Democrats on the House Commerce Committee Wed. joined a chorus of critics urging NTIA to drop its rulemaking proposal restricting eligibility for DTV converter box coupons to households relying exclusively on over-the-air signals. The demand, in a letter not seeking legislative changes in the coupon program, strongly urged NTIA to make sure the program periodically informs Congress and the public on how many coupons are being requested and redeemed to prepare for any changes that may be needed later.
The timeline for granting AWS spectrum licenses depends on Wireless Bureau resources, a bipartisan panel of wireless advisors to FCC commissioners said Thurs. at an FCBA Telecom Practice Committee lunch. The 3 advisors -- 2 of 5 originally enlisted bowed out -- described wireless issues expected to be primary for their bosses in the coming year: AWS, early termination fees, 800 MHz rebanding, the WARN Act and preemption.
GENEVA -- National delegates will draft a resolution on a common alerting protocol (CAP) for public warning systems, and on the wider issue of information and communication technology standards for public warning, they agreed here last week. The resolution will go to ITU member countries to consider at a Nov. policy-making conference.
GENEVA -- Many solutions have emerged for disaster relief and early warning, but obstacles remain to better global coordination for disaster relief and early warning, said officials meeting Thurs. at the ITU here. Coordination among international entities seems “woefully missing at this point,” said Ken Smith of Verizon, speaking as reporting member for SG2, ITU-T’s lead study group for telecom for disaster relief and early warning. “And one of the things that we will specifically be focusing on… is to find a way to involve D sector, R (ITU Radio) sector and other ITU organizations in the development of the plan for these types of services.”
A national emergency alert system was set in motion by a law President Bush signed Fri. giving the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) 6 months to set up warning procedures. The wireless industry embraced the law’s voluntary process as preferable to a mandatory path being considered in an FCC rulemaking. Carriers opting out of the system must tell customers only that devices they use won’t carry the alerts.
TIA welcomed passage of emergency alert legislation, part of a port security bill passed last week. The Warning, Alert & Response Network Act establishes a national emergency alert system, allotting it $106 million. The bill will underwrite an effective system to warn Americans of war, terror attacks, disasters and other hazards, said TIA Pres. Matthew Flanigan. CTIA Pres. Steve Largent applauded the bill, saying it will create an “effective partnership between the wireless industry and the federal government to provide the most practical means of emergency communication.”
The Senate Tues. passed 95-0 a measure authorizing a nationwide emergency alert system (EAS) to send warnings to a variety of communications devices. Once a freestanding bill, the Warn Act (S-1753), the measure was attached by Sen. DeMint (R-S.C.) to the port security bill. The wireless industry backs it as an alternative to an ongoing FCC rulemaking that would make the system mandatory.
FCC Chmn. Martin tried to reassure dubious Senate Democrats during his renomination hearing Tues. that the agency will take a fresh approach to its media ownership rulemaking. He won points for scheduling the first of 6 planned field hearings in Cal. -- a nod to Senate Commerce Committee member Boxer (D-Cal.) who has been critical of the agency’s pace in taking up the proceeding (CD Sept 12 p4).
Emergency alert legislation could be enacted as part of the port security bill moving through the Senate, key House and Senate committee staffers said Fri. at an FCBA lunch. Sen. DeMint (R-S.C.) introduced the Warning, Alert & Response Network (WARN) Act as an amendment to the port bill (HR-4954) Thurs. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Warn Act by unanimous consent Oct. 20. It establishes a network for transmitting alerts across communications including cellphones, BlackBerrys, Internet, TV, radio and satellite TV.
XM told the FCC it’s working with several U.S. agencies on emergency alerts. The FCC is weighing an order on state and local emergency alert system (EAS) matters, XM said. The satellite radio operator is helping upgrade the Presidential level EAS by providing XM receivers to U.S. primary entry points (PEPs) and state emergency operations centers, it said. XM also is working with FEMA and NOAA on the Digital Emergency Alert System-National Capital Region pilot program, officials said in an FCC ex parte meeting. Meanwhile, XM is developing a crank radio capable of receiving XM broadcasts during power outages, officials said. XM will carry national EAS messages on all its channels, and state and local alerts on its traffic and weather channels, it said.