press release

FCC Chairman Wheeler Applauds DOJ Indictment of Three Men On Lifeline Fraud Charges

The Department of Justice charged three men with allegedly defrauding the FCC’s Lifeline program of approximately $32 million.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler issued this statement:

“The FCC is working hard to combat fraud in the Lifeline program, and I applaud our Office of Inspector General, the FCC’s Lifeline policy and enforcement teams, and the program administrator, USAC, for their considerable contributions that helped lead to the criminal fraud indictment. I particularly appreciate the continuing support provided by our law enforcement partners at the DOJ and FBI.

"Lifeline helps ensure that all Americans can afford phone service, providing connections to jobs, family and 9-1- 1. But we will not tolerate abuse of this program, and are gratified to see the results of our hard work to battle fraud.”

ITU Conference sets agenda for future ICT development

The Dubai Action Plan, adopted by the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference, sets the agenda for telecommunication and information and communication technology development over the next four years.

Under the theme ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’, the Conference focused on development priorities and agreed on the programmes, projects and initiatives to implement them. The theme underlines ITU’s commitment to leverage broadband as a catalyst to meet the goals of sustainable development.

The Dubai Declaration states that “Universal and affordable access to telecommunications and information and communication technologies is essential for the world’s economic, social and cultural development, and contributes to building a global economy and information society. Widespread access to and accessibility of telecommunications and information and communication technologies applications and services provide new socio-economic opportunities for all people.”

The Dubai Action Plan is a comprehensive package that promotes the equitable, affordable, inclusive and sustainable development of telecommunications/ICT networks, applications and services. The objectives outlined in the Plan are:

  1. To foster international cooperation on telecommunication and ICT issues
  2. To foster an enabling environment conducive to ICT development and foster the development of ICT networks as well as relevant applications and services, including bridging the standardization gap
  3. To enhance confidence and security in the use of ICTs and roll out of relevant applications and services
  4. To build human and institutional capacity, promote digital inclusion and provide concentrated assistance to countries in special need
  5. To enhance climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster management efforts through telecommunications and ICTs

OTI Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Examining the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger and the Impact on Consumers

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. The hearing came just a day after Comcast submitted its public interest filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), an important next step in the federal agency review process of the deal.

The following statement can be attributed to Sarah Morris, Senior Policy Counsel for the Open Technology Institute at New America: “The public interest pronouncements made in the hearing simply do not address the myriad harms that would result from this merger. Comcast's statements and public interest filing include many of the same promises that were made in 2010 during the review of its merger with NBC Universal, but consumers are not in a better place now than they were then.

"It’s especially concerning that Comcast has not adequately answered the threshold question as to how its merger with Time Warner Cable would actually benefit consumers. Indeed, the company has not indicated that any cost-savings from so-called ‘efficiencies’ gained from the merger would ultimately result in lower costs for its subscribers, nor has it explained how it would otherwise mitigate the effects of an already uncompetitive broadband market. […]

"What consumers need now is not merger approval, but rather strong regulatory oversight of this industry and a careful, critical review of what would be a tremendous consolidation effort in an already uncompetitive industry. Conditions and rhetorical promises of public interest benefits alone cannot fix these harms. We urge regulators to block this merger.”

Tablet Television nears launch

Tablet Television, America’s first broadcast TV service for tablets, has revealed plans for its first beta market test in San Francisco and start of commercial operations in autumn 2014.

Utilizing existing ATSC distribution, viewers in the US will be able to receive direct, free over-the-air television transmissions to their portable devices. This first broadcast TV service for tablets will enable viewers to watch and record live broadcast content in HD in every market in the US and, in association with local broadcasting partners, will be able to provide on-demand packages. Additional features such as fully-integrated social television will be available to Internet connected viewers.

Remarks of FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Before The 2014 Spring Meeting Of WTA -- Advocates For Rural Broadband

On April 9, 2014, Commissioner Ajit Pai of the FCC delivered remarks at the Spring Conference of WTA -- Advocates for Rural Broadband. During his address, he emphasized that the Federal Communications Commission must take seriously the promise of the Communications Act to “make available, so far as possible, to all the people of the United States . . . a rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wide and radio communication service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.”

He then offered a number of proposals for doing just that:

  • Rate Floor. Freeze the FCC-imposed rate floor indefinitely and reexamine the underlying policy.
  • QRA Benchmarks. Strike the QRA benchmarks from the books.
  • Helping Small Carriers Gain Scale. Streamline FCC review of transactions involving geographically adjacent rural carriers seeking to merge.
  • Reducing Paperwork Burdens. Small carriers are facing death by 1,000 paper cuts.

Ensuring Information Society is open and accessible

The ten-year review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society will be the focus of the WSIS+10 High-Level Event in Geneva, 10-13 June 2014.

Policy-makers, including Government Ministers and leaders from civil society, academia, business, and international organizations will address the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005.

Historic release of data gives consumers unprecedented transparency on the medical services physicians provide and how much they are paid

As part of the Obama Administration’s work to make our health care system more transparent, affordable, and accountable, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of new, privacy-protected data on services and procedures provided to Medicare beneficiaries by physicians and other health care professionals.

The new data also show payment and submitted charges, or bills, for those services and procedures by provider.

“Currently, consumers have limited information about how physicians and other health care professionals practice medicine,” said Secretary Sebelius “This data will help fill that gap by offering insight into the Medicare portion of a physician’s practice. The data afford researchers, policymakers and the public a new window into health care spending and physician practice patterns.”

The new data set has information for over 880,000 distinct health care providers who collectively received $77 billion in Medicare payments in 2012, under the Medicare Part B Fee-For-Service program. With this data, it will be possible to conduct a wide range of analyses that compare 6,000 different types of services and procedures provided, as well as payments received by individual health care providers.

The information also allows comparisons by physician, specialty, location, the types of medical service and procedures delivered, Medicare payment, and submitted charges. Physicians and other health care professionals determine what they will charge for services and procedures provided to patients and these “charges” are the amount the physician or health care professional generally bills for the service or procedure.

New ALSC white paper: 'The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children’

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announces the release of a new white paper, “The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children” written for ALSC by Jamie Campbell Naidoo, PhD, and adopted by the ALSC Board of Directors on April 5,2014.

The white paper explores the critical role libraries play in helping children make cross-cultural connections and develop skills necessary to function in a culturally pluralistic society. The paper calls for libraries to include diversity in programming and materials for children as an important piece in meeting the informational and recreational needs of their community.

“It is more important than ever that our public libraries ensure access to high quality children’s materials and programming that reflects our plurality,” said Starr LaTronica, ALSC president. “This paper examines the need for children to grow up reading books that not only reflect a mirror to their own culture but also allow for a window into the cultures of others.”

At the end of the paper the reader will find a comprehensive list of diversity resources, online collection development resources, awards for culturally diverse children’s literature, multicultural children’s program resources and more.

More Than 50 Public Interest Groups Call on Washington to Reject ‘Unthinkable’ Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

Comcast filed documents at the Federal Communications Commission asking the agency to approve its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable.

If the deal is approved, Comcast will become the dominant cable company for two-thirds of the country and it will control over half of the nation’s next-generation broadband customers. More than 50 public interest groups submitted a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler calling a market takeover of this scale “unthinkable” and urging the agency to block the deal. The coalition delivered the same letter to Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice, which is also charged with reviewing the merger.

The groups signing the letter include leading consumer rights, arts, free speech, and open Internet organizations, including Consumers Union, CREDO, Demand Progress, Free Press, the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, the National Organization for Women, the Parents Television Council, Public Knowledge and the Writers Guild of America East and West.

Given “the complete lack of any tangible benefits, it’s clear that the union of the nation’s No. 1 and No. 2 cable companies is not good for competition or in the public interest,” the letter reads.

Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron made the following statement: “The question before the FCC is whether this deal serves the public interest. The answer is clear: A bigger Comcast is bad for America. Merging the nation’s two biggest cable-Internet providers would turn Comcast into our communications gatekeeper, able to dictate the cost and content of news, information and entertainment. We need an Internet and video marketplace that offers people high-quality options at prices they can afford -- not a near-national monopoly determining what we can watch and download.”

Rep Walden Announces Subcommittee Markup of DOTCOM Act

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, chaired by Rep Greg Walden (R-OR) has scheduled a markup to consider H.R. 4342, the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act of 2014.

The subcommittee will convene for opening statements only on Wednesday, April 9, 2014. The subcommittee will reconvene the next day to vote. Authored by Rep John Shimkus (R-IL), the DOTCOM Act was drafted in response to the Obama Administration’s proposal regarding the future of the Internet. The proposal instructs the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to explore ways to remove the United States from its oversight role of the Domain Name System (DNS) and replace it with a different multistakeholder governance model. H.R. 4342 would direct the Government Accountability Office to study the proposed changes and present a non-partisan evaluation before the administration may take action to modify the current DNS.

Rebecca Hanson Joins NAB Television Board

Television Board Chair Marci Burdick has appointed Sinclair Broadcast Group's Rebecca Hanson, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Policy to the TV Board of Directors.

She fills the seat previously occupied by Dunia Shive and the appointment is effective immediately. Hanson joined Sinclair in January 2014 to develop and oversee the broadcaster's new Washington office dedicated to a broad range of policy and business matters. She joined Sinclair from the FCC, where she was a Senior Advisor, Broadcast Spectrum with the Media Bureau of the FCC and served on the Incentive Auction Task Force focusing on broadcast issues.

Prior to joining the FCC, Hanson was Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at Sprint Nextel, where she was responsible for the launch and long-term growth strategy for Sprint's 4G wireless broadband. She began her career as an attorney with Brownstein Zeidman and then ShawPittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman), where she specialized in the areas of technology, commercial finance and venture capital.

National Lifeline Accountability Database Up And Running

The Federal Communications Commission has launched a database designed to eliminate waste from duplicative subscriptions in the Lifeline phone service subsidy program nationwide.

The National Lifeline Accountability Database, a cornerstone of the FCC’s comprehensive efforts to combat waste fraud and abuse in the Lifeline program, already has identified $169 million in annualized savings by flagging existing duplicates for elimination while preventing enrollment of new duplicates.

“The National Lifeline Accountability Database makes smart use of technology to help prevent waste, fraud and abuse,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “The database is preventing new duplicates and has rooted out remaining ones. I commend the industry for working with us to implement this effective solution to eliminating wasteful duplicates.”

Overall, the comprehensive reform package from 2012 is on track to save $2 billion through elimination of duplicates, tightened eligibility review, increased oversight of providers, elimination of unnecessary subsidies for initial phone connections, and more.

Divided Media Gender Gap

The Women’s Media Center examined 20 of the most widely circulated, read, viewed and listened to US based TV networks, newspapers, news wires and online news sites.

The Women’s Media Center commissioned Global News Intelligence (GNI) researchers to analyze 27,000 pieces of content from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2013. The survey focused on the gender breakdown of full-time newsroom staffers, paid freelance journalists and non-paid content contributors from the following news organizations: ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Chicago Sun-Times, The Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, San Jose Mercury News, USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN.com, Daily Beast, FOXNews.com and The Huffington Post. The research findings tell a stark story about where women stand across every platform in the 24/7 news cycle.

We conducted this research in order to shine a light on how well American news media -- the shaper of images, ideologies, and ideals -- allow women to craft our own narrative and include our voices in a wide-ranging public discourse over the airwaves, in print and online. The report summarizes the most recent available statistical data on:

  • Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of news
  • Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of television and film entertainment
  • Gender equity in film reviews
  • How women are depicted on entertainment television and film
  • Women and digital news consumption
  • Representation of women for online-only sites and in video games
  • Recommendations to news organizations, producers and interview bookers

Our conclusion: American media have exceedingly more distance to travel on the road to gender-blind parity.

Sens Thune, Rubio Demand Answers from Administration on Internet Transition

Sens John Thune (R-SD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) and 33 of their Senate Republican colleagues sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), seeking clarification regarding the recent announcement that NTIA intends to relinquish responsibility of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global multistakeholder community.

The letter expresses strong support for “the existing bottom-up, multistakeholder approach to the Internet governance,” and cautions: “We must not allow the IANA functions to fall under the control of repressive governments, America’s enemies, or unaccountable bureaucrats.”

The letter goes on to say: “The global community of Internet stakeholders should act deliberately and transparently as it formulates a possible proposal to transition the IANA functions to a nongovernmental entity. The multistakeholder model of Internet governance and the IANA functions are far too important for this process to be rushed or to be done behind closed doors.” Among other things, the letter asks the administration to “explain why it is in our national interest to transition the IANA functions,” and how NTIA will ensure “the IANA functions do not end up being controlled, directly or indirectly, by a government or inter-governmental entity.”

Ridgeland Second MS City To Qualify Multiple Areas For C Spire’s 1 Gbps Fiber To The Home Internet Technology Initiative

C Spire announced that homeowner pre-registration exceeded the required threshold in a second area of the city of Ridgeland (MS) -- helping it qualify for the company’s ultra-fast 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) fiber to the home Internet service and related digital TV and home phone services.

Ridgeland’s Old Agency East fiberhood, which includes the Dinsmor and Greenwood Plantation neighborhoods, reached its 45 pre-registration target and now joins the Bridgewater fiberhood, which qualified in late March along with areas in the cities of Horn Lake, Starkville and the entire town of Quitman for service that promises Internet access up to 100 times faster than national average broadband speeds.

The six areas in the four cities now move into the next phase of the historic initiative where C Spire puts the finishing touches on engineering plans, meets with city officials and residents and starts construction of the fiber infrastructure that will serve as the platform for the next-generation services. Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee, whose city already has a reputation as Mississippi’s most tech-friendly community, said the latest progress shows that momentum is continuing to build as more residents learn about the opportunity to invest in their neighborhood’s future.

Nine Mississippi cities are part of initial phase of c spire’s ultra-fast fiber to the home initiative. The Ridgeland mayor vows to continue community pre-registration efforts for 1 Gig service.

ITU drives global effort to strengthen cybersecurity

International Telecommunication Union presented the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), a unique initiative launched by ITU and ABI Research to measure the levels of cybersecurity in countries, at a forum held in Dubai.

It underlies ITU’s commitment to strengthening cybersecurity and plugging the gaps worldwide while building capacity at the national level, particularly in developing countries. The long term aim is to drive further efforts in the adoption and integration of cybersecurity on a global scale. A comparison of national cybersecurity strategies will reveal those countries with high rankings in specific areas, and consequently highlight lesser known -- yet successful -- cybersecurity strategies. Based on questionnaire responses received by ITU Member States, a first analysis of cybersecurity development in the Arab region was compiled and one for the Africa region is under way. The objective is to release a global status of cybersecurity for 2014. “Greater connectivity also brings with it greater risk,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré.

“As our physical and cyber worlds overlap, there is an increased need to address the related challenges of ensuring security, human rights, rule of law, good governance and economic development.” Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau addressing the forum, said: “In embracing technological progress, cybersecurity must form an integral and invisible part of that process. Unfortunately, cybersecurity is not yet at the core of many national and industrial technology strategies.” The goal of the GCI is to help foster a global culture of cybersecurity and its integration at the core of information and communication technologies. “Countries need to be aware of their current capability level in cybersecurity and, at the same time, identify areas where cybersecurity needs to be enhanced,” Sanou stressed.

Readout of the Vice President’s Meeting with Business Executives from Information Technology Companies

As part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to help Americans obtain the skills they need to acquire good middle class jobs, Vice President Biden dropped by a meeting with a group of business executives from leading information technology companies.

The Vice President highlighted the importance of making sure our training efforts teach skills that are in demand by employers. He also encouraged the participants to expand initiatives that have proven successful, including partnerships between companies and community colleges to teach workers new skills. The group discussed how increasing the availability of on-the-job training opportunities -- like apprenticeships -- can help Americans find employment and ultimately widen the aperture into the middle class.

The Vice President is working with private companies, non-profit organizations, federal agencies, education institutions, state and local leaders, and others across the country to make the workforce and training system more job-driven, integrated, and effective.

House budget proposal dismisses role of IMLS

In a new budget released from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) denounces the critical role that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) plays in supporting civic engagement, literacy and lifelong learning in more than 123,000 libraries nationwide.

Chairman Ryan recommends that the federal government not have a role in libraries and that Congress shift the federal agency’s responsibilities to the private sector in his 2015 fiscal year budget resolution.

American Library Association (ALA) President Barbara Stripling released the following statement in response to Rep Ryan’s budget: “We were shocked to learn that Representative Paul Ryan recommended eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the agency that administers the primary source of federal funding to libraries. Libraries depend on the support they receive from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to help patrons learn new skills, find job opportunities and access reading materials that they otherwise could not afford.

More than $180 million has been allocated to the Institute for Museum and Library Services through September 2014 to help libraries make information available to the citizens they serve. In Chairman Ryan’s own state of Wisconsin, more than 65 percent of libraries report that they are the only free access to Internet in their communities. Just blocks from Chairman Ryan’s Wisconsin office, more than 716,000 visitors used the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, Wisconsin to access library computers and research databases, check out books and receive job training in 2013.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services administered more than $2.8 million in the 2014 fiscal year to help Wisconsin libraries prepare young students for school and provide lifelong learning opportunities for all Wisconsin residents. For example, the state reported that more than 215,000 children participated in summer reading programs at Wisconsin public libraries.

Alliance for Community Media Hires Mike Wassenaar as New Public Policy Advocate

Mike Wassenaar has been chosen as the Public Policy Advocate for the Alliance for Community Media (ACM).

Wassenaar has a long history of industry experience including work as the Senior Development Director at Free Press in Washington DC, as the Executive Director at St. Paul Neighborhood Network in St. Paul, Minnesota, and as the Program and News Director at KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio, in Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as being the MN News and Public Affairs Director at WORT Radio in Madison, Wisconsin. Wassenaar has been actively involved in the Alliance for Community Media.

From 2004-2012 Wassenaar served as the Midwest Region Chair and also served on the National Board of Directors from 2004-2010. He was a National Chair from 2005-2007, served as Treasurer from 2007-2009, and as the Development Chair from 2010-2012. In 2012 Wassenaar received the Buske National Leadership Award.

The Public Policy Advocate will be working with ACM to lead public policy efforts in Washington DC to change federal law to remove the restriction on the use of public, educational and government (PEG) funds (capital vs. operating issue) and will represent ACM’s interests in broader legislative initiatives. He will also represent and lead ACM’s efforts at the FCC and meet with legislators to secure bi-partisan lead and co-sponsors of a bill.

FCC Increases Availability of Spectrum for High-Speed, High-Capacity Wi-Fi And Other Unlicensed Uses In The 5 GHz Band

The Federal Communications Commission provided for accelerated growth and expansion of new Wi-Fi technology that can offer faster speeds of one gigabit per second or more, increase overall capacity, and reduce congestion at Wi-Fi hot spots.

The new rules will make 100 MHz of spectrum more accessible for use in homes and congested spaces like convention centers, parks, and airports and increase the potential for more unlicensed spectrum innovation.

The Commission adopted a Report and Order modifying the rules governing the operation of Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices operating in the 5 GHz band. By its action the Commission significantly increased the utility of the 100 megahertz of spectrum, and streamlined existing rules and equipment authorization procedures for devices throughout the 5 GHz band. U-NII devices play an important role in meeting public demand for wireless broadband service. Currently U-NII devices operate in 555 megahertz of spectrum in the 5 GHz band, and are used for Wi-Fi and other high-speed wireless connections. These devices support a variety of applications including Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless home local area networks to connect smart phones, tablets and laptops to the Internet, broadband service to rural areas offered by Wireless Internet Service Providers and off-loading of traffic from commercial cellular wireless networks.

The rules adopted remove the current restriction on indoor-only use and increase the permissible power which will provide more robust access in the 5.150-5.250 GHz band. In turn, this will allow U-NII devices to better integrate with other unlicensed portions of the 5 GHz band to offer faster speeds and reduce congestion at crowded Wi-Fi hot spots such as airports and convention centers. The Commission also modified certain technical rules to improve protection for incumbent systems by requiring manufacturers to secure their devices against illegal modification which could cause interference to incumbent users in the band.

FCC Adopts TV JSA Attribution Rules, Begins 2014 Media Ownership Quadrennial Review

The Federal Communications Commission took steps to close a loophole in its TV ownership rules, making sure that a party’s interests in a market are properly counted.

Removal of the loophole helps ensure competition, localism, and diversity in local broadcast markets by preventing a practice that previously resulted in consolidation in excess of what is permitted under the Commission’s rules. A JSA, or joint sales agreement, is between two stations in the same market in which one station is authorized to sell advertising time on the other station. The Commission’s radio rules have long recognized that these agreements create an ownership interest when the JSA allows for the sale of 15% or more of the advertising time on a competing local station.

The Report and Order applies this same standard to broadcast television. Parties to existing TV JSAs will have two years to come into compliance with the applicable local ownership limits. Waiver requests, considered on a case-by-case basis, must show that strict compliance with the rule is inconsistent with the public interest.

Also adopted was a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that initiates the Commission’s 2014 Media Ownership Quadrennial Review and incorporates the ongoing 2010 Quadrennial Review record. The FNPRM asks for new and additional information on current market conditions to ensure a comprehensive and refreshed record. The current ownership rules remain in place while the review is pending.

The FNPRM additionally asks for comment on whether commercial television stations should be required to disclose shared service agreements and how best to achieve disclosure. An SSA allows same market stations to share resources, such as employees, administrative services, or hard assets, such as a news helicopter. The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking also recommends reinstatement of the Commission’s revenue-based “eligible entity” standard, finding that the program would support new entry into the broadcast industry by small businesses.

FCC Takes Action to Improve Retransmission Consent Process

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Report and Order that strengthens its rules governing retransmission consent negotiations. This Order will help curtail a practice that has put upward pressure on cable and Direct Broadcast Satellite programming costs as well as prices to consumers.

The Communications Act requires cable systems and other pay television services to obtain a broadcast television station’s retransmission consent before carrying the station’s signal. The Act also requires broadcasters and pay television service providers to negotiate retransmission consent agreements in good faith.

The Order prohibits a television broadcast station ranked among the top four stations (as measured by audience share) from negotiating retransmission consent jointly with another top four station if the stations are not commonly owned and serve the same geographic market. Joint negotiation by these stations leads to higher retransmission consent fees because the practice reduces competition between the stations. Additionally, the threat of losing the programming of two or more top four stations at the same time gives the stations undue bargaining leverage in negotiations with Multichannel Video Program Distributors. To target collusive behavior effectively, the Order also defines joint negotiations.

Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly with Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly issued statements.

FCC Sets Stage for Auction Of 65 Mhz Of Spectrum For Mobile Broadband

The Commission adopted a Report and Order that advances ongoing efforts to make more spectrum available for flexible use wireless services, including mobile broadband.

The Report and Order represents significant progress in the Commission’s ongoing effort to make available and promote efficient use of spectrum, including through sharing.

Access to these bands will help wireless companies meet growing consumer demand for mobile data by enabling faster wireless speeds and more capacity. Specifically, the Report and Order sets flexible-use regulatory, licensing, and technical rules for 65 megahertz of spectrum in the AWS-3 band, which includes the 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz, and 2155-2180 MHz bands.

The Report and Order establishes a band plan that makes spectrum available in a mix of spectrum block and geographic license area sizes to meet the needs of large and small wireless providers. The Report and Order also establishes construction deadlines and other service rules, including a requirement that AWS-3 devices be interoperable within AWS-3 and AWS-1 frequencies. The Report and Order is the result of years of work across multiple federal agencies and in coordination with industry stakeholders to make 40 megahertz (of the total 65 megahertz) of the AWS-3 spectrum available for commercial use.

This spectrum will be available on a shared basis with federal incumbents in accordance with detailed plans for these agencies to relocate out of the frequencies or share within the frequencies. Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn and Rosenworcel, with Commissioners Pai and O’Rielly approving in part and concurring in part. Chairman Wheeler, Commissioners Clyburn, Rosenworcel, Pai and O’Rielly issued statements.

Global thrust to achieve universal broadband connectivity

The sixth ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a call to achieve universal broadband connectivity.

Under the theme ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’, the conference will focus on development priorities in telecommunications and information and communication technologies (ICT) and agree on the programmes, projects and initiatives to implement them. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates and Head of the UAE delegation was elected Chairman of the Conference. He noted that the focus on the theme ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’ brings attention to the critical aspect of leading edge ICT in enhancing a nation’s development.

“Since the beginning of this Millennium, mobile cellular subscriptions have continued to rise, social media usage has rocketed, and an ever increasing number of people across the globe have been able to access the Internet, making use of the immeasurable quantity of information that greater connectivity provides,” said Al Ghanim. “Yet one of the most persisting concerns that face us all is the ‘digital divide’. Serious practical solutions are required to close the gap and stem this endemic inequality of access.” “ICTs, and in particular broadband networks, offer perhaps the greatest opportunity we have ever had to make rapid and profound advances in global social and economic development,” said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. “By delivering efficiencies across so many areas, from education and healthcare to transportation, water and energy, broadband networks can quickly pay for themselves, creating a virtuous circle of investment, productivity and human development.”

One of the expected outcomes of WTDC-14 is the Dubai Action Plan -- which will set the agenda for telecommunication and information and communication technologies development over the next four years. The dialogue, which will shape the future of the telecommunication and ICT sector and its contribution to social and economic development, will focus on:

  • Sound policies and regulatory frameworks that will foster investment and further develop telecom/ICT networks
  • Improved access to ICT applications to provide people with services such as education, health, and empower them with the means to achieve sustainable development
  • Increased safety and security in the use of telecoms/ICTs
  • Capacity building in the area of ICTs
  • Emergency telecommunications