Small and mid-sized cable operators are watching how the FCC develops Connect America Fund Phase II before deciding whether to bid for federal funds to expand broadband networks to unserved rural areas, industry officials told us. They said the Phase II CAF cost model, on which the FCC held a workshop earlier this month (CD Sept 14 p3), is one element that could prompt cable operators to compete for the funding. But plans haven’t been firmed up, and none may come to fruition on the part of cable operators, industry officials said.

Panelists offered starkly different visions on how to regulate the broadband market to ensure competition and economic growth, at a New America Foundation event Friday (http://xrl.us/bnpsjw). Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, lamenting that the competitive market he envisioned in 2001 has not come to fruition, pushed for a “major national commitment” to increase broadband performance, and a renewed emphasis on promoting competition. Special access and the transition to Internet Protocol networks were also hotly debated, with economist Joseph Gillan calling AT&T’s proposal to “sunset” the public switched telephone network (PSTN) the “largest regulatory ask” in his lifetime.

T-Mobile and tower operator Crown Castle International reached a deal for CCI to operate 7,200 T-Mobile towers. CCI will pay $2.4 billion for control of the 7,200 towers for the next 28 years and will have the option to buy the towers for an additional $2.4 billion at the end of that period. The accord is expected to close in Q4, T-Mobile said. The carrier sought a deal on the towers to help fund its plan to upgrade to 4G LTE, T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a joint news release with CCI (http://xrl.us/bnrtmp). “T-Mobile USA is working aggressively to make our 4G network stronger, faster and more dependable for consumers, and this transaction will support our ongoing $4 billion network modernization initiative that is the cornerstone of this effort,” he said.

The FCC on Friday approved a notice of proposed rulemaking that will establish rules for an incentive auction of broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband, to take place as early as 2014. The NPRM moves the FCC a step closer to what is already the most anticipated auction since the 700 MHz auction four years ago. Commissioner Ajit Pai concurred only on parts of the NPRM, saying the commission leaves too many critical questions unasked.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Internet community has been “under attack on an international scale” in the last year, said Google Chief Internet Evangelist and Vice President Vinton Cerf Friday in his keynote at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors annual meeting. Cerf thinks 2012 has been the “most tumultuous year” for the Internet since its beginnings, he said, referring to growing international concern about regulating the Internet and bringing a new form of governance to the network, set for further international discussions later this year. Such potential changes would be devastating and counter to the Internet’s original mission and driving force, he said.

The FCC approved a notice of proposed rulemaking on measuring spectrum aggregation over concerns raised by Commissioners Ajit Pai and Robert McDowell. But FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said a review was overdue, especially as the FCC prepares for an incentive auction of broadcast spectrum. Pai had considered a dissent, but instead concurred (CD Sept 20 p1).

FCC members approved a notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at streamlining and eliminating requirements for earth and space station licensing under Part 25 of the agency’s rules. The commission expects the changes to lead to faster deployment of satellite services to customers and easing regulatory burdens on licensees and the commission, staff said Friday at its monthly meeting. The NPRM proposed changes to more than 100 rule sections and subsections to give licensees the flexibility to provide innovative services “while ensuring an operating environment free from harmful interference,” an agency news release said.

NEW ORLEANS -- States and municipalities have a bigger role than people realize in broadband, panelists said Friday at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors annual meeting. These powers may have increasing relevance as the federal powers diminish and local upgrade projects continue to spread throughout the country, they argued. Three years ago at NATOA’s last New Orleans meeting, there were doubts about whether the association would even continue as an organization, but those doubts are now gone, said Executive Director Steve Traylor.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Over time, manufacturers of larger organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for TV sets will use printing methods to make them, David Fyfe, a consultant with Sumitomo Chemical, said during OLEDs World Summit Friday. The shift to printing over “fine metal mask” (FMM) manufacturing will be driven by the cost reductions offered by printing methods, he said. “Samsung is predicting that 26 percent of TVs will be OLEDs by 2020, and to get there the cost is going to have to come down to be pretty close to where LCD [liquid crystal display] is,” Fyfe said. “I don’t think that can be achieved with fine metal mask technology."

A cybersecurity executive order that’s being drafted wouldn’t supplant the need for new law should the White House decide to release any final document, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday. She urged Congress to continue its work to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill, after one failed in the Senate this summer due to the threat of a filibuster. As chances of such legislation decrease, collaboration will be necessary to combat cybersecurity threats, ex-White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said at another event. “An executive order will help but we still need comprehensive cybersecurity legislation,” Napolitano said at a conference hosted by National Journal and Government Executive. “It is something that Congress will have to come back and address."