Tag: White Space

Public Knowledge Hails FCC Order on Wireless Microphones

Art Brodsky — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:19:20 -0500

For Immediate Release:

January 15, 2010

Background: Acting on a petition filed by the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition, the FCC today issued an order banning the use of wireless microphones in the 700 MHz band. The order is here.

The following statement is attributed to Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge:

“We thank the Commission for granting our Petition in a way that allows for rapid deployment of new wireless technologies while protecting consumers who bought wireless microphones in good faith. We are particularly pleased that the Commission will implement new signage requirements to curtail the previous deceptive advertising practices by wireless microphone manufacturers.

A Pragmatic, Sustainable Federal Spectrum Policy -- Part I

Harold Feld — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:57:27 -0500

Everyone involved in the National Broadband Plan (with the possible exception of broadcasters) says we need more spectrum. Everyone from Chairman Genachowski to the Department of Justice and the NTIA all agree we need “more spectrum“ to meet increasing demand and avoid a “spectrum crisis.”

As Gigi pointed out at the FCC workshop last October, this should sound familiar to anyone who has listened to our national debate on the “energy crisis.” And, like the energy crisis, we need a long-term sustainable strategy.

The Media Bureau v. The National Broadband Plan

Harold Feld — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:59:09 -0500

At the December 16 Commission meeting, the folks working on the National Broadband Plan made a further presentation/sneak preview/trial balloon on what to expect when they publish the plan on February 17 (God willin’ and the crick don’ rise). While we at Public Knowledge criticized the plan for failing to have the courage of its convictions and the evidence by taking a pass (so far at least) on promoting structural separation, that does not make the plan worthless.

White Spaces Lurches Forward; FCC Releases Public Notice Soliciting Database Manager Proposals.

Harold Feld — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:08 -0500

Over a year ago, the FCC took a major leap forward on deployment of broadband and rethinking our national spectrum policy by voting to open the unused broadcast channels for unlicensed use (aka the “broadcast white spaces”)(you can find more on our issue page here). The Order left a bunch of questions unanswered, such as who would run the proposed database of available frequencies for white space use — an issue the Order said would be addressed in a future public notice. Petitions for Recon got filed, lots of requests for revision and modification of the rules got made, and then nothing happened.

In fairness to OET, it’s been a busy year. First there was the change in Administration, then it was “DTV transition all the time” until the magic June 12 deadline. Then it was bringing on a new FCC Chair and two additional new Commissioners.

Public Knowledge Commends FCC On White Spaces Order

Art Brodsky — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:32:37 -0500

For Immediate Release:

November 25, 2009

The following statement is attributed to Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge:

“We are very pleased that the FCC has moved ahead to implement its order from last year allowing broadband service to be offered in the so-called ‘white spaces’ between digital TV channels.

“Selecting an administrator for the white spaces database is a crucial step toward bringing consumers another choice in a restrictive broadband marketplace. We expect that use of the white spaces spectrum will foster innovation and create jobs as new devices and services become available.”

Note: The FCC order is here.

Fun From San Diego: I Take A Pass At CTIA's Discussion Questions

Harold Feld — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:51:00 -0400

Gigi is out in San Diego today making a whirlwind appearance on spectrum. In addition to stopping by the FCC’s workshop on mobile broadband and mobile applications (and delivering this amazing testimony here), Gigi is stopping by the International CTIA Wireless Conference to do a panel. As is often the case with these panels, they had some discussion questions to focus the group on the key issues and guide the conversation. While I expect Gigi will blog later about what actually happened, the discussion questions I saw looked pretty good to me. So I thought “hey, why not give my answers and show everyone why CTIA never invites me to speak at their conferences.”

So here goes.

Why Washington Needs To Hear From More Venture Capitalists (and pay less attention to Wall St. Analysts) on Telecom.

Harold Feld — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:10:28 -0400

The August 19 Wall St. J. contains an op-ed from former hedge fund manager Andy Kessler that at first blush looks like someone here at PK might have written it. Kessler starts with Apple blocking the Google voice ap, and runs through the way spectrum auctions re-enforce industry structure and lock in a tight oligopoly that damps innovation and allows those companies that actually have a pipe to charge ridiculous prices for services such as text. He notes that because mobile services are critical to our economic growth that this holds back economic development, and observes that it massively overcharges consumers.

5 Minutes With Harold Feld: "The Prison Problem: Cell Phone Jamming and Shrimp Scampi"

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:39:38 -0400

Channel

5 Minutes with Harold Feld

Click thumbnail above for video

Tomorrow, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the topic of cell phone jamming technologies. Specifically, the Committee will address the issue of whether the government should allow correctional facilities to utilize such technologies to combat the problem of mobile phone use in prisons. In the latest episode of “5 Minutes With Harold Feld,” Harold explores whether such technologies are a viable solution to the problem and asks if the unintended consequences of their use might outweigh the benefits.

FCC Reform the Star of Confirmation Hearing

Gigi Sohn — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:17:11 -0400

As confirmation hearings go, today’s hearing on the nomination of Julius Genachowski to be the new Chair of the FCC and current Commissioner Robert McDowell to be renominated for a second term could only be called a lovefest. And why not? Both are among the most qualified individuals ever to have been nominated to serve the agency. Perhaps the most controversial exchange was the debate over how to pronounce the Chairman-to-be’s last name (for the record, it’s pronounced Gen-a-kow-ski, not chow-ski).

Genachowski sounded all the right notes - telling the story of how his father, an engineer, showed him his plans for turning text into signals so to help blind people to “read” words on paper.

5 Minutes With Harold Feld: The National Broadband Plan

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:11:19 -0400

Today, I'm happy to announce that we're launching a new video series here at Public Knowledge: "5 Minutes With Harold Feld". As you may recall, Harold joined our staff back in March and has since taken the helm as our Legal Director. Harold brings with him years of experience in the media reform space, not to mention a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of Congress, the FCC and the courts. In this series, he'll be explaining complicated topics concisely, in layperson's terms.

In our first episode, Harold tackles the National Broadband Plan. As part of the Stimulus Act, Congress authorized the FCC to develop a plan for bringing fast, affordable broadband Internet access to all Americans. Harold explains the significance of the plan and details Public Knowledge's suggestions to the FCC regarding the National Broadband Plan (a full-text PDF of our comments, as filed with the FCC, can be found here). Take it away, Harold: