The FCC will structure reverse auctions carefully so all carriers will have a shot at federal funding for broadband, Wireline Bureau Chief Sharon Gillett assured state regulators at the NARUC meeting Tuesday. “The intent is to be neutral,” she said. The commission’s recent rulemaking on the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation asks broad questions about reverse auctions but is essentially neutral about implementation -- focusing on census blocs, for instance, instead of geographic alignment, Gillett said.
A bill by Oregon state Sen. Chip Shields would require labels on cellphones and their packaging warning of the risks of radiation. Recent studies showed there was a larger chance of health problems associated with long-term use and more research was needed, said Shields, a Democrat. Meanwhile, “given the absence of any federal entity with primary jurisdiction to evaluate and regulate health and safety effects of cellular telephones on humans … the state of Oregon may lawfully exercise its health and safety and police powers to prohibit cellular telephones in this state unless the cellular telephones and their packaging contain a visible, written label advising consumers of possible risks and steps a consumer can take to reduce the risk of radio-frequency radiation exposure,” the bill said. The FCC considered non-thermal effects when it established the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) requirements that apply to every wireless device sold in the U.S., said John Walls, a vice president with CTIA. The International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)’s recent research reconfirmed the SAR limits that form the basis of the FCC’s requirements, he said. The scientific literature has provided no evidence of any adverse effects when radiation is below the basic restrictions and “does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields,” the ICNIRP said. “With regard to non-thermal interactions, it is in principle impossible to disprove their possible existence but the plausibility of the various non-thermal mechanisms that have been proposed is very low.” And it said “the recent in vitro and animal genotoxicity and carcinogenicity studies are rather consistent overall and indicate that such effects are unlikely at low levels of exposure.”
The “hurdles” for utilities’ use of public cellular networks for smart grid projects have “dropped significantly in terms of monthly costs and the costs to embed connectivity into the smart meter,” a Sprint Nextel executive said. The company believes there’s a role for public and private networks in the smart grid arena, said Brian Huey, manager of smart grid and utilities business development and strategy. “But we are seeing a trend where [resistance] to public networks has dropped significantly."
Dish Network’s proposed purchase of bankrupt S-band licensee DBSD (CD Feb 2 p8) came right after the FCC’s LightSquared waiver approval (CD Jan 27 p1), yet it remains difficult to predict if Dish could garner similar waiver treatment from the agency, said industry executives. Dish has numerous options for use of the spectrum and much will depend on specific plans before it’s clear that Dish will even need such approval, they said. Its agreement to buy DBSD for $1 billion is still contingent on bankruptcy court and FCC approval.
Four months after the FCC approved final white spaces rules Sept. 23, the Office of Engineering and Technology said nine companies have been selected as geolocation database providers. The order was announced quietly, compared to the fanfare that marked the September order. But it marks a critical step toward the sale of the first devices designed to use the TV band to surf the Internet.
Qualcomm’s Q4 profit rose 39 percent to $1.17 billion from a year earlier. The chip maker shipped 118 million units of CDMA-based mobile station modems, up 28 percent year-over-year. The company expects its $3.1 billion proposed acquisition of Atheros Communications to be completed in the first half of the year. The company has agreed to sell its 700 MHz spectrum for $1.93 billion to AT&T. It expects to shut down the FLO business in March and is working on closing the MediaFLO Technologies division. Qualcomm said will incur future charges of $300 million to $375 million related to restructuring.
John Godfrey, Samsung, elected chairman, ATSC board … Vicki Hadfield, ex-Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International, becomes TechAmerica senior vice president-global public policy … Jeanne Jackson, Nike Inc., joins Motorola Mobility board … Cox Communications changes, as field systems cut to nine from 11: Jill Campbell, senior vice president of operations, gets oversight over all systems; Bill Geppert retires next month as general manager of San Diego system, being combined with Southern California operations to be led by David Bialis; Duffy Leone now senior vice president of operations for California service; Janet Barnard to run Omaha, Sun Valley, Kansas and Arkansas operations; David Blau becomes vice president of new growth and development for the corporate strategy group … Hearst TV promotes Jordan Wertlieb to executive vice president and Dan Joerres to president-general manager, WBAL-TV Baltimore.
Verizon Wireless confirmed long-time rumors that the iPhone 4 will be available for use on its network in early February. The device will be priced similarly to AT&T’s at $199 for a 16 GB phone and $299.99 for 32 GB with a two-year contract. The Rural Cellular Association praised the non-exclusive agreement, urging Verizon’s support in making popular devices like iPhone available to all RCA members within six months of their release.
Broadcom has integrated Hillcrest Labs’ motion-based TV remote control technology on its BCM35320 digital TV system on a chip, and on a single-chip Bluetooth system, Hillcrest said. Remote control manufacturer Universal Electronics will showcase at CES this week a Bluetooth remote using Hillcrest’s technology.
Congress should quickly pass legislation enabling the FCC to conduct voluntary incentive auctions, said the High Tech Spectrum Coalition. In a letter to all senators Wednesday, the coalition said additional spectrum for wireless broadband is critical. Auctions would allow large amounts of spectrum to be repurposed right away, and current licensees would benefit by receiving a portion of auction proceeds, said the coalition, adding that the proposal would also generate revenue for the U.S. Treasury. The letter was signed by CEA, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Semiconductor Industry Association. At CES, the CEA-sponsored Innovation Movement asked for signatures on a petition to Congress that also urged incentive auctions. The petition is at www.innovation-movement.com.