Communications Daily

Michael Calabrese in Communications Daily | 'DTV Signals'

Articles — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:34:00 -0400

New America in the News:
The coalition "is very definitely still interested in avoiding any unjustified cannibalization of TV white space by broadcast licensees unless they can demonstrate they need to do this to continue coverage to households within their" market who could lose access to DTV signals after the analog cutoff, New America Foundation Vice President Michael Calabrese told us. "We reiterated those concerns to commissioners" Friday. LINK (subscription required)

Michael Calabrese in Communications Daily | 'Clear All TV from Spectrum for Wireless Broadband, Says New America'

Articles — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:58:00 -0400

New America in the News:
The technology is ready for smart radios to prevent interference by portable devices for wireless broadband, and in a few years a second phase of the DTV transition should get TV off the air, speakers said Tuesday at a conference held by the New America Foundation and Google at the company's headquarters.

"Take TV off the air" in a few years, said Michael Calabrese, director of the foundation's Wireless Future Program, since 2002 an advocate of opening the TV white spaces. To open all TV spectrum to wireless broadband, over- the-air broadcasts should be replaced entirely by cable, satellite and Internet viewing, he said. All channels should be available by broadband, with the government possibly subsidizing cable and satellite providers to deliver free Lifeline service, Calabrese said...

The New America Foundation is gunning for wireless broadband access in "underutilized government and even commercial bands" by promoting the use of cognitive radio to prevent interference, Michael Calabrese said. "Let smart radios operate around the dinosaurs," he said. This may call for the use of micropayments or "microauctions" for the benefit of licensees, Calabrese said. Kolodny said "the white spaces are going to be at the forefront of showing that these technologies actually work." He cited the upper 700 MHz, AWS-3, BRS, UNII and 3.5 GHz bands as other targets. One project proposes Earth Exploration Satellite Service, which would constantly switch spectrum to allow downloads, he said. LINK (subscription required)

Wireless Future Program in Communications Daily | 'Public Interest Groups Say Short Code Protections Growing in Importance'

Articles — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:31:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Public interest groups led by Public Knowledge fired back at CTIA and wireless carriers opposing their petition asking the FCC to declare that short codes and text messages come under anti-discrimination provisions of the Communications Act's Title II. The groups fear resistance could stall action on their petition and thought the time right to re-engage on the issue, said a supporter of the petition.

"Text messaging and short codes are vital forms of communications and deserve protection from discrimination imposed by wireless companies," said Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge. "We hope the Commission will act quickly to prevent discrimination against millions of text messaging consumers."

Joining Public Knowledge were Free Press, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, EDUCAUSE, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, U.S. PIRG and CREDO Mobile. They originally petitioned after Verizon Wireless refused to issue a text messaging short code to abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America (CD Jan 16 p2), then relented. Text messaging plays an "increasingly vital role" in "our society and democracy" and the issues raised are gaining relevance, the filing said, noting that carriers downplay their significance. "The wireless providers often attempt to diminish the importance of short codes by alleging that short codes are simply a means of 'advertising.'" LINK (subscription only)

New America in Communications Daily and Consumer Electronics Daily

Communications — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 02:57:00 -0400

New America in the News:

New America Foundation responds to concerns about white space technology interfering with adjacent channels that are used by broadcasters:

Using adjacent channel leakage ratio and similar measures to deal with any interference in adjacent channels will keep white spaces devices from causing harmful interference to TV broadcasts, a coalition led by the New America Foundation told the FCC. The complexity of wideband data waveforms across the CMRS, PCS and now the Advanced Wireless Services bands led to "sophisticated tools," not yet used to regulate broadcast spectrum, to handle possible interference in adjacent channels, the coalition told the agency...

For the complete article, please visit Communications Daily and Consumer Electronics Daily (subscriptions only).

New America Seeks Open Access Requirements

Communications — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:00:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Ten public interest groups told the FCC that M2Z's proposal for a nationwide, free wireless broadband network at 2.1 GHz is attractive but has too many failings to support. Instead, the groups urged the agency to examine making the spectrum available for unlicensed use or through a license but with strict conditions imposing open access requirements. Google made similar arguments in a separate filing with the agency. The comments added to a flurry of activity at the FCC on an AWS III auction, short for advanced wireless services, of 2.1 GHz spectrum. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin late last week began circulating a proposed rulemaking on rules for an auction (CD Aug 28 p1).

Time is running short. Martin believes the FCC is required to deal by Saturday with a forbearance petition filed by M2Z. Some members of the FCC are reluctant to vote on an M2Z order without a rulemaking moving the agency a step closer to an auction, industry sources say.

Harold Feld, senior vice president of the Media Access Project, one of the 10 groups, told us Tuesday the FCC should take the time need for a rulemaking notice that asks all the necessary questions. The Champaign-Urbana Wireless Network, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, Free Press, Educause, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the New America Foundation, Public Knowledge, and U.S. PIRG also signed off on the filing. "An NPRM is circulating but that's always flexible," Feld said. "If there is an NPRM, which there should be, we would like to see our issues included."

The FCC imposed an open access requirement in the rules for the 700 MHz C block - the massive regional licenses. "Many of the things here are continuing themes from the 700 MHz auction," Feld said. "Some of the benefits that M2Z promised, which looked pretty good before 700 MHz, are not as exciting now."

"Certain aspects of the M2Z Application -- such as mandatory filtering for the free tier and 'opt out' provision for the paid tier -- raise serious concerns," the groups said. The rules that M2Z seeks won't guarantee the network will be open to all devices or offer net neutrality that would "confer the full benefits of innovation and free expression to the public," the letter said. M2Z has also not committed to mandatory, nondiscriminatory wholesaling, the letter said. Still, the M2Z proposal does offer "significant benefits to the American people," the groups said.

Google said its filing marked its first comments on the M2Z plan or other proposals for the 2.1 GHz spectrum. A rulemaking should ask questions about the benefits of licensed versus unlicensed use of the band, it said. The FCC also should examine "salient technical characteristics" of the 2.1 GHz spectrum, including its potential use "to support a nationwide broadband network," Google said. The rulemaking should consider the desirability of service rules that "foster new entrant competition through 'open platforms' and other license conditions similar to those sought by Google and others in the recent 700 MHz proceeding," the company said.

For the complete story, please visit the Communications Daily web site.

Communications Daily Quotes J.H. Snider on Spectrum Licenses

Communications — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:14:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Spectrum value is lost when incumbents get the FCC to modify their licenses at no charge, said J.H. Snider, research director of New America Foundation's Wireless Future Program. To protect spectrum value, the FCC should charge for license revisions, Snider, author of a paper on spectrum "giveaway," told a Tuesday panel. Another participant estimated that the U.S. loses out on $10 billion yearly in potential fees.

Changing the parameters of a license changes the value of the spectrum involved, according Snider. An example of "free" modification is the change from site-based to geographic-based licensing and digital rights for cellular. Without such modifications, licenses now held by cellphone companies in the 800 MHz band would be worth far less, Snider said. After next year, when the FCC completes the auction of the 700 MHz band spectrum, nearly all spectrum below 3 GHz will have been assigned. This means "the name of the game going forward will be the license modification," said Snider. License changes are popular with incumbents because they "can be done quietly, under the radar," he said.

"You have to have a Ph.D. in spectrum technology to know what is going on," Snider said. Former Rep. Bob Edgar, D- Pa., president of Common Cause, agreed. People will not get excited about this issue unless they understand it, he said...

For the complete article, please visit the Communications Daily website.

Communications Daily Cites New America on FCC Letter

Communications — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:36:00 -0400

New America in the News:

A broad group of 29 executives at high-tech companies and public interest groups sent all members of Congress a letter asking for their support in opening broadcast "white spaces" for use in offering wireless broadband. Signers included companies like Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Intel, and public interest groups from the New America Foundation to the Consumer Federation of America. Supporters said they wanted to make clear to Congress before their upcoming recess the extent of support for opening white spaces.

"A number of people outside the white spaces coalition are supportive of this issue and wanted to assist in helping to raise awareness and keep the process moving forward," one official said: "Since congress will be going on recess for the July 4th holiday in a week, we wanted to get this out." A 2nd source said that with the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology testing devices designed to operate in the band, supporters want to keep pressure on the FCC to act as soon as OET's work is complete.

"Properly regulated unlicensed use will cause no harmful interference to incumbent licensed services," the letter said. "Your support will promote greater broadband connectivity and foster the development of innovative new wireless devices and technologies for all Americans." The letter argues that across the U.S. there is substantial broadcast spectrum that is going unused...

For the complete article, please visit the Communications Daily website.

Communications Daily Highlights New America's Letter to FCC Chairman

Communications — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:33:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Consumer groups endorsed CEA's 2-way plug-and-play proposal over cable's, asking FCC Chmn. Martin to open a rulemaking to solicit comments on the proposal, as he's expected to do (CD June 11 p1). The letter, sent by Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press, Knowledge Ecology International, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Public Knowledge and U.S. Public Interest Research Group, is an early salvo in an emerging battle over who controls how cable users access programming: consumer electronics makers or cable operators. The consumer groups also want more of a say in the ongoing 2-way plug-and-play negotiations.

The signatories to the letter fear cable operators' plans for separable security in set-top boxes and digital cable-ready TV sets will exclude 3rd-party vendors from accessing interactive programming like VoD, they said. "Consumers who use third-party CableCARD devices rather than proprietary set-top boxes may be penalized and not able to use the full range of services they subscribe to," the letter said. And cable, by artificial means, is linking its OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) to rollout of CableCARD's successor technology -- downloadable conditional access (DCAS), they said: "OCAP gives control of the look and feel of a device over to the cable operator. By limiting a hardware manufacturer's ability to innovate and differentiate its products, OCAP reduces choice and competition in the marketplace..."

For the complete article, please visit the Communications Daily website.

Communications Daily Quotes Michael Calabrese on FCC Auction

Communications — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:03:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Net neutrality advocates are pressing the FCC to adopt "openness" principles in rules for the 700 MHz auction, in addition to urging that the agency require auction winners to adopt net neutrality principles. Net neutrality supporters sent the FCC nearly 250,000 letters on open access Mon., following up previous filings urging buildout requirements and limits on incumbents' participation in the auction. The campaign urges the FCC to require all licensees to carry Internet and voice traffic without degradation and allow consumers to use any equipment that doesn't cause interference.

Without FCC action, the "consequences to the Internet, and to consumers, could be disastrous," said a filing by the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC), which includes 8 groups that lobbied for net neutrality legislation last Congress. "I think there is more interest" in considering rules that would require wholesale open access, said Michael Calabrese, vp-New America Foundation, a coalition member. Frontline endorsed the idea in its filing -- so at least one business believes the idea wouldn't hurt it competitively, he said, though it would be difficult to include net neutrality rules in the auction regulations, which the FCC hopes to issue by July, he acknowledged...

For the complete article, please visit the Communications Daily website.

Communications Daily Covers New America's Spectrum Auction Event

Communications — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:54:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Potential bidders and public interest groups urged the FCC Fri. to keep bidders' identities anonymous in the upcoming 700 MHz auction. By maintaining anonymity, bidders wouldn't be able to signal or use blocking techniques to exclude new entrants from participating in the auction, panelists at a New America Foundation lunch said. The process would help yield a better return to the public for auction of the public licenses.

"Anonymous bidding is the best route," said Greg Rose, economist with the U. of Tex. who has studied the issue for the Media Access Project. It would avoid the prospect of "retaliatory bidding," when bidders act to put pressure on other bidders to sway prices or back out of the auction, he said. The result is that incumbents end up staying in the game, while new entrants don't get a good chance to enter the market. It amounts to a type of "collusive behavior," he said.

Rose released a study saying incumbents manipulated FCC rules to block broadband competition in the FCC's 2006 advanced wireless services auction. He used the study as the basis for his opinion that anonymous bidding is the only auction rule that can prevent collusion by incumbents and other bidders. FCC auction rules were "manipulated to exclude new entrants... from obtaining spectrum in favor in incumbent cable companies, wireless operators and telephone companies which feared the competition those new entrants represented," the study said...

For the complete article, please visit the Communications Daily website.

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