The Commission's new USF game plan involves the likely dedication of hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize broadband. Precisely how the Commission justifies its proposed approach may raise some eyebrows.… Continue Reading
Another bill that would authorize the sharing of spectrum auction proceeds has popped up in Congress. The latest clearly has legs, since its primary sponsor is none other than the Chair of the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation.… Continue Reading
A new bill in the House would give the FCC the authority to share spectrum auction proceeds with licensees willing to give up their spectrum. But unlike the Senate bill we reported on last month, the House bill does not include a spectrum fee provision.… Continue Reading
A new bill opens the door for (a) the sharing of spectrum auction proceeds - an ominous harbinger of broadband-induced spectrum repurposing - and (b) even more ominously, the specter of annual spectrum fees.… Continue Reading
Maybe, after long enough on the phone answering silly questions, people start giving the interviewer random answers out of sheer boredom.… Continue Reading
The Commission has telegraphed how it plans to address broadband Internet regulation in light of Comcast -- but it didn't do so by an official order. Instead, it used a flurry of battling press releases.… Continue Reading
The seismic wave from Comcast and its aftershocks could reach well beyond the obvious targets. Local TV broadcasters, in particular, might want to pay attention to how Comcast might play out in their corner of the regulatory universe.… Continue Reading
The change in the "home roaming" rule adopted earlier this month, and the invitation for further comments on possible changes to the rules governing data roaming, have been published in the Federal Register. That establishes the effective date for the adopted change and the deadlines for comments.… Continue Reading
Net neutrality enforcement authority will be assigned eventually. Like a handful of chips thrown into the air on a casino floor, no part of government's power will be left un-gathered and unused. The only question left is who will pick them up.… Continue Reading
The FCC has slightly modified its automatic roaming rules while temporizing on the question of whether to extend automatic roaming privileges to data services.… Continue Reading
In an impressive display of regulatory shock and awe, the FCC has put a substantial dent in its NBP to-do list by launching six separate proceedings.… Continue Reading
The FCC has released its tentative schedule for implementing the National Broadband Plan -- at least those elements of the NBP that (a) fall under its jurisdiction and (b) have been slated for some kind of action in 2010.… Continue Reading
The elaborate broadband infrastructure the FCC envisions in its National Broadband Plan could also be harnessed with innovative technology to enhance energy efficiency and safe transportation. Hence, the "Smart Grid".… Continue Reading
The National Broadband Plan recognizes that improved broadband will require significant changes to certain critical "behind the scenes" elements of the broadband "ecosystem". While short on details, the NBP suggests a return to regulatory schemes that are troublesome and cumbersome and that haven't worked in the past.… Continue Reading
CommLawBlog announces a series of posts addressing various thematic elements of the National Broadband Plan with a view toward assessing where there may be risks and opportunities for the constituencies involved.… Continue Reading
Achieving the nationwide availability and use of electronically gathered, exchanged, and archived medical information envisioned in the National Broadband Plan will require a vast, coordinated effort on the part of many different players.… Continue Reading
Concerns about on-line privacy could be a significant barrier to adoption and utilization of on-line systems. The National Broadband Plan includes recommendations on how to create an on-line environment which will provide more consumer protections . . . but those recommendations place a hefty emphasis on the need to encourage commercial entities to provide customized services.… Continue Reading
One of the problems which has long vexed the FCC is how to adapt the Universal Service Fund and Inter-Carrier Compensation regime to the world of the internet. The advent of broadband provides an opportunity to break the logjam in the context of a migration to all-digital, all-IP networks.… Continue Reading
