its planned Connect America Fund Phase II broadband-oriented subsidy auction. Filings were posted Friday and Tuesday in docket 10-90 in response to a public notice (see 1608120048). USTelecom opposed proposals that would "unnecessarily risk" CAF funds or "unnecessarily direct such CAF resources to areas where funding is not justified," including those from Broad Valley Micro Fiber Network, Southern Tier Wireless, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Utilities Technology Council. NTCA opposed the petitions of Broad Valley and Crocker Telecommunications as undermining a "reasonably comparable" rural mandate by seeking "to sidestep the distinct offering of voice telephony to consumers" in auction areas, particularly by revisiting a stand-alone voice requirement. ViaSat opposed the petitions of Broad Valley, Crocker and Southern Tier Wireless, which the satellite company called procedurally improper, and also opposed a Verizon petition that sought "to prioritize funding to census blocks based on the 'dollar per location' reflected in winning bids for those blocks" rather than the "ratio of bid to reserve price." Hughes Networks Systems opposed petitions "that would undermine" the FCC's goal of encouraging a broad range of providers to participate in the auction -- particularly those requests "that would preclude applicants in the higher latency category from competing effectively." Hughes supported ViaSat and Verizon proposals. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association opposed requests "that seek to undermine the technology-neutral approach," particularly those proposed by Verizon. WISPA said such requests would "benefit price-cap carriers that declined" initial FCC offers of broadband-oriented support "in their efforts to bid on selected areas with technologies that cannot deliver unlimited usage and cannot meet a 95 percent buildout requirement."