The FCC fined Straight Path $100 million for failing to deploy wireless services as required by its FCC spectrum licenses. Straight Path will pay a $100 million civil penalty, surrender 196 licenses in the 39 GHz spectrum band, and sell its remaining licenses while remitting 20% of proceeds to the FCC. The FCC expects companies receiving spectrum licenses to put them to productive use in a timely manner.
La lettre que le sénateur de Louisiane, John Kennedy, a envoyé à la FCC pour dire son opposition au projet de la C-Band Alliance, créée par Intelsat et Eutelsat
Hold The Phone: Assessing the Rights of Wireless Handset Owners and the Network Neutrality Obligations of Carriers, presented at Carterfone and Open Access in the Digital Era
High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara Law School, October 17, 2008
La lettre que le sénateur de Louisiane, John Kennedy, a envoyé à la FCC pour dire son opposition au projet de la C-Band Alliance, créée par Intelsat et Eutelsat
Hold The Phone: Assessing the Rights of Wireless Handset Owners and the Network Neutrality Obligations of Carriers, presented at Carterfone and Open Access in the Digital Era
High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara Law School, October 17, 2008
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) presentation to ICASA on 8 May ...Michael Markovitz
The SABC made a presentation to the ICASA inquiry into competition in the South African Pay TV market. The SABC argued for the amendment of a range of anti-competitive regulations that threatened the viability of the public broadcaster, including Must Carry and Sports Rights regulations and the failed advertising cap for pay tv operators
Neither Fish Nor Fowl: New Strategies for Selective Regulation of Information Services, presented at 35th Annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference
George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia September 28-30, 2007
At the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., we presented “Telecommunications 2016: The Challenges Facing Local Government and its Counsel.”
An overview of the potential effects of the Federal Government of Nigeria's declaration on customer eligibility in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The AGCOM launched a public consultation on the scheme of the new regulation for the allocation of available digital terrestrial television frequencies.
On July 14, 2014, the decree by virtue of which the Federal Law on Telecommunications and Broadcasting, and the Law of the Public System of Mexican Broadcasting, as well as other amendments, supplements and repeals to other related telecommunications and broadcasting legal provisions were enacted, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. The Decree became effective 3on August 13, 2014.
The C-Band Alliance (CBA) proposal to clear 200 MHz (inclusive of a 20 MHz guard band) of C-band spectrum within 18-36 months of a final FCC order remains the fastest, most efficient way to transition a substantial amount of mid-band spectrum to terrestrial 5G mobile service
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) presentation to ICASA on 8 May ...Michael Markovitz
The SABC made a presentation to the ICASA inquiry into competition in the South African Pay TV market. The SABC argued for the amendment of a range of anti-competitive regulations that threatened the viability of the public broadcaster, including Must Carry and Sports Rights regulations and the failed advertising cap for pay tv operators
Neither Fish Nor Fowl: New Strategies for Selective Regulation of Information Services, presented at 35th Annual Telecommunications Policy Research Conference
George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia September 28-30, 2007
At the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s annual Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., we presented “Telecommunications 2016: The Challenges Facing Local Government and its Counsel.”
An overview of the potential effects of the Federal Government of Nigeria's declaration on customer eligibility in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
The AGCOM launched a public consultation on the scheme of the new regulation for the allocation of available digital terrestrial television frequencies.
On July 14, 2014, the decree by virtue of which the Federal Law on Telecommunications and Broadcasting, and the Law of the Public System of Mexican Broadcasting, as well as other amendments, supplements and repeals to other related telecommunications and broadcasting legal provisions were enacted, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation. The Decree became effective 3on August 13, 2014.
The C-Band Alliance (CBA) proposal to clear 200 MHz (inclusive of a 20 MHz guard band) of C-band spectrum within 18-36 months of a final FCC order remains the fastest, most efficient way to transition a substantial amount of mid-band spectrum to terrestrial 5G mobile service
Fcc narrow banding mandate for two way radios - by bearcomjames Anderson
Bearcom provides a whitepaper which discusses about the FCC deadlines and suggests options to help users efficiently and effectively handle the migration process.
The Proposed Merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable In Febr.pdfaarushfootwear
The Proposed Merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable In February 2014, Comcast and Time
Warner announced their intention to mergea deal worth about $45 billion. The merger would form
the largest cable TV and Internet provider in the United States and enable the company to control
27 of the top 30 markets in the United States, and three-fourths of the overall cable market. The
merger first had to be approved, however, by the Department of Justice (to assess antitrust
concerns) and the Federal Communications Commission (the FCC, which evaluates media deals
to assess their influence on the public interest). Comcast and Time-Warner argued that the deal
would not significantly influence competition in the cable industry because the companies
operated in nonoverlapping geographic markets, so customers would not be losing an option for
getting cable service. They also argued that the merger would enable the companies to make
investments that would provide customers with faster broadband, greater network reliability and
security, better in-home Wi-Fi, and greater Video on Demand choices. As argued by David Cohen,
Comcasts executive vice president, in front of a Senate panel: I can make you and the members
of this committee one absolute commitment, which is that there is nothing in this transaction that
will cause anybodys cable bills to go up. Opponents of the merger, however, argued that the size
and scale of the merged company would make the company dangerously powerful (particularly
given that Comcast had recently acquired NBC Universal). Whereas the merger might not change
the cable options available for end consumers, it definitely would change the options available for
content providers such as Disney and Viacom, or on-demand programming providers such as
Netflix, Cinema Now, Hulu, and others. The merged companys overwhelming bargaining power
over suppliers could also create cost advantages other TV or Internet providers might be unable to
match, thereby enabling it to squeeze competitors out of the market. For example, satellite
operator Dish Network argued that the combined company would be able to use its size to force
providers of content to lower their prices, and that companies such as Dish Network would be at a
competitive disadvantage. Dish also argued that the merged company might undermine video
services such as Netflix or Cinema Now by altering streaming speeds either at the last mile of the
Internet (where it is delivered into peoples homes) or at interconnection points between Internet
providers. Netflix noted that Comcast had already required the Netflix to pay terminating access
fees to ensure that customers did not get a downgraded signal. If the cable companies
downgraded the signal for on-demand providers, customers would abandon services like Netflix
and turn to on-demand options the cable operators themselves were providing. Senator Al
Franken pointed out that when Comcast had acquired NBC Universal in 2010, it had defended .
Brian T. Grogan PowerPoint presentation at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATAO) 2014 Annual Conference on October 1, 2014
1. Media Contact:
Will Wiquist, (202) 418-0509
will.wiquist@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
FCC FINES STRAIGHT PATH $100 MILLION TO SETTLE
INVESTIGATION FOR FAILURE TO DEPLOY WIRELESS SERVICE
Straight Path to Sell or Surrender All Its 5G Licenses
--
WASHINGTON, January 12, 2017 – The FederalCommunications Commission’s
Enforcement Bureau today announced a settlement valued in excess of $100 million with
Straight Path Communications to resolve an investigation of Straight Path’s failure to deploy
wireless services as required under its FCC spectrum licenses.
The Enforcement Bureau investigated allegations that Straight Path violated the Commission’s
buildout and discontinuance rules in connection with approximately 1,000 licenses in the 39
GHz and Local Multipoint Distribution Service GHz spectrum bands. These high frequency
bands have been identified by the Commission as extremely valuable for use in the next
generation evolution of wireless technology or “5G.” To settle this matter, Straight Path will
pay to the United States Treasury a $100 million civil penalty, surrender to the Commission
196 of its licenses in the 39 GHz spectrum band, sell the remainder of its license portfolio, and
remit twenty percent (20 percent) of the proceeds of that sale to the Treasury as an additional
civil penalty.
“Squatting on spectrum licenses without any meaningful effort to put them to good use in a
timely manner is fundamentally inconsistent with the public good,” said Travis LeBlanc, Chief
of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau. “Wireless spectrum is a scarce public resource. We expect
every person or company that receives a spectrum license to put it to productive use.”
In November 2015, a pseudonymous source (“Sinclair Upton”) published a report alleging that
Straight Path obtained renewalof its 39 GHz band licenses from the FCC by submitting filings
incorrectly claiming that they had constructed systems that in fact were never built. The FCC
requires license holders to use this licensed spectrum and verify that use in “substantial
service” filings to the Commission. In July 2016, an internal investigation by Straight Path
concluded that equipment had been deployed only for a short period of time at the original
transmitter locations, and that no equipment was present at the time of this investigation at the
majority of the relevant locations.
To resolve the investigation, Straight Path will pay two civil penalties and surrender
approximately 20 percent of its 5G licenses to the FCC. For the $100 million civil penalty,
Straight Path will pay $15 million upfront with $85 million suspended unless Straight Path
sells all its remaining licenses or surrenders them to the FCC within 12 months. Twenty
2. percent (20 percent) of any sale proceeds will also be paid to the Treasury as an additional civil
penalty.
The Commission has established construction and discontinuance requirements, including
licensing rules, to promote the productive use of spectrum, to encourage licensees to provide
service to customers in a timely manner, and to promote the provision of innovative services.
As has been the case since its establishment as the Federal Radio Commission, one of the core
missions of the FederalCommunications Commission is to ensure productive and beneficial
use of wireless spectrum. Thus, license holders are required to ensure that they utilize
spectrum for which they were awarded a license in ways that adhere to the commitments made
to the Commission.
The settlement, formally known as a Consent Decree,is available at:
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-17-40A1.pdf
###
Office of Media Relations: (202) 418-0500
TTY: (888) 835-5322
Twitter: @FCC
www.fcc.gov/office-media-relations
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).