FCC Oversight Hearing recap

FCC OVERSIGHT HEARING RECAP

• FCC Commissioners Back New Auction Rules
• Commissioners Talk Broadband On The Hill
• FCC To Reveal Test Results On Unlicensed Devices
• FCC's Food Marketing Majority: Give Self-Regs a Chance
• FCC's Martin says will consider Tribune sale in 4th quarter
• Links to Opening Statements

FCC COMMISSIONERS BACK NEW AUCTION RULES
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: John Dunbar]
A majority of the Federal Communications Commission members told a House subcommittee Tuesday that they support an "open access" requirement on one swath of airwaves that will be auctioned early next year. The provision, put forth by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, would allow cell phone customers to use any device they would like on a new network encompassing about one-third of the 60 megahertz of spectrum to be auctioned. The provision drew support from Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet, and resistance from most of the panel's Republicans. A broader open access provision, however, supported by Google Inc. and public interest groups, received limited support from the commission's two Democrats and opposition from Martin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/24/AR200707...

* Congress Quizzes FCC on Spectrum Auction
It is the growing debate over the interoperability of wireless devices -- driven in part by Google's $4.6 billion interest in the wireless spectrum up for auction and in part by the widespread frustration over AT&T's five-year exclusive deal for the iPhone -- that has stripped the FCC of much of its bureaucratic anonymity.
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=54071

* Republican lawmakers protest spectrum plan
Republican members of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet question the FCC chairman's net-neutrality rules for the spectrum auction
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/07/24/Republican-lawmakers-protest-s...

* House oversight hearing on the FCC
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/house-oversight-hearing-fcc/2007-07-...

* FCC Majority Backs Open-Access Plan for Airwaves
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/24/AR200707...

* FCC chairman differs with Google's plans for airwaves
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-google25jul25,1,31599...

* FCC Testifies at House Committee
http://www.dailywireless.org/2007/07/24/fcc-testifies-at-house-committee...

* FCC Oversight Hearing and why we need all four open access principles
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1123

COMMISSIONERS TALK BROADBAND ON THE HILL
[SOURCE: Telecom Web]
On increasing broadband proliferation in the United States:

* Commissioner Copps: "The 700 MHz auction could help turn this around. If we get it right, this auction offers the prospect of new competition, innovation and consumer choice -- perhaps even a third broadband pipe. Here's another huge step we could take: include broadband as part of comprehensive Universal Service Fund reform to keep our nation competitive in the global economy."

* Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein: "We need to set ambitious goals and shoot for real high-bandwidth broadband deployment. We should start by updating our current anemic definition of high-speed of just 200 Kbps in one direction to something more akin to what consumers receive in countries with which we compete, speeds that are magnitudes higher than our current definitions. Another important tool is better mapping of broadband availability, which would enable the public and private sectors to work together to target underserved areas. Legislation under consideration by leaders in both the House and the Senate would enable us and other agencies like the Census Bureau to make enormous progress on this front. We must redouble our efforts to encourage broadband development by increasing incentives for investment because we will rely on the private sector as the primary driver of growth. These efforts must take place across technologies, so that we not only build on the traditional telephone and cable platforms, but also create opportunities for deployment of fiber-to-the-home, fixed and mobile wireless, broadband over power line, and satellite technologies. Ensuring the vitality of universal service will be particularly important as technology continues to evolve. Increasingly, voice, video, and data will flow to homes and businesses over broadband platforms. In this new world, as voice becomes just one application over broadband networks, we've got to have ubiquitous broadband pipes to carry the most valuable IP services everywhere. Without such broadband networks, IP services can't reach their full audience or capability. The economic, public health, and social externalities associated with access to broadband networks will be far more important than the significant effects associated with the plain-old-telephone-service network, because broadband services will touch so many different aspects of our lives. So, it is important that the Commission conduct its stewardship of the program with the highest of standards and that we ensure that universal service evolves to promote advanced services, which is a priority that Congress has made explicitly clear."
http://www.telecomweb.com/tnd/24380.html

FCC TO REVEAL TEST RESULTS ON UNLICENSED DEVICES
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the FCC would release within a week the results of tests of several remote-sensing unlicensed devices that would potentially be allowed to operate in the so-called "white spaces" between DTV channels. The FCC has already said it plans to allow fixed devices in the band subject to testing and other safeguards to make sure the devices do not cause interference to TV reception. It has not yet decided to allow the remote-sensing unlicensed devices. The fixed devices rely on base stations and satellites to establish that they are operating on vacant channels while the remote-sensing devices do it intuitively and on the fly. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has looked to such devices to get more efficient use out of the spectrum. When asked by Georgia Republican Rep. Nathan Deal at an FCC oversight hearing on the Hill Tuesday to make FCC engineers available to the committees lawyers and manufacturers to explain the results, Martin said he would.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6462740.html?rssid=193

FCC'S FOOD MARKETING MAJORITY: GIVE SELF-REGS A CHANCE
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and fellow Commissioners Michael Copps and Deborah Tate told Congress to that they would be willing to step in if self-regulation on kids TV food ads did not measure up, but weren't ready to set a government standard on what foods should not be marketed to kids. House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) pointed out that 11 food manufacturers had committed not to market "unhealthy" foods to kids under 12. Chairman Markey and at least one other Democratic representative were concerned that the companies would be defining what qualified as "unhealthy."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6462781.html?rssid=193

FCC'S MARTIN SAYS WILL CONSIDER TRIBUNE SALE IN 4TH QUARTER
[SOURCE: MarketWatch, AUTHOR: Corey Boles]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday he hopes that the agency will determine whether the Tribune's sale to real estate magnate Sam Zell can proceed in the fourth quarter of the year.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/fccs-martin-says-consider-tribune/...

_Statements_

* Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA)
Highlighted pending issues before the FCC including: the digital television transition, universal telephone service, special access, several forbearance petitions, and the upcoming spectrum auction rules.
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2997&I...

* Chairman John Dingell (D-MI)
I would like to thank the Chairman and the Commissioners for the pro-consumer actions that the FCC has taken since our last oversight hearing. Ensuring a smooth DTV transition is the most important task facing the Commission. While much work remains to be done, I was particularly pleased that the FCC brought enforcement actions against TV manufacturers for importing non-DTV compliant sets and against retailers that failed to properly label analog sets. The Commission also re-chartered its consumer advisory committees and increased their focus on the DTV transition.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110st69.shtml

* FCC Chairman Martin
"The pro-competition policies that we have been furthering are designed to ensure that consumers benefit from innovation and
technological advancements in all of the communications industries."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275464A1.pdf
- Martin Defends Open Access Spectrum Plan
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6462615.html?rssid=193

* Commissioner Copps
Focused his comments on three priorities: public safety, media, and broadband
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275465A1.doc

* Commissioner Adelstein:
"In the interest of time, I would like to focus today on three among the many urgent priorities we face. First, I will discuss the need for a national broadband strategy to ensure the ubiquitous deployment of affordable, high speed broadband infrastructure to every corner of this country. Second, I will touch upon the role of spectrum-based services, and the importance of the upcoming 700 MHz auction, as a critical aspect of that national strategy. And third, I would like to highlight the pressing media agenda, involving media ownership, including women and minority ownership, public interest and localism obligations, and the need for strong leadership by the Commission to ensure a successful and smooth transition to digital television."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275467A1.pdf

* Commissioner Tate
Focused on 1) the work the Commission has been doing on behalf of children, families and consumers- including the areas of media and childhood obesity, as well as educational programming for children and the effects of violent programming. Other areas include our outreach initiatives to solicit public input on broadcast ownership and localism; and our efforts to ensure that the public is fully educated about the DTV transition, to improve access to communications services for persons with disabilities, and to strengthen our privacy rules to prevent pre-texting. 2) Increasing broadband deployment. The Commission launched two initiatives that will allow the Commission to gain an even better picture of broadband deployment in this country- and is also looking at how to structure the upcoming 700 MHz auction to further deployment of wireless broadband services. The Commission also started a review of broadband industry practices. 3) Public safety and Homeland Security. The upcoming 700 MHz auction could enhance 911 access and location system performance. The Commission also implemented various recommendations of the Commission's Independent Panel reviewing the impact of Hurricane Katrina on communications networks.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275468A1.pdf

* Commissioner McDowell
Concentrated on wireless issues, media policy, public safety and homeland security, satellites, and wireline telephony.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-275469A1.pdf