The FCC extended for at least a second time a deadline for five media companies (CD Dec 10 p11) to make amendments to requests for exemptions from the newspaper/broadcast cross- ownership rule, said a Media Bureau order released last week. The filing deadline delay from Jan. 7 to Feb. 9 was on the FCC’s “own motion” and deals with a request by the companies to delay the paperwork deadline until 90 days after issuance of a final court order on the cross-ownership rules, the order said. The companies are Bonneville, Calvary, Cox Enterprises, Morris Communications and Scranton Times.
Notable CROSS rulings
An overhaul of intercarrier compensation and the Universal Service Fund could upset broadband deployment and hurt companies in and outside the telecom industry, telecom interests warned in reply comments this week. Replies were due Monday on three FCC overhaul plans. Though many arguments were repeats from the initial comment round, some new faces appeared, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service, and associations for utilities and payphone providers.
The FCC extended a deadline by another month for five media companies (CD Nov 10 p11) to make amendments to requests for exemptions from the newspaper/broadcast cross- ownership rule, said a Media Bureau order released Tuesday. The action was taken on the FCC’s “own motion” and deals with a request by the companies to delay the paperwork deadline until 90 days after issuance of a final court order on the cross-ownership rules, it said. The companies are Cox, Calvary, Bonneville, Morris Communications and Scranton Times.
A group of Canadian telemarketers agreed to pay $3.46 million after being accused of defrauding U.S. consumers in sales of telephone calling cards. Under a Federal Trade Commission settlement announced Thursday, the telemarketers are also permanently banned from future cross-border fraud of this kind, the FTC said. In July 2007, the FTC charged 9131-4740 Quebec, JPE Holdings and the companies’ principals with violations of the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The commission said the defendants falsely represented that they were connected with consumers’ banks or credit card companies, misstated that consumers would receive calling cards, billed consumers without permission, used false or misleading statements in their telemarketing, called consumers whose numbers are on the National Do Not Call Registry and failed to pay the fee charged for access to the registry’s phone numbers. All but $10,000 of the judgment has been suspended because of the defendants’ inability to pay, the FTC said. “If they are later found to have misrepresented their financial condition, the entire amount would become due,” the commission said. The defendants didn’t admit or deny wrongdoing.
European Commission plans to cap international roaming prices for SMS and data downloads are basically sound but need tweaking, EU lawmakers and some mobile industry representatives said Tuesday. Key disagreements include whether the current voice roaming price ceilings should be extended and lowered, and how best to prevent consumers from experiencing “bill shock,” they said at a mini-hearing by the European Parliament Industry, Research and Energy Committee, which is vetting the measure before an expected spring plenary vote.
The FCC approved a waiver that will allow device maker UltraVision Security Systems to sell an ultra-wideband device it says can be used to protect nuclear power plants, cell towers, airports, government office buildings and other sensitive sites from intruders. In approving the order, the FCC took steps to address concerns raised by the Association for Maximum Service TV that the device could interfere with TV broadcasts. The devices must still be certified by the agency, but that process is expected to be completed quickly.
The switch to DTV is on the radar of the current and incoming presidential administrations (CD Nov 12 p2), acting NTIA Administrator Meredith Baker said. Speaking to media executives Thursday in Washington, she supported plans floated by lawmakers to let broadcasters use their analog signals to run a fixed image with information on DTV for a brief time after Feb. 17. (See separate report in this issue.) Baker also said at a Media Institute lunch that the Bush administration doesn’t support several cable-related policies pushed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
The FCC extended by 30 days the deadline for some media companies to file amendments to pending requests for waivers of its cross-ownership rules, renewal filings or requests for permanent exemptions from the ban. The delay will allow the agency to consider a joint request by Cox, Calvary, Bonneville, Scranton Times, and Morris Communications to put the deadline off 90 days after all court challenges to the rule are resolved (CD Oct 8 p14).
The FCC likely will have busy months ahead, even with pending changes at the agency with the likely departure of Chairman Kevin Martin as early as January. Unless Martin stays on, the FCC will be left with only three commissioners at the end of January -- Democrats Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein and Republican Robert McDowell. Martin likely has only one more regular meeting over which to preside, scheduled for Dec. 18.
The European Commission wants comments on proposed changes in rules on national-government funding of public service broadcasting. A central question is whether to give public broadcasters more flexibility to deal with the new media environment and to amass reserves for meeting their public service goals, the EC said. The suggested rules would require stronger controls to avoid overpayments to public broadcasters and cross-subsidy of commercial activities, it said. Comments are due Jan. 15 -- stateaidgreffe@ec.europa.eu.