National Emergency Number Assn. (NENA) completed testing of caller location system developed by U.S. Wireless, concluding it met Enhanced 911 (E911) Phase 2 requirements. NENA is evaluating and reporting on availability of wireless location technologies and their ability to meet Oct. deadline for E911 Phase 2 set by FCC. NENA represents 7,000 public safety workers who manage primary 911 call centers. “After this testing, we are confident that there are existing location technologies meeting FCC requirements,” NENA Exec. Dir. Mark Adams said. “E911 is critical for public safety and its implementation must not be delayed.” Assn. tested U.S. Wireless solution last month in Seattle, including areas with dense urban, residential, light industrial and freeway environments. Separately, Assn. of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) reiterated its “disappointment” Tues. with waiver request filed last week by AT&T Wireless at FCC seeking permission to deploy hybrid network and handset solution for E911 Phase 2. “While APCO will review carefully the details of the AT&T Wireless request, we are troubled not only because yet another carrier has decided to seek a waiver, but also in terms of what it means for the safety of our nation’s citizens,” APCO Pres. Lyle Gallagher said. APCO is holding news conference today (Wed.) in Washington to present letters to FCC from public safety answering points in U.S. cities requesting wireless E911 services from wireless carriers.
Making 2nd round Ka-band spectrum allocations hasn’t been high priority at FCC, but U.S. eventually may lose valuable spectrum slots at ITU “if nothing is done,” Pegasus Communications CEO Mark Pagon said in interview: “A lot of other things seem to be more important [to Commission officials]. For some reason, they act like they don’t want to deal with this, but this is a very critical issue.” Pagon said new leadership at FCC was in position to change bureaucratic structure and begin to move policies through faster. In meeting last week with 2nd round Ka- band applicants, Commission said it would resolve outstanding licensing issues by end of summer, according to industry source who attended one-hour session hosted by FCC International Bureau (CD July 31 p1).
Jeff Grove, ex-staff dir., House Technology Subcommittee, named dir., Assn. for Computing Machinery Public Policy Office… Robert Marcus, exec. vp, Time Warner Digital Media, moves to senior vp-AOL Time Warner… Deborah Malone, ex-CNBC International, appointed dir.-international development, B2BWorks… Lou Dobbs resigns as CEO, Space.com, to become anchor, CNN Moneyline Newshour… William Kennard, ex-FCC chmn., joins Handspring board… Barry Stoner, ex-Stoner Productions, Seattle, appointed senior vp-content development, WITF-TV-AM-FM Harrisburg… John Woods, ex-private practice, named of counsel, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo… Joining Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments as interest segment representatives: Interexchange Carrier, Clifford Chamney, Sprint, primary; Testing Laboratory: Anh Wride, Communications Certification Laboratory and Roland Gubisch, Intertek Testing Services, primary; Anh Nguyen, Underwriters Laboratories, alternate; Local Exchange Carrier: James Eitel, Qwest and Charles Bailey, SBC, primary; Charles Eppert, Verizon, alternate; Network Equipment Manufacturer: Maurice Levitt, Larscom, and Pierre Adornato, Nortel Networks, primary; Steve Dennett, Motorola, alternate; Other Interested Party: Elizabeth Wilson, Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, primary; Terminal Equipment Manufacturer: Stephen Whitesell, Vtech, primary… Changes at Vivendi Universal: Bruce Hack advanced to exec. vp-strategic planning & business development, succeeding Agnes Audier, promoted to co-COO, Vivendi Universal Net… Kevin Brauer, ex-Sprint, elected to BroadbandUSA board… Bryan Edgell, ex-Sony, appointed vp-corporate sales, Fast Forward Video… Lavonne Johnson, ex-LBJ Communications, named dir.-communications, N.J. Cable Telecom Assn.
Broadband service providers (BSPs), new breed of cable and telco overbuilders heralded as future of communications industry less than year ago, have fallen on hard times. Stung by Wall St.’s abrupt refusal to pour more money into capital-intensive business since last summer, most BSPs have either scaled back their construction plans drastically in recent months or dropped out of market altogether. Even RCN Corp., ambitious “granddaddy” of overbuilders backed by billionaire Paul Allen, has cut back, turning its attention away from new regions to focus on areas where it already is building plant. “Everybody got crunched,” said Mark Haverkate, CEO of WideOpenWest (WOW), another leading BSP. “The [capital] markets have changed quite a bit.”
Problem with indecency on TV is “lax enforcement” by FCC, not indecency policy itself, Morality in Media Pres. Robert Peters said. Reacting to new indecency policy (CD April 9 p3), Peters said problem was that FCC required indecency complaints to be accompanied by tape of transcript, which is “usually unavailable.” He said issue should be raised during confirmation hearings for new FCC commissioners (CD April 9 p1).
FCC would be required to conduct new e-rate rulemaking, altering program in ways that one supporter suspected could destroy it, under proposals tucked into President Bush’s budget proposal (CD April 10 p1). General provision in proposed Commerce Dept. budget would have Congress direct Commission to finish rulemaking by Sept. 30, 2002. However, e-rate foe thought program got boost when $2.25 billion in e-rate funds and similar amount for high-cost universal service money for first time were included as $4.5-billion line item (rising to $5.6 billion in FYs 2001 and 2002) in FCC budget.
FCC Enforcement Bureau granted WorldCom-SBC joint motion for dismissal of complaint involving 1-800-AMERITECH service. Dispute dates to April 10, 1997, when MCI charged that Ill. Bell had violated Sec. 271 of Communications Act with its 1-800-AMERITECH calling card service. SBC denied allegations. Commission issued order Oct. 19 granting WorldCom’s claims in part; WorldCom filed supplemental complaint against SBC seeking damages Dec. 18. WorldCom and SBC told Commission dispute now had been settled.
Third-generation DTV receivers showed significant improvement in reception capability over first- and 2nd-generation receivers, according to interim analysis by FCC Office of Engineering & Technology (OET). Using preliminary data collected in field study in Washington area, OET said median signal-to-noise ratio, which generally determines reception quality, improved by 2-3 dB overall and by 6-7 dB for sites with strong-signal, high-multipath characteristics, such as those in which COFDM was supposed to outperform U.S. 8-VSB system. OET said DTV signal was viewable without impairments for 99 of 100 sites for outdoor 30-ft. antenna, and 85% of sites with indoor antenna, even though only 27% of sites had high-quality NTSC picture. “Statistically significant” improvement was attributed mainly to improved channel equalizers in newer receivers. OET said new receivers meant indoor antennas in latest field study outperformed outdoor antennas in 1998. Field study data collection is about 50% complete in D.C. area, OET said, and similar study is planned for Baltimore area.
There’s “absolutely no rational public policy basis” for imposing use restrictions on enhanced extended links (EELs) and FCC ought to lift them, CompTel said in comments to agency April 5. EELs are combination loop-transport facilities that CLECs want to use as unbundled network elements (UNEs) to provide local phone service. ILECs fear those combinations also could be used by long distance providers to avoid paying special access rates to ILECs. EELs, based on Total Element Long-Run Incremental Cost (TELRIC) rates, are cheaper than special access tariffs. CompTel said local competitors had to lease higher priced special access alternatives from ILECs such as T-1 lines, multiplexing and transport because EELs rarely were available. “The only effect of the use of restrictions is to guarantee the ILECs a certain revenue stream from their tariffed special access services,” association said. ALTS urged FCC to take several steps to improve access to EELs: (1) Endorse process in which CLECs would self- certify that they were using EELs in approved way. (2) Implement process that set deadlines for ILECs to make billing change that transferred CLECs from special access to EELs. (3) Let CLECs use EELs for data services. (4) Establish enforcement procedure to assure ILECs provided EELs to CLECs. SBC and Verizon filed joint comments warning that sanctioning EEL combinations “would confer an undue windfall” on long distance providers that would use them to get “unwarranted discounts” from special access rates they now paid. On other hand, denying CLECs access to high-capacity loop- transport combinations wouldn’t “impair” competitors, SBC and Verizon contended.
FCC Chief of Staff Marsha McBride and other staffers will speak at Forum on Communications Law sponsored by American Bar Assn. April 22 in Las Vegas, just before NAB convention. Other participants will include Mass Media Bureau Chief Roy Stewart, Senate Commerce Committee staffer Paula Ford, House Commerce Committee staffer Jessica Wallace -- 312-988-6140.