Nextel, public safety groups and coalition of private wireless licensees submitted revised spectrum swap plan to FCC Wed. to alleviate public safety interference at 800 MHz. Revamped proposal came after Commission last month granted additional time for parties to craft solutions in reply comments on rulemaking adopted earlier this year. Unlike original White Paper that Nextel submitted to FCC in Nov. on interference solutions, compromise plan explicitly provides replacement spectrum for private wireless operators. Another difference is that original Nextel plan would have provided carrier with 10 MHz in mobile satellite service band at 2.1 GHz in exchange for spectrum it was giving up elsewhere to reconfigure 700, 800 and 900 MHz bands. Latest plan instead would take that replacement spectrum from 5 MHz of unlicensed PCS spectrum at 1.9 GHz and another 5 MHz of reserve MSS spectrum, Nextel Senior Vp-Chief Regulatory Officer Robert Foosaner said in conference call with investors Wed.
Country of origin cases
Hughes Global Services will lease HGS-3 satellite to Pakistan for 5 years in $30 million deal that includes operation and leasing of 34 transponders, companies said. Pakistan said it signed lease contract because of concerns about losing another orbital slot. It renamed satellite Paksat 1, Hughes said: Paksat 1 was launched in 1996 as Palapa C1. Hughes said it took control of satellite after battery-charging anomaly made it unusable for intended application. Paksat 1, which has 30 C-band and Ku-band transponders, will provide commercial services such as Internet backbone, remote Internet access, business communications, broadcast services and thin route telephony, Hughes said. Pakistan said it had lost 4 of 5 slots originally allocated to it in 1984 by ITU. Science & Technology Minister Atta-ur-Rehman said Pakistan had until April 19, 2003, to gain access to satellite or lose slot at 38 degrees E. HGS-3, now being used by Turkey under name of Anatolia 1, will be moved to Pakistan’s 38 degrees E slot from 50 degrees E location by end of Dec.
As CEA braces for what it believes will be mandate from FCC to put DTV tuners in all TV sets, some who have business before Commission are wondering how CEA became public enemy No. 1 in what has become Chmn. Powell’s biggest public policy initiative to date. And many see CEA’s situation as cautionary tale on how not to respond when Powell or any other FCC chmn. asks for “voluntary” measures. Although few people would speak on record, many across cable, broadcast and CE industries said CEA had bungled its response from outset and never recovered. As other associations formed strategies to embrace all or parts of Powell’s DTV transition plan, CEA admittedly dug in its heels, refusing to give in on what it still believes is policy that will strand millions of its best customers with very expensive but outdated TV sets and cost everyone else hundreds of dollars to buy new sets at time when there is little digital and high-definition (HD) programming to watch on them. “We're being asked to impose additional costs on our consumers for something that most of our customers don’t want and don’t use or don’t want to use,” CEA’s Jeff Joseph said. Said one industry insider: “Powell warned them…. They could voluntarily do it. They decided not to and now it looks like they're going to get it shoved down their throat.”
FCC issued public notice on procedures and minimum opening bids for scheduled auction of one nationwide license in 1670-1675 MHz band on Oct. 30. Auction originally also had included paired bands of 1392-1395 MHz, 1432-1435 MHz and in unpaired 1390-1392 MHz, 1670-1675 MHz and 2385-2390 MHz. All of those bands were among total of 27 MHz in different parts of spectrum that had been reallocated from govt. to nongovt. users. Remaining nationwide license in 1670-1675 MHz will be regulated under Part 27 technical, licensing and operating rules. FCC will hold auction seminar on Sept. 18 with short-form application due Sept. 25, upfront payments Oct. 9 and mock auction Oct. 25.
KPMG Consulting advised Ill. Commerce Commission of another delay in completion of SBC/Ameritech operation support systems (OSS) testing. KPMG, in latest monthly status update, said Ill. test completion date slipped to Nov. 19 from Oct. 22. Tests originally were to have been completed in May. KPMG attributed latest slippage to Ameritech’s apparent inability to provide complete and accurate data and documentation by deadlines assumed in testing plan. KPMG said Ameritech’s delays in providing data and documentation or fixing identified data problems affected pre-order and ordering tests, order flowthrough tests, provisioning verification and validation tests, maintenance and repair tests, and tests of metrics data integrity validation and reporting. KPMG also cited “a series of performance problems” with Ameritech’s systems, processes and procedures. Those problems and delays, KPMG said, affected its ability to evaluate whether Ameritech could successfully provide and support services to CLECs. Ameritech in July asked Ill. regulators to hire another consultant to take over performance testing phase of OSS testing and have KPMG complete just systems phase. That request is pending. Ameritech must pass OSS testing in order to win permission for interLATA long distance service.
Va. Corporation Commission refused to reconsider July 11 decision requiring Cox Telecom to continue giving its local service customers 3 free local directory assistance (DA) calls monthly and holding carrier to price caps on operator services. Agency in July had denied Cox requests for waivers of free DA call allowance and of price caps on local operator services. Agency said Cox failed to present compelling evidence to refute original finding that public would suffer harm if waivers were granted.
EchoStar said Aug. 20 is new launch date for its EchoStar VIII satellite, originally scheduled for June 22 but delayed for technical reasons. EchoStar said technical issues with Loral-built satellite had been resolved.
Amending its antitrust law suit against Clear Channel Communications (CCC) and Hispanic Bcstg. Corp. (HBC), Spanish Bcstg. System (SBS) is seeking $1.5 billion in actual and punitive damages and jury trial in U.S. Dist. Court, Miami. SBS said it had been negotiating to acquire HBC -- both owners of Spanish-language radio stations -- and amended suit charges CCC (which owns 26% of HBC) “conspired” to prevent that from happening and “required HBC to enter into a merger agreement with Univision.” Original suit was filed shortly after Univision purchased HBC and its 55 radio stations for $3.5 billion in stock (CD June 13 p1). Amended suit cites 11 “causes of action” (4 on antitrust issues), including “tortious interference” with SBS management, defamation, trade libel and breach of confidentiality. It also accuses CCC employees of spray-painting “obscene and pornographic messages” on walls of KPTI(FM) Oakland, owned by SBS, and questions whether CCC has complied with federal accounting requirements. CCC didn’t comment Thurs., but in June it said original suit was without merit.
AARP joined newly refiled multiple class action lawsuits accusing TV networks, Hollywood studios and talent agencies of discrimination in hiring of writers more than 40 years old. New suits, which seek more than $200 million damages, were filed in Cal. state court, L.A., Thurs. after earlier suit in federal court, filed by 50 writers, was dismissed by U.S. Dist. Court, L.A., without prejudice to refiling. Lead plaintiff in original suit was Tracy Wynn (son of actor Keenan Wynn), 56, who claimed he had been unable to get writing job for last 5 years because of his age. New suits (with AARP as co-counsel) charge more than 50 writers have been “systematically gray-listed” by networks and studios because of their age.
Amid recent wave of telecom accounting disclosures and continued downturn in sector, policymakers are expected to step up their focus on role that financial viability of carriers plays in overall network security, experts and industry sources said. Even before companies such as WorldCom and Qwest revealed accounting errors in recent months, Richard Clarke, special adviser to President Bush for cyberspace, flagged financial health of carriers as key concern involved in network security at March meeting of National Security Telecom Advisory Committee (NSTAC), several sources said. Numerous sources and industry experts said they viewed financial health of carriers as emerging issue in network security that would become increasing govt. focus in coming months. Still, groups such as NSTAC haven’t been formally asked to examine that as standalone issue, and exactly how Administration would address issue in light of homeland security policies remains something of open question, said several people following issue closely.