Comcast announced additional vendors for its Internet protocol (IP) phone service, which it hopes to roll out in parts of Philadelphia next year. Comcast said its first deployment of wireline voice-over-IP (VoIP) service would run on Syndeo’s Syion 426 call management server, which will route packetized voice signals over facilities originally designed for data transmission, thus enabling Comcast to use its existing HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial) network to deliver high-speed data and voice. Additional vendors were tentatively selected to supply remaining network components, including: (1) IP Unity Harmony6000 media server platform for automated announcements and messaging service. (2) Lucent Technologies VitalAccess software to provide equipment on customer premises. (3) BayPackets RSI Mediate recordkeeping server to process calls and create call billings records. (4) Convergys ICOMS for billing. (5) Nuera ORCA media gateway as interface for voice traffic between cable network and public switch telephone networks. (6) Intel SIU131 SS7 to provide interface for signaling between cable network and signaling used by traditional telephone service providers. Each vendor has committed to developing products in compliance with CableLabs’ PacketCable specifications, Comcast said. Earlier, Comcast had announced it had selected ARRIS to provide DOCSIS 1.1 carrier class CMTS equipment to manage transmission and routing of IP voice packets with other data packets. Comcast plans to introduce IP phone service in portion of Philadelphia market in 2nd quarter of 2003. Location of and prices for service haven’t been announced. Financial terms with vendors weren’t disclosed. Comcast currently offers circuit-switched voice telephone service to about 40,000 customers in Mich. and Va.
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Senate Commerce Communications Subcommittee canceled hearing on cable competition scheduled for Wed. (July 24). Spokesman said Subcommittee Chmn. Inouye (D-Hawaii) “felt that the timing was not right for the hearing.” Hearing is likely to be rescheduled, spokesman said. Witnesses originally scheduled for hearing included Robert Sachs, pres., NCTA; Rodger Johnson, pres.-CEO, Knology; David Baker, vp, Earthlink; Gene Kimmelman, Consumers Union Washington office; James Gleason, chmn., American Cable Assn.
Commerce Secy. Donald Evans and senior FCC officials plan to release long-awaited 3G viability assessment at news conference today (Tues.). As release has neared, speculation has mounted that final report on how to make at least 90 MHz of spectrum available for advanced wireless services would include provisions under which Defense Dept. would vacate 14 of 16 protected sites, several sources said. NTIA evaluation of govt.-occupied spectrum that could be vacated for advanced wireless services has been hung up, in part, by 16 protected sites in 1710-1755 MHz band now occupied by federal operations such as fixed microwave, tactical radio relay, aeronautical mobile stations. Wireless industry has expected viability assessment to free up close to 90 MHz for 3G- related services, rather than 120 MHz originally sought by carriers. Sources have said NTIA report is likely to focus on 2110-2155 MHz and 1710-1755 MHz, with some spectrum to be made available in 2004 and rest under longer timeline. NTIA interim report on 3G spectrum released last year had outlined 16 protected areas, including sites in major cities such as N.Y., Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, L.A., Miami, Dallas. Understanding brokered by NTIA with DoD apparently outlines way for military users to relocate from 14 of those sites, including movement of not just tactical radio relay but satellite-related services, source said.
Three key rural senators wrote to FCC Chmn. Powell last week, rebuking agency for rule changes for Aug. 27 auction of lower 700 MHz C- and D-block licenses that they said ran counter to legislation that delayed Ch. 52-59 and Ch. 60-69 bidding. “Unfortunately, these modifications to the auction rules allow participants to change their original bidding intentions, and are directly contrary to the statutory language concerning Auction 44 and the intent of Congress in passing the Auction Reform Act,” said letter from Sens. Johnson (D-S.D.), Baucus (D-Mont.) and Enzi (R-Wyo.). Legislation signed by President Bush in June indefinitely delayed most of 700 MHz auctions that had been set for June 19, moving smaller C- and D-block bidding to Aug. 27 for lower band. Smaller configurations of those licenses have been particularly sought by rural carriers. Senators said in July 18 letter that “bottom line” was that legislation didn’t authorize FCC to allow bidders to increase their upfront payments or to change their short-form applications. In updated auction procedures released June 26, FCC Wireless Bureau said eligible pool of bidders for Aug. 27 auction would include carriers that had submitted qualified applications to participate in original lower band auction. It also allowed qualified bidders to select additional licenses by increasing their upfront payments.
Kan. Attorney Gen. is seeking another vendor to maintain state no-call list authorized by 2002 law after being unable to break contract impasse with original vendor. List was supposed to have gone into effect July 1, but negotiations with Direct Marketing Assn. (DMA), vendor specified in law to maintain list, broke down over requirement that Kansans who submitted their name at least 30 days before issuance of quarterly update must be placed on updated list. DMA said it could meet guarantee only if name was sent to post office address maintained specifically for Kan. list. If person sent name to widely publicized address DMA uses for its national no-call list, association couldn’t guarantee it would catch mistake in time to correct it. AG’s office, however, said no-call law didn’t provide any exceptions to filing requirement and AG didn’t have discretion to create exception. Result is that 45,000 Kansans who sent their names to DMA in anticipation of no-call list may have to resubmit names to new vendor. If contract can be signed before Sept., first list could be issued in Oct.
SBC/Ameritech said it may ask regulators in states other than Ill. to hire new consultant to assist with performance testing phase of operation support system (OSS) because of continuing slippage in KPMG Consulting’s completion dates for tests. Carrier made request for additional consultant to Ill. Commerce Commission last week after KPMG notified ICC of another month of delay, to Oct. 22, for completing test. Ameritech proposed KPMG finish Ill. systems testing, which is nearly done, while new consultant is hired for performance testing, which is only 20% complete. KPMG advised Wis. and Ohio regulators Mon. that OSS test completion date in those 2 states had slipped to Oct. 22 from Sept. 18. Testing originally was to have been completed in May. Ameritech spokesman said performance testing could be done within 6-8 weeks if KPMG employed standard statistical auditing techniques instead of item-by-item replication approach it had been following. Ameritech said if KPMG didn’t change its methods or bring in another auditor for performance testing, it was doubtful testing could be concluded this fall.
BOSTON -- Cable operators, programmers and marketers are showing growing fear of competitive threat that satellite TV personal video recorders (PVRs) could pose to cable’s video- on-demand (VoD) ambitions. Speaking at annual CTAM convention here over last 3 days, cable officials and analysts expressed strong concern that DBS providers DirecTV and EchoStar Communications could steal cable’s thunder by rolling out integrated satellite-PVR set-tops more aggressively than cable introduces VoD. They urged fellow cable executives to beef up their VoD programming packages, accelerate their VoD launches and move more swiftly to offer their own integrated PVR set-tops to consumers.
FCC Chmn. Powell, in news conference after Tues. agenda meeting, described how Commission was adjusting to economic environment in which telecom bankruptcies were becoming more common. Commission has been examining procedures that allow it to pass information on to other federal agencies “should something come coincidentally into our possession that would raise questions about violations of securities and banking laws,” he said. To that end, FCC is examining proposing formal memoranda of understanding with SEC and potentially other agencies that would help to make routine process by which such information was made available. Powell said such MOU arrangements had been made in other policy areas, including EEOC-related issues. Addressing WorldCom’s scandal, Powell told reporters it didn’t appear that “the possibility of significant disruption of services is imminent. We don’t think the current financial troubles, even if they lead to a bankruptcy situation, present a catastrophic situation for consumers.”
FCC Fri. required “mandatory coordination zones” near public safety base stations in upper 700 MHz band and indicated it was interested in exploring ways to provide for more robust public safety signals, instead of simply limiting commercial signals. Coordination zones mean commercial base station operators will have to coordinate their operations with public safety licensees. Order, adopted July 2 but not released until Fri., responded to petitions for reconsideration by National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) and Public Safety Wireless Network. NPSTC asked that FCC restore original upper 700 MHz band plan provision that limited commercial base stations to lower part of band and sought more stringent out-of-band emission limits. Responding to previous petition for reconsideration of upper 700 MHz order, FCC earlier had removed restriction, allowing base stations to operate there. Latest order kept intact that upper band provision for base stations but said new coordination zones would “establish an anticipatory, rather than reactive, process for controlling interference to public safety operators in the upper 700 MHz band.” Commission added: “We also note our interest in exploring measures that would approach the other side of the interference issue -- providing for more robust public safety signals rather than simply constraining CMRS signals.” Order turned down NPSTC proposal for more categorical restrictions and TIA proposed limitation on signal strength of commercial transmissions. FCC said it recognized that when commercial base station transmitting in 777-792 MHz and public safety base station receiver were in “very close physical proximity,” certain mitigation measures could be needed on case-by-case basis. “An approach more focused on the circumstances likely to occasion interference thus is preferable to dealing with potential interference by adopting more stringent categorical limits,” agency said. FCC acknowledged concerns of public safety community based on its 800 MHz band experience with interference. Mandatory coordination zones are “preferable approach” to anticipating interference concerns, instead of “burdening the public safety community with ‘after the fact’ resolution of interference problems,” it said. Commission noted that in recent proposed rulemaking exploring ways to mitigate interference problems for public safety at 800 MHz, options outlined include reducing strength of interference signal, raising strength of desired signal or both. “Similarly, in the upper 700 MHz band, if the strength of public safety signals were increased at the edge of a public safety system’s coverage area, this increase would provide additional assurance against interference from both intermodulation effects and out-of-band emissions,” it said. FCC said that if public safety community wanted to consider increase in signal levels their systems’ use in upper 700 MHz band, “we would be receptive to considering such a proposal.”
House panel’s recommendation to modify proposed industry data-sharing disclosure exemption received positive response Mon. from Homeland Security Dir. Tom Ridge. He told House Select Committee on Homeland Security that White House generally agreed with House Govt. Reform Committee’s recommendation last week to amend President Bush’s homeland security plan (HR-5005) with “narrowly crafted” industry exemption from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Bush’s proposal contains similar language that seeks to safeguard network vulnerability data voluntarily submitted to govt. by critical infrastructure owners. Govt. Reform Committee marked up version of HR-5005 containing FOIA-related amendment by Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). Ridge said: “This amendment recognizes the need for an exemption while ensuring that the federal government’s regulatory and enforcement powers are in no way undermined. The Administration supports the intent and purpose of this amendment.” House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.), who has pledged support for expanding threat-data exemptions under FOIA (CD July 12 p6), didn’t include provision in version marked up last week by his committee. Tauzin said he was working with White House on FOIA provision that would promote private/public sector cooperation while balancing original intent of right-to-know law. House Majority Leader Armey (R-Tex.), chmn. of select committee, said committee leaders would get opportunity to discuss their respective panels’ recommendations at hearing tentatively scheduled for Wed. Armey’s committee has primary jurisdiction over HR-5005 and will decide soon whether to accept or reject suggested changes before sending it to House floor. Supporters say added exemption would calm industry’s reluctance to share data with govt., fearing that proprietary company data could be disclosed publicly under FOIA. Opponents of provision argued that FOIA already included safeguards against releases of such data and that an additional category of exemptions would enable industry to hide greater amounts of information from investors and consumers.