FCC

Cable Wants To Be in FCC’s VoIP Ruling

By: By Ted Hearn Nov 1 2004 - 1:00am

Bad Idea to Benefit Vonage: Operators

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Bells Gain More Fiber Relief from FCC

By: By Ted Hearn Oct 25 2004 - 7:19am

The Baby Bells gained additional deregulation for fiber deployments in a decision by the Federal Communications Commission late Friday that represents another step in establishing broadband parity between the phone giants and cable operators.

In the ruling, the FCC decided to take recent decisions to deregulate Bells’ fiber deployments to the home and curb and extend them to unbundling requirements found in telecommunications-law provisions that govern Bell entry into the long-distance market.

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Groups Press FCC for TV-Station Rules

By: By Ted Hearn Apr 13 2004 - 1:40pm

The Federal Communications Commission should withhold new regulatory benefits for broadcasters until TV stations promise to air more public-interest programming, according to a coalition of consumer groups and political activists.

In a statement Tuesday, the coalition argued that any effort by the FCC to expand cable-system carriage obligations for TV stations should come after the agency has adopted specific measures that TV stations would need to follow to keep their licenses.

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FCC: Broadband Adoption Surging in U.S.

By: By Ted Hearn Sep 9 2004 - 10:55am

Subscribership to high-speed-data service in the United States nearly tripled from June 2001-December 2003, the Federal Communications Commission said a report released Thursday.

The agency -- which regulates many wireless and wireline providers of high-speed data to homes and businesses -- said U.S. broadband penetration jumped from 9.6 million in June 2001 to 28.2 million in December 2003.

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Senate Forcing FCC on Multicasting

By: By Ted Hearn Sep 30 2004 - 9:54am

A bill expected to clear the Senate in a few days includes a provision that would require the Federal Communications Commission to quickly resolve a long-standing dispute between the cable and broadcasting industries.

The issue -- contained in an amendment adopted unanimously Wednesday -- would force the FCC to decide whether cable companies need to carry every programming service that a digital-TV station can pack into its signals.

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FCC Vet Mago Heads to NAB

By: By Ted Hearn Aug 31 2004 - 8:50am

Federal Communications Commission veteran Jane Mago has been hired by the National Association of Broadcasters as general counsel. She will replace Jack Goodman, who is leaving the NAB for an undisclosed position.

Mago, who started at the FCC in 1978, has held numerous high positions at the agency, most recently as chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis.

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FCC Postpones a la Carte Comments

By: By Ted Hearn Jul 2 2004 - 12:07pm

Cable lawyers, enjoy the July 4 holiday.

Acting on a request from the cable industry, the Federal Communications Commission Friday extended the deadline to file comments in its cable a la carte programming proceeding.

The first round of comments are now due July 15 and the second round July 30. Originally, the first round was due July 8 -- a deadline that troubled cable lawyers who thought they had to work over the three-day weekend.

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FCC's Ferree Favors a la Carte

By: By Ted Hearn May 4 2004 - 7:17am

New Orleans -- Cox Communications Inc. Washington, D.C., lobbyist Sandy Wilson asked Kenneth Ferree of the Federal Communications Commission a simple question. "OK, Ken," she began, "what do you think of a la carte?"

To the astonishment of many in the audience at the National Show here, Ferree, chief of the FCC's Media Bureau, revealed that he supports a la carte choices for cable customers.

"I am a fan of a la carte. I'll be an unabashed fan of a la carte," he said.

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FCC: All-Digital WMCN Can't Gain DBS Carriage

By: By Ted Hearn Mar 10 2004 - 8:31am

WMCN in Atlantic City, N.J., is paying a price for being the first full-power commercial-TV station in the country to transition to all-digital broadcasting: It can't demand mandatory carriage from direct-broadcast satellite.

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission are demanding that TV stations rush to digital and give back their analog licenses. But complying with those directives just cost WMCN access to DBS subscribers in the Philadelphia market.

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FCC Approves DirecTV’s Bird Move

By: By Multi Channel News Staff Aug 13 2004 - 12:29pm

The Federal Communications Commission Friday approved DirecTV Inc.’s request to move its “DirecTV 5” satellite into an orbital slot controlled by Telesat Canada.

Moving the bird to the 72.5 degrees west longitude location will allow DirecTV to expand its local-into-local channel service to an additional 24 markets, bringing its total to 130, covering 92% of TV households in the United States, the direct-broadcast satellite provider said.

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