BROWSING: FCC
FCC ISSUES DTV-PUBLIC SAFETY REALLOCATION ORDER
WASHINGTON-Fulfilling another congressional directive under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission last week released its report and order governing the reallocation of broadcast channels 60-69."The first beneficiaries of the FCC's plan for transition to digital television are the police, fire and...
FCC APPROVES WESTERN WIRELESS ALIEN-OWNERSHIP WAIVER
WASHINGTON-Western Wireless Corp., parent company of personal communications services provider Western PCS Corp., was granted permission by the Federal Communications Commission to boost its foreign ownership to a possible 39.9 percent.The FCC's International Bureau ruled it "would serve the public interest" if an indirectly...
WTO BRINGS BITE PREVIOUS TRADE ACCORDS DIDN’T HAVE
In the new global telecom market, the World Trade Organization is king-the United Nations for global telecom free trade as it were.For the United States, having rules of the road in a free trade environment and a credible international body to monitor, arbitrate and...
21 STATES HAVE BILLS TO ADDRESS E911
WASHINGTON-A total of 21 states have pending legislation regarding emergency service and its parameters scheduled for votes this year, according to a survey performed by wireless E911 equipment manufacturer Xypoint Corp. Respondents to the poll included wireless carriers, public-safety entities and state legislative aides...
FCC DELAYS C-BLOCK RESTRUCTURING DECISIONS
WASHINGTON-C-block personal communications service licensees will have an additional seven weeks to file with the Federal Communications Commission their choice-if any-of the four financial restructuring options offered by the commission last September.The Jan. 15 election date has been pushed back to Feb. 26, due...
TIA PROPOSES GUIDES FOR ACCESSIBILITY
ARLINGTON, Va.-The Telecommunications Industry Association has proposed manufacturer guidelines to the Federal Communications Commission to address telecom equipment accessibility issues.Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 states that manufacturers of telecom and customer premises equipment must "ensure that the equipment is designed, developed...
TRW DUMPS ODYSSEY FOR ICO
TRW Inc. announced it will integrate its interests in Odyssey Telecommunications International Inc. with ICO Global Communications, marking the first consolidation move in the mobile satellite industry.TRW said it is acquiring an equity interest in London-based ICO and will receive 1.5 million ICO shares,...
LEC FEES NIXED
In an initial victory for paging carriers nationwide, the Federal Communications Commission's Common Carrier Bureau announced its current rules do not allow local exchange carriers to charge paging carriers for delivering traffic over the LEC network.Specifically, the bureau said its rules "do not allow...
NEWS BRIEFS
The Federal Communications Commission late last week was expected to allocate 24 megahertz for public safety communications and reserve 36 megahertz in the same 800 MHz band for commercial wireless license auctions. The 1997 budget bill requires the reallocation of TV channels 60-69 to...
A LOOK AT 1997
1. Jan. 6NextWave awarded its PCS permitsIn a decision almost surely headed for the appeals court, the Federal Communications Commission last Friday conditionally awarded NextWave Personal Communications Inc. its C-block licenses after NextWave submitted a plan to bring its foreign-ownership percentages into federal compliance.2....
1997: THE YEAR IN QUOTES
1997-It was the year that simultaneously showed the promise and the pain of new entrants into the wireless industry. PCS companies thrived and dived, one paging business declared bankruptcy, while others reached record-level subscriber figures. Cellular carriers showed us they still have a few...
PORTALS DEVELOPER FAVORS PUBLIC HEARING
WASHINGTON-The lawyer for embattled Portals developer Franklin Haney told the House Commerce Committee his client will comply with any subpoena to defend a $1 million payment to lobbyist Peter Knight for helping to arrange a 20-year, $400 million contract to relocate the Federal Communications...
APCO SEES NEED FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
WASHINGTON-Although most of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's second notice of proposed rule making regarding federal, state and local public-safety spectrum through the year 2010 passed muster with the industry, there are a few sticking points that commenters addressed at length late last month.The Association...
USF FEES TO START JAN. 1 IN CONTINUED CONTROVERSY
WASHINGTON-The government is expected to begin collecting subsidies from all eligible telecommunications providers this week for the universal service fund.The Federal Communications Commission recently adopted an order outlining the amount of money it plans to raise during the first six months of 1998 for...
D.C. NOTES
My New Year's resolution is the same every year: find some way to stay in this business and make more money. However, this time, I think I've got a plan that will work (for the money part). After reading a Dec. 17 letter from Terry...
VIEWPOINT
Theory works so much better than reality. President Clinton proclaims a grand plan to make sure that American school children, as well as libraries and rural hospitals, have access to the Internet.Who would be against that?But collecting universal service funding fees most likely will...
WITH SPECTRUM BOUGHT, NEXTEL IS READY TO TACKLE RELOCATION TASK
WASHINGTON-Down payments for newly won 800 MHz specialized mobile radio licenses are due at Pittsburgh's Mellon Bank tomorrow. Nextel Communications Inc. said it plans to be there, cash in hand."We made a sizable upfront payment, so this shouldn't be any problem," commented Robert Foosaner,...
RCR’S 1997 PERSON OF THE YEAR: GEORGE SCHMITT: OMNIPOINT’S GEORGE SCHMITT BURNS THE MIDNIGHT OIL TO BUILD PCS FIRM
Editor's Note: In a year where the largest stories of the wireless industry were about personal communications services carriers besieged with financial and other problems, one PCS company, Omnipoint Communications Services Inc., has managed to bring to reality the promises of PCS. Omnipoint, a new...
PEOPLE
Centennial Communications Corp. announced that Michael N. Simkin was appointed president of the company, after Jeff E. Rhodes, the company's previous president and founder, resigned his position to pursue other interests. He will continue as a consultant to the company. Simkin, also chief executive...
ALIANT TO BUY HALF OF OMAHA CELLULAR
LINCOLN, Neb.-Aliant Communications said it entered a definitive agreement to acquire 3607 Communications Co.'s 50-percent interest in Omaha Cellular G.P.Following the close of the acquisition, which is expected during the first quarter, Aliant will own 100 percent of Omaha Cellular and about 56 percent...
CALEA DEADLINE SHOULD BE ROLLED BACK, COMMENTERS TELL FCC
WASHINGTON-Comments regarding the Federal Communications Commission's notice of proposed rule making on the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act have one thing in common-moving the compliance date back two years, to Oct. 25, 2000.The Telecommunications Industry Association, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, the American...
COMTEC SET TO PURCHASE SMR SYSTEMS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.-ComTec International Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, American Wireless Network Inc., said it completed the initial phase of an agreement to purchase seven specialized mobile radio systems from Centennial Communications Inc.Denver-based Centennial sold to American Wireless interests in Birmingham, Ala.; Knoxville, Memphis...
NEW AUCTION RULES STOP INSTALLMENT PAYMENTS
WASHINGTON-Small businesses, minority- and women-owned businesses, and rural telcos will not be eligible for installments payments following any near-future spectrum auction wins, but they will be given larger bidding credits under new, streamlined auction rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission.There is a chance,...
VIEWPOINT
All of the theories and threats about the C-block personal communications services auction and its problems may soon become very real. Pocket Communications Inc., already in bankruptcy proceedings, may not emerge. The nation's ninth largest PCS licensee (based on total population), reportedly is trying...