Americans, not Europeans, are leading the way on wireless and the use of data, CTIA President Steve Largent said in a Thursday blog post. “There is a troublesome trend occurring where some people are suggesting that the mobile environment in Europe is better for consumers than the U.S.,” Largent said (http://bit.ly/1i4TO4n). “This is bothersome and unfortunate since these individuals fundamentally fail to understand reality, or selectively choose facts to support their beliefs. Around the world, it is understood that the United States is leading the mobile revolution.”

American Public Transportation Association staff told the FCC the group’s members continue to have trouble “acquiring the radio frequency spectrum that is required to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on publicly funded commuter railroads,” APTA said Wednesday in a filing about a conference call Dec. 12 with FCC staff. APTA members New Jersey Transit, Metro-North Railroad and Trinity Railway Express discussed their specific spectrum challenges, APTA said (http://bit.ly/1i4TXVj).

Reports that Sprint is considering a bid for T-Mobile (CD Dec 16 p15) appeared to come from a leak inside Sprint, BTIG said in a research note Thursday. BTIG said this was unusual since the risk is that reports could drive up the price of T-Mobile, working against Sprint’s interest. “Companies leak possible deals if they are interested in how shareholders would react but SoftBank owns 80 percent of Sprint,” BTIG said. “Sprint might be expecting strong Q4 results from T-Mobile and wanted to establish a benchmark for an ‘unaffected stock price’ on T-Mobile before that rise,” the firm said. The leak also could send a message to other possible buyers or even to regulators that a deal could be on the way, BTIG said.

DirecTV, Dish Network, American Cable Association and others continued to urge the FCC to take action on the retransmission consent regime. The commission can prohibit separately owned TV stations from coordinating their retransmission consent negotiations, the multichannel video programming distributors, as well as Charter and Public Knowledge, said in an ex parte filing in dockets 10-71 and 09-182 (http://bit.ly/IZ6ZF7). The FCC can protect consumers caught in the middle of retransmission consent disputes “by establishing dispute-resolution mechanisms and requiring interim carriage in the event of negotiating impasses,” the filing said. The commission can take such actions in the context of either its 2010 rulemaking considering changes to its retrans consent regime or its pending 2010 quadrennial media ownership review, “or address them in both proceedings,” it said. “But it cannot simply permit the status quo to continue consistent with its statutory obligations to protect consumers and competition.” The filing recounted a meeting with Adonis Hoffman, chief of staff for Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Adak Eagle Enterprises and its subsidiary, Windy City Cellular, met with an aide to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler Monday to ask the commission to grant its petition for waiver of the per-line monthly caps on high-cost universal service support, an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/1jmUWlk). “The companies have embodied the very purpose of universal service by working hard and reinvesting USF support to maintain essential services -- including the only reliable 911 service, the only broadband service, the only wireline service, and the most comprehensive wireless service -- for residents, government agencies, business, and workers on Adak Island -- one of the most remote areas of the United States,” said the Alaskan carriers. The Wireline and Wireless bureaus’ rejection of the waiver request makes no sense “from a legal, policy, or fiscal perspective,” they said. “AEE and WCC are hopeful that the Chairman will promptly correct course before their interim relief expires in two weeks and the companies are forced into bankruptcy."

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, introduced telecom and broadcasting bills in the last two weeks, both referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. On Wednesday, he introduced the Rural Broadband Investment Act of 2013, S-1858. The bill proposes to end “well-documented flaws in the FCC’s 2011 Universal Service Transformation Order that caused financial burdens to small- and mid-size communications carriers operating in rural areas,” Begich’s office said, slamming the USF’s quantile regression analysis as “questionable statistical analysis.” His Thursday press release included statements of support from Greg Berberich, CEO of the Matanuska Telephone Association, and Alaska Telephone Association Executive Director Jim Rowe. Begich points to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s recent announcement that he may end the quantile regression analysis, but Rowe said the “legislation is important to rural telecommunication companies because it not only addresses the QRA, but also two other important provisions within the transformation order which are the safety net additive and waivers.” According to a summary of the bill provided to media, the legislation creates a timeline for the FCC to develop an order “to ensure USF reforms are achieved in a manner that is both consistent with the nation’s universal service objectives and fosters those objectives.” Under the bill’s proposal, quantile regression analysis would be halted, and on an interim basis, “at a level equal to the combined operating and capital expenses the carrier had for calendar year 2011 adjusted for any revisions resulting from restoration of the Safety Net Additive or FCC action on a waiver petition,” Begich’s office said. The FCC would also have to file qualitative and quantitative analyses for the Senate and House Commerce Committees within 60 days of the bill’s enactment “assessing the amount of USF necessary to meet the nation’s universal service objectives over the next ten years and a specific analysis identifying the unique circumstances and resulting high cost fund support needed to provide and maintain universal service in Alaska and on Tribal Lands,” it said. On Dec. 12, Begich introduced S-1819, which would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act “to provide eligibility for public broadcasting facilities to receive certain disaster assistance, and for other purposes,” according to its long bill title. Neither bill has cosponsors.

The FCC Media Bureau fined Billy Ray Locklear Evangelical Association $7,200 for failing to file children’s television programming reports on time and filing incorrect Class A certifications for its station WLPS Lumberton-Pembroke, N.C., said a Media Bureau forfeiture order (http://fcc.us/18Ueq7a). The fine was reduced from $9,000 because of the association’s history of compliance. The bureau also fined Central Ohio Association of Christian Broadcasters $3,000 for late children’s television reports and failing to report the violations on a renewal application for its station WGCT Columbus, Ohio, said a forfeiture order (http://fcc.us/1fIOPmo). Campbellsville University, licensee of WLCU Campbellsville, Ky., was also fined $3,000 for late children’s TV reports, said a forfeiture order (http://fcc.us/1beZmkq).

"Critical mass” in the outdoor small cell market will occur slightly later than previously forecast, about “two years out from now,” Infonetics said Thursday. That will in turn affect the small cell backhaul market, which grows parallel to the outdoor small cell market, Infonetics said. “We still believe the outdoor small cell market will happen, but judging by the speed at which things moved -- or didn’t move -- in 2013, it’s just going to take a little longer to get off the runway,” said Richard Webb, Infonetics directing analyst-microwave and carrier Wi-Fi, in a news release. Outdoor small cell deployments will be driven “largely by mobile operators’ need to enhance saturated macrocellular networks in urban, high-traffic areas and improve the mobile broadband experience,” Infonetics said. Outdoor small cell backhaul connections are forecast to reach 656,000 by 2017 (http://bit.ly/1dT8LBc).

Intelsat requested 30-day special temporary authority beginning Jan. 23 for its Nuevo, Calif., C-band earth station. Intelsat intends to use the earth station, call sign E040125, “to provide launch and early orbit phase services for the ABS-2 satellite that is expected to be launched” Jan. 23, it said in its application to the FCC International Bureau (http://bit.ly/1ce0ZEX).

Data-driven marketing continues to drive “increasingly profitable returns,” said a Thursday release from the Direct Marketing Association about the trade association’s third quarter business review (http://bit.ly/1jmRKGB). “Confidence in data-driven marketing is growing steadily as profits increase -- and it’s no wonder,” said DMA President Linda Woolley. “Thanks to the unprecedented amount and quality of data now available, marketers are able to garner intelligence from consumer data more quickly and seamlessly than ever before. As a result, consumers also receive tremendous benefit, including vastly improved customization and relevance.” Survey responders said the availability and affordability of technology tools are creating more data-driven marketing opportunities, the release said. And mobile marketing investments “increased sharply ... outpacing social media investment rates for the first time,” said DMA. The Winterberry Group did research and analysis for the report, including an October online survey of DMA members. Of the 220 usable replies, 124 were from marketers and 96 were from providers of marketing services and technology solutions, DMA said.