Canadian Minister of Industry Brian Tobin planned auction of additional PCS spectrum Jan. 15. Qualified bidders reportedly include arm of Sprint PCS Canada Holdings, Bell Mobility subsidiary of BCE, Microcell, Rogers Wireless, Telus, Thunder Bay Telephone.
Terawave Communications announced $73 million infusion from investors. Two-year old fiber network access equipment supplier, based in Hayward, Cal., said it now was funded at $133 million.
Use of wireless Web portals is projected to grow to 350 million mobile customers in 2005 from current 4 million, research firm Strategy Analytics said. It said revenue from wireless portals would be determined by ad sales and mobile commerce transactions.
Citing weakness in fixed wireless industry, equipment manufacturers Adaptive Broadband and Western Multiplex called off planned merger Thurs. “From a stock market point of view, fixed wireless specifically and telecommunications stocks in general, have really taken a beating, making it very difficult to put a monetary valuation on this transaction at this time,” said Adaptive Broadband Pres. Daniel Scharre. Adaptive recently lowered revenue forecast for quarter ended Dec. 31 to $8 million from $31 million. Company said it was “evaluating its financial model” for fiscal 2001, “especially the potential impact of customer issues” involving CLECs, which are its main U.S. market.
Communications Daily observes the Martin Luther King holiday this Monday, Jan. 15. Our next issue will appear on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
EchoStar said it would raise rates for 2 of its top packages. Monthly fee for America’s Top 50 increased 10% to $21.99 and America’s Top 100 package $1 to $30.99. Rate for premium America’s Top 150 package will be unchanged. Company said it had to raise rates because some channels had increased prices up to 40%. New rates become effective Feb. 1.
Since 9th U.S. Appeals Court, San Francisco, ruling classifying cable modem service as telecom service are “nonbinding dicta,” FCC is free to embrace Cox’s position that it’s pure information service devoid of telecom service component, Cox told Commission in reply comments in open access inquiry. Explaining recent decision to stop paying franchise fees on cable modem service to local govts. in 9th Circuit jurisdiction, Cox said court decision meant it had no choice but to suspend payment and collection of fees pending further clarification of issue by FCC. Recognizing its decision would have adverse financial impact on some local franchise authorities, company said it was in discussion with local govts. “in hopes of reaching a mutually satisfactory resolution.” Referring to criticism by National Assn. of Telecom Officers & Advisers (NATOA) that Cox was refusing to pay franchise fees mandated under Title 6 after declining to contribute to universal service fund and failing to secure necessary state or local certificates required under Sec. 253, company said it continued to pay cable franchise fees on all services that had been deemed Title 6 cable services. It would have continued to pay franchise fees on cable modem services in 9th Circuit jurisdiction states but for Portland decision, Cox said, pointing out it was paying such fees in other states. As for USTA’s charge that Cox hadn’t shown any intent to make payments to universal service fund despite concluding data service was telecom service, company said its telephone subsidiaries in 9th Circuit states paid “significant portion” of revenues into state and federal universal funds. “Far from ‘reasoning’ that its cable services are telecommunications services, as USTA claims,” Cox has “vigorously” and “repeatedly” disputed such suggestion, company said, and not until FCC determines that cable Internet service should be subject to Title 2 common carrier requirements can Cox comply with them.
NTIA announced that $42.5 million was available this year for grants to govts., educational institutions and nonprofit groups for programs to expand advanced services to underserved areas. Funding for Technology Opportunities Program is up from $12.5 million available in 2000. NTIA will hold regional workshops to explain how to apply for funding: Feb. 2 in Washington, Feb. 6 in Denver, Feb. 8 in St. Louis -- www.ntia.doc.gov or 202-482-2048.
Small Business in Telecommunications (SBT) told 3-judge panel of U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., Thurs., that many small businesses chose not to participate in 1997 800 MHz specialized radio auctions because of financial uncertainty and because FCC definition of small business was unclear at time of auction. However, when questioned by judges, SBT counsel Robert Schwaninger was unable to name single entity that claimed to have suffered from what SBT termed “uncertainty.” SBT was defending petition for review it filed on 2 FCC orders rejecting company’s petitions for reconsideration of its 800 MHz lower channel report and order and its upper channel report and order. Court said it had no jurisdiction on upper channel appeal since it wasn’t mentioned in SBT’s petition for review. Lower channel appeal dealt chiefly with issue of Small Business Administration approval of small business definition. Judge David Tatel questioned SBT attorney repeatedly, trying to establish, among other things, where in SBT pleadings certain claims made in its petition for review could to be found. All 3 judges said they were unable to find several assertions in SBT’s petition in proceeding’s earlier record.
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) counsel David Sobel said location technology for wireless phones has “issues that need to be addressed soon.” Sobel said there “is very spotty legislation” in this area. Most important is question of legal standards required for law enforcement to gain access to location information, he said.