GENEVA -- The World Trade Organization’s basic telecom agreement has spurred global telephony and Internet use since its 1998 implementation, WTO officials said. Internet use has risen 1,500 percent since trade was liberalized, said Pascal Lamy, WTO director-general, and mobile phone subscribers have increased twentyfold. Trade in services, economic growth and development also has increased, he said.
Notable CROSS rulings
NAB said Monday recent problems with a Microsoft sensing device undergoing tests at the FCC lab in Columbia, Md., show that unlicensed portable devices can’t be safely used in the TV white spaces. High-tech companies quickly said the failure was meaningless and should have no effect on pending agency decisions on future use of the white spaces. The argument comes at a critical time, with most FCC commissioners saying they're awaiting the test results before deciding the best use for the white spaces.
Wireless service was a leading topic of early bills in the state legislatures this year, with measures targeting wireless consumer protection, coverage gaps, and a perennial concern with driver distraction from cellphones.
The fact that many digital converter boxes won’t pass through signals by low-power stations still broadcasting in analog after Feb. 17, 2009, shows how the government may mangle the DTV transition, FCC Commissioner Copps said. Last week, NTIA Acting Director Meredith Baker said that of 32 box models her agency certified as eligible for $40 coupons only three have pass-through capability (CD Jan 25 p6). Talking to reporters in his office Tuesday, Copps said consumers may not know that many boxes have only digital tuners. He encouraged the CE and cable industries to agree on standards for two-way plug and play devices.
Tribune’s lawsuit against the FCC over its denial of the company’s request for a permanent cross-ownership waiver should be dismissed, said opponents of media consolidation. In Tuesday’s motion to dismiss, Media Alliance and United Church of Christ asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia not to weigh the merits of Tribune’s appeal. They said the court can’t hear the case because Section 402(b)(3) of the Communications Act says there’s only jurisdiction when the FCC blocks a transfer application. In a 3-2 vote Nov. 30, commissioners approved the $8.2 billion purchase of Tribune by Sam Zell and employees but didn’t give it a permanent exemption from the so-called NBCO ban on one company owning a broadcaster and newspaper in the same market. Tribune’s suit alleged enforcement of that ban violated the First and Fifth amendments (CD Dec 7 p12). The church and Media Alliance contend the merits of the cross- ownership rule, relaxed by a 3-2 FCC vote Dec. 18, should be determined by the 3rd U.S. Appeals Court in Philadelphia because that court remanded an earlier agency media ownership rule to the commission. “Tribune will suffer no hardship because the FCC has given it a waiver of sufficient length to permit Tribune to apply for permanent waivers under the 2007 NBCO revision,” said the filing. “Because Tribune received more relief than it requested” in the FCC’s November order, “it has not suffered the requisite injury for standing,” they said.
The digital TV transition will be the FCC’s top media issue in 2008, said industry lawyers, predicting that the big shift will eclipse a half-dozen other broadcast, cable and consumer electronics issues on commissioners’ menus. Chairman Kevin Martin believes DTV and the 700 MHz auction are among the commission’s top near-term priorities, he told reporters Tuesday. “The main focus of the DTV transition needs to be focusing on consumer education,” he said. Martin has items on the FCC’s top floor concerning the transition, he said, declining to be more specific. His priority is “making that transition as seamless as possible with minimal consumer disruption.”
AM stations should be able to use FM translators to fill in coverage in home markets when listeners face interference or when FCC rules bar night broadcasts, dozens of broadcasters told the FCC in response to a rulemaking (CD Aug 16 p11). Cross-band use of translators was supported in 53 filings by broadcasters and their lobbying groups (Docket 07- 172). A group of low-power FM stations was the lone on- record foe of the plan, which National Public Radio urged the FCC to carry out slowly. The NAB proposal seems likely to be adopted by the FCC, industry officials have said. All commissioners have publicly indicated they at least partly support it.
Qualcomm has replacement WCDMA chipsets to comply with part of a New Year’s Eve injunction, and is developing workarounds for other products a Santa Ana jury last May determined to infringe three Broadcom patents, Qualcomm said Wednesday. Late Monday, the Santa Ana U.S. District Court banned Qualcomm from making, using, selling and importing the infringing products. However, to lessen the blow to carriers and handset makers, the court stayed the injunction until Jan. 31, 2009, for chips sold before the May jury ruling. Qualcomm plans to appeal to the Federal Circuit U.S. Appeals Court.
GENEVA -- Better direction is needed from content owners as the ATIS digital rights management task force broadens its IPTV work to security in general. A security layer in IPTV is not seen in other video delivery systems, said ATIS IPTV Interoperability Forum Chairman Dan O'Callaghan of Verizon.
Foes of media consolidation are mad at FCC Chairman Kevin Martin for saying he made last-minute changes in the media ownership order at their request, especially since the revamp didn’t address many of their concerns (CD Dec 19 p1). At Tuesday’s commission meeting approving the order, Martin said he circulated a change in the order at 1:57 a.m. after soliciting feedback from consumer and public interest groups. But Consumers Union, the Consumers Federation of America and Free Press said the change Martin made didn’t fully reflect what they sought, so he shouldn’t have claimed the rule allays their concerns. An FCC spokeswoman declined to comment.