FCC Meeting Recap

NEWS FROM THE FCC MEETING
FCC Meeting Delayed as Leaders Work on Compromise
FCC OKs digital cable transition rules
Competition in Video Distribution Market
800 MHz Rebanding Process
Enhanced 911 Location Accuracy
FCC to Look at Termination Fees Charged by Cellular Operators
FCC Launches Disaster Information Reporting System
Crawford named FCC Chief Economist

FCC MEETING DELAYED AS LEADERS WORK ON COMPROMISE
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Ted Hearn]
Tuesday's Federal Communications Commission leaders were stuck in negotiations all day Tuesday in an effort to reach a compromise on a plan related to cable carriage of digital TV signals in early 2009. The FCC’s monthly public meeting did not start as scheduled at 9:30 a.m. as the five FCC commissioners remained mostly backstage with their aides in back-and-forth discussions. By 4 p.m., agency leaders still had not emerged with a deal. The meeting ended up starting 11 hours after the scheduled start.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6477671.html?nid=3413

FCC OKs DIGITAL CABLE TRANSITION RULES
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: John Dunbar]
The Federal Communications Commission approved rules Tuesday night that it says will ensure that millions of cable subscribers will still be able to watch broadcast programming after the digital television transition in 2009. The FCC says approximately 40 million households are analog-only cable subscribers. Tuesday's ruling will require cable operators to guarantee analog cable customers will receive broadcast channels until February 2012. Cable operators must either convert the digital signal to analog at the point where the cable signal originates or supply customers with a "down converter" device that will change digital signals to analog at the TV set. The cable industry pledged to do this voluntarily and launched a $200 million advertising campaign last week to reassure subscribers. The new FCC rules make compliance mandatory. The FCC will also allow for certain smaller cable systems to request a waiver.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_go_ot/digital_cable
Analog, digital a must for cable
The FCC approved a regulation forcing cable operators to carry both analog and digital TV channels transmitted by some local TV stations.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i2...
* Martin Forced To Dump His Dual Carriage Plan
The cable industry scored a decisive political victory Tuesday night when Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin had to dump a draconian digital TV plan that cable vowed to contest in court, perhaps rupturing the harmony needed by the industry-government effort to shift the nation to all-digital broadcast TV in early 2009 without a massive consumer rebellion.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6477713.html?nid=3413
* FCC Adopts 'Dual' Carriage, Program-Access Items
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6477710.html?rssid=193
* FCC News Release
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276576A1.doc
* Commissioner Adelstein:
"The useful attention we are providing to protecting the vitality of our over-the-air system stands in stark contrast to the outright dereliction of our duty in fulfilling the obligation to protect other interests of American viewers during this DTV transition. Since 1999, the Commission has failed to act on defining the public interest obligations of digital TV broadcasters. Today, I again implore my colleagues to act on this critical issue."
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276576A4.doc

COMPETITION IN VIDEO DISTRIBUTION MARKET
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took steps to promote competition in the marketplace for video programming by adopting a Report and Order ("Order") which ensures competitive multichannel video programming distributors ("MVPDs") continue to have access to essential programming. The Report & Order extends the ban of exclusive contracts between vertically integrated programmers and cable operators to October 5, 2012. A vertically integrated programmer is one that is affiliated with a cable operator or other covered MVPD's. This ban had already been in place and was set to expire October 5, 2007.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276575A1.doc

800 MHz REBANDING PROCESS
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a Memorandum Opinion and Order and a companion Public Notice to expedite the 800 MHz rebanding process. Today's actions reaffirm the Commission's commitment to providing the public safety community with the communications tools they need to respond appropriately to emergencies and save lives. In the Memorandum Opinion and Order, the Commission determined that Sprint did not meet the interim 18-month rebanding benchmark established by prior orders, and established additional benchmarks to ensure that the rebanding process proceeds expeditiously. The Order also requires Sprint to complete clearing of all Channel 1-120 incumbents in non-border areas, other than Sprint and SouthernLINC, by December 26, 2007. In addition, Sprint must clear its own Channel 1-120 facilities, and those of SouthernLINC, within 90 days of a request by a public safety licensee to use those channels. For any public safety request made on or after January 1, 2008, Sprint will be required to clear the necessary spectrum within 60 days of the request. The Commission also affirmed that at the end of the 36-month transition period on June 26, 2008, Sprint must vacate its remaining spectrum in Channels 1-120, as well as other portions of the 800 MHz band that are to be made available to public safety in accordance with prior Commission orders.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276578A1.doc
* FCC Tells Sprint to Speed Rerouting From Public-Safety Airwaves
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/11/AR200709...
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ENHANCED 911 LOCATION ACCURACY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) adopted a Report and Order (Order) which clarifies that wireless carriers must meet the Enhanced 911 (E911), Phase II location accuracy requirements at the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) service-area level. To accomplish this, the Order requires carriers to meet interim, annual benchmarks over the next five years in order to ensure that they achieve PSAP-level compliance no later than September 11, 2012. The Commission's adoption of this Order seeks to ensure that E911 service meets the needs of public safety and the American people. The primary objective of the Order is to advance policies, rules and initiatives that support the efficient and reliable transmission of meaningful automatic location information from wireless 911 callers to PSAPs to better ensure rapid emergency response and save lives.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276577A1.doc

FCC TO LOOK AT TERMINATION FEES CHARGED BY CELLULAR OPERATORS
[SOURCE: Dow Jones, AUTHOR: Corey Boles corey.boles@dowjones.com]
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday the agency will look at the early termination fees charged by cellular, telephone and cable companies to customers who want to break their contracts. Speaking to reporters before the FCC's monthly public meeting, Chairman Martin said there is a need to look at the fees charged not just by wireless companies, which are often focused on, but on all industries the agency regulates. He said this would include cable and telephone companies that levy the fees as part of their so-called triple-play offerings of cable, Internet and phone service. The chairman stopped short of saying the FCC would take action to prevent these types of fees from being charged, but the fact that he has committed the agency to looking at the situation indicates it is on his radar screen.
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/25979.php?source=rss
* FCC may limit cable cancellation fees
[SOURCE: Bloomberg News, AUTHOR: Molly Peterson]
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/business/story/274355.html

FCC LAUNCHES DISASTER INFORMATION REPORTING SYSTEM
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission launched a newly designed and automated Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). DIRS is a voluntary, efficient, web-based system that communications companies, including wireless, wireline, broadcast, and cable providers, can use to report communications infrastructure status and situational awareness information during times of crisis. This will better streamline the reporting process and enable communications providers to share network status information with the Commission quickly and efficiently.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-3871A1.doc
* FCC Creates Online Disaster Information Clearinghouse
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6477688.html?rssid=193

GREGORY CRAWFORD NAMED FCC CHIEF ECONOMIST
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Gregory Crawford has been named Chief Economist of the FCC. His predecessor, Michelle Connolly, has returned to North Carolina, where she is a member of the Economics faculty at Duke University. Dr. Crawford is an expert in the fields of Industrial Organization, Econometrics, and Media Economics. Dr. Crawford currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Economics in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. Prior to joining Eller, he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Duke University. Dr. Crawford received his B.A. in Economics with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. He is currently an Associate Editor at the International Journal of Industrial Organization.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276574A1.doc