fcc

Recycling the radio waves

Yesterday, the FCC voted to apply new "Open Platform" rules to a chunk of the radio spectrum in the 700 MHz band, which is being vacated by UHF TV stations. CNET published a good summary of the situation here.

The chunk in question is just 22 MHz wide. Although the details of how this spectrum will be used are up to the winner of the eventual FCC auction, here are a couple of points of comparison. (These numbers could be off; I don't have all the technical details of the new band plan, just the summary from … Read more

FCC backs some 'open' wireless requirements

WASHINGTON--In a partial political win for Google, federal regulators on Tuesday ruled that whoever buys a portion of a prime chunk of wireless spectrum must allow Americans to use whatever mobile devices and applications they please.

As expected, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved that requirement as part of broader rules governing an auction of the coveted 700 mHz band set to occur by next year.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said he was "committed to ensuring that the fruits of wireless innovation swiftly pass into the hands of consumers." He added that he recognizes the rules are … Read more

Open Access to New Wireless Spectrum?

The Federal Communications Commission in January will auction off perhaps the most lucrative wireless radio space in history. It's like Superman for mobile applications, able to see through buildings better and travel farther than others before it.

First, though, the FCC must write the rules dictating how that spectrum will be used by the auction winner. That means (as things historically go at the Commission) mediating between several powerhouse companies like Verizon, AT&T, and Google who really want to get their paws on this money-making resource. If they're lucky, a little start-up or even consumers will … Read more

Is Verizon's flip-flop on the 700MHz auction rules for real?

Verizon Wireless says it will go along with proposed Federal Communications Commission rules for the upcoming 700Mhz spectrum auction that would require the company to permit subscribers to bring any device to its network.

The company's CEO Lowell McAdam told The Wall Street Journal (registration required) in an article published Thursday that the company is now prepared to accept a set of rules proposed by FCC chairman Kevin Martin that would require winners of certain licenses in the 700MHz auction to allow any legal device to connect to networks using this spectrum.

On the surface, this looks like a … Read more

FCC to vote on 700MHz spectrum auction rules

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday that it will vote next week on at least some of the rules pertaining to the much anticipated 700MHz spectrum auction.

The FCC's agenda notice said the commission will consider a "Second Report and Order concerning rules governing wireless licenses in the 698-806 MHz band," more commonly known as the 700MHz spectrum band, during its open meeting scheduled for July 31, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. EST.

The new rules, which determine how to divvy up licenses and actually auction them off for the coveted 700MHz wireless band of spectrum, … Read more

The Cirque du Soleil fights for radio frequencies

LAS VEGAS--If you're involved in the technical side of the Cirque du Soleil, like Keith Wright and David Dovell are, then the scarcity of available radio frequencies poses a potential headache for you.

That's because Wright--the operations production manager for the Cirque's show, Ka, and Dovell, the technical director for its LOVE show, are both in charge of productions that depend heavily on wireless radio transmissions between hundreds of crew members.

And they face different, but equally challenging, problems.

For Dovell--and, actually, for Wright as well, come to think of it--the problem is political. He told me … Read more

MPAA: Net neutrality could hurt antipiracy tech

Hollywood hasn't decided what it thinks about the whole "Net neutrality" debate, but it knows one thing: Any rules that would stunt roll-out of the next new whiz-bang filtering technologies or encourage unfettered sharing of copyrighted works over peer-to-peer networks would be very, very bad.

That's the gist of the 9-page comments (PDF) that the Motion Picture Association of America filed with the Federal Communications Commission this week. Monday was the deadline for comments for an FCC inquiry into "broadband industry practices," and most of the some 27,000 filings focused on the thorny … Read more

Senators renew quest for Net neutrality rules

The Net neutrality skirmish that swallowed up so much of Congress' technopolitical agenda last year may be gearing up for a comeback. A pair of senators who led the divisive push for the new regulations want everyone to know they haven't forgotten the cause.

Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) aired their views in a joint letter (PDF) filed with the Federal Communications Commission just before the Monday deadline for remarks on an open inquiry into "broadband industry practices."

The senators said they were pleased that the FCC was showing interest in the issue … Read more

FCC wireless auction for police and fire departments too

There's a tremendous amount of attention focused on whether the Federal Communication Commission's September auction of new wireless spectrum in the 700 MHz band will be "open access," available to many mobile providers and applications, or be limited to whatever the auction winner wants to do with it.

There is also an important public safety issue in this debate that is not getting as much attention. That is whether some of this valuable wireless real estate should be reserved by the FCC for our first responders--the people who drive our ambulances, show up for fires, and … Read more