ITV

Tag: Federal Communications Commission

  • AT&T DirecTV’s satellite woes

    AT&T DirecTV’s satellite woes

    MUMBAI: What happens when a DTH satellite turns rogue?

    Well, it has to be sent to the graveyard or junk orbit, which is 300 km above the geostationary orbit (35,786 km above the earth). That’s exactly what the AT&T-owned direct to home service provider DirecTV is dealing with. One of its satellites Spaceway-1 – located at 138.4 degrees west and built by Boeing –  has developed a malfunction in its batteries, which has put it in danger of exploding.

    The Boeing 702HP model spacecraft was functional from 2005 and had been providing high-definition TV services to US subscribers of DirecTV. It was later demoted to the status of a backup satellite. (Normally communications satellite have a life span of 14-16 years.)

    AT&T has now written to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking permission to allow it along with Boeing and Intelsat to deorbit and decommission the satellite between now and 25 February when the satellite would go into earth’s shadow or eclipse.

    It has told the FCC  that “Spaceway-1 suffered a major anomaly in December that resulted in significant thermal damage to its batteries.”

    The harm to the batteries is  grievous enough  to not support the pressure that would come on them were they to be switched on during the eclipse phase (the period when it enters the earth’s shadow and does not receive sunlight to charge its solar panels; currently the satellite is in the sunlight phase). However, AT&T confesses it cannot avoid switching on the batteries when it enters the eclipse phase as the satellite will not have enough power to be totally deorbited and decommissioned then. And if they are turned on there is a possibility of an explosion, which could possibly damage other satellites in the vicinity.

    AT&T has also informed the FCC that just raising the satellite to the graveyard orbit will take 21 days leaving it with just 7 days to vent out 73 kg of its propellant fuel which is nigh impossible. (For a satellite to be decommissioned it needs to discharge its fuel and normally, it takes two to three months for the task when the spacecraft reaches the end of its life.) Within the time period available to Spaceway-1 only a nominal portion of the fuel will have been removed. Hence, it has sought the FCC’s permission to waive off the complete propellant fuel venting requirement. “Authorising DirectTV’s emergency de-orbit operations will facilitate disposal of Spaceway-1 as safely as possible,” AT&T has pleaded.

    Obviously, AT&T and DirecTV are racing against a deadline. And the clock is ticking away. Hopefully, the Spaceway-1 will find its way to its final resting place in time.

  • B’band deployment & investment barriers: FCC to develop state and civic govt codes

    MUMBAI:  United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Varadaraj Pai has delivered his ideas at the first meeting of the commission’s broadband deployment advisory committee.

    “Last September, at a startup accelerator in Cincinnati, I outlined my Digital Empowerment Agenda, a non-partisan blueprint for communications policy.  At the core of this agenda was my conviction that every American who wants high-speed Internet access should be able to get it.  I suggested several concrete proposals for achieving that goal—for promoting broadband deployment across the country and closing the digital divide.  One proposal was for the FCC to create a Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee — a panel of experts that could advise us on these issues.  How marvelous it is to see this idea put into practice starting this morning!  And it is quite fitting that this first meeting is taking place during Infrastructure Month here at the Commission.”

    “Deploying broadband is hard, expensive, and time-consuming work, whether you’re trenching fiber, attaching equipment to poles, or setting up a gateway earth station.  Red tape shouldn’t make those tasks even harder.  To me, it’s pretty simple: With rules that make it easier to deploy broadband, we will see more broadband deployed.  And in turn, we can empower millions of Americans with digital opportunity,” Pai said.

    “Now, when we issued a call for nominations to serve on the BDAC back in January, I was expecting a few dozen applications.  I couldn’t be more thrilled at how wrong my prediction was. Over 380 individuals applied.  There were nominees from organisations large and small, representing industry, government, and consumer and community organizations.  From this diverse and highly impressive pool of applicants we invited 29 to serve on this new committee.”

    “You are innovators and leaders in the effort to bring broadband and next-generation networks to all parts of our nation.  Your work connects rural and urban areas alike, links people across land, air, and sea, and turns today’s dreams into tomorrow’s realities.”

    “As members of the BDAC, your mission is to give the FCC recommendations on ways to spur broadband deployment and reduce barriers to investment.  One important part of this work, which I previewed last fall, is to develop model codes for state and municipal governments that want to encourage deployment and competitive entry in their jurisdictions.”

    “In fact, the BDAC is being asked to develop two model codes — one for municipalities and another for states.  In developing each, the goal should be guidelines that are forward-looking and fair, and that balance legitimate interests of state and local governments with the ever-growing demands of the American public for better, faster, and cheaper broadband.  I look forward to seeing how you approach this challenge.”

    “The BDAC will also be asked to make recommendations on how to promote competitive access to broadband infrastructure, including utility poles.  New concepts, such as “one-touch make-ready” and “right-touch make-ready,” have great potential to streamline the pole attachment process. The BDAC could help identify solutions for easing access that preserve public safety and advance the interests of pole owners and (would-be) users.”

    “Another key issue is speeding up broadband deployment on Federal lands.  Right now, it takes about twice as long to site infrastructure on Federal lands as it does on privately held land.  Shortening that timeline could help prove the business case for deployment in areas where it might not otherwise exist.  Here, BDAC recommendations could have a major impact on closing the digital divide, especially for rural and Tribal residents who live on or near Federal lands.”

    “The thicket of issues I’ve identified makes one thing clear: the BDAC has a lot of work ahead of it.  But I’m certain that this distinguished group is more than up to the task.  And in the coming weeks, I expect to appoint more qualified nominees to round out the working groups, lending further support to the cause.”

    Also Read: TRAI & FCC sign LoI on accelerating broadband deployment & aligning spectrum policy

  • Small US broadband businesses relieved from needless regulation, piracy protection mooted

    MUMBAI: A government decision in the U.S. reminiscent of India’s so-called one-window clearance policy has made life easier for small businesses. The Federal Communications Commission (U.S.) has relieved thousands of smaller broadband providers from onerous reporting obligations stemming from the 2015 Title II Order, freeing them to devote more resources to operating, improving and building out their networks.

    An Order adopted by the Commission finds that providers with 250,000 or fewer broadband connections would be disproportionately impacted if required to comply immediately with the 2015 enhanced reporting requirements.These providers frequently serve rural areas that lack broadband, or provide competitive alternatives for consumers in other markets.

    The Order mirrors the bipartisan compromise reflected in the pending Small Business Broadband Deployment Act of 2017. After today’s action, smaller providers must still give consumers the information that has been required since 2010 to assist them in making an informed choice of broadband providers.

    Today’s Order applies retroactively and prospectively to cover the period beginning on the date the enhanced reporting requirements became effective, 17 January, 2017, and ending five years after the date the order is adopted.

    Policy to protect online piracy mooted

    Following is a statement from FCC Office of Media Relations Acting Director Mark Wigfield:

    “Chairman Pai believes that the best way to protect the online privacy of American consumers is through a comprehensive and uniform regulatory framework. All actors in the online space should be subject to the same rules, and the federal government shouldn’t favor one set of companies over another. Therefore, he has advocated returning to a technology-neutral privacy framework for the online world and harmonizing the FCC’s privacy rules for broadband providers with the FTC’s standards for others in the digital economy. Unfortunately, one of the previous administration’s privacy rules that is scheduled to take effect on March 2 is not consistent with the FTC’s privacy standards. Therefore, Chairman Pai is seeking to act on a request to stay this rule before it takes effect on March 2. If Commissioners are willing to cast their votes by March 2, then the full Commission will decide the stay request. If not, then the Wireline Competition Bureau will stay that one element of the privacy rules pending a full Commission vote on the pending petitions for reconsideration consistent with past practice.”

  • FCC to review rules for telcos obtaining cable TV franchises

    FCC to review rules for telcos obtaining cable TV franchises

    MUMBAI: US media regulatory body The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will on Wednesday vote on whether to make it easier for telecom firms like Verizon and other parties to obtain cable franchises

    Media reports quote FCC Chairman Kevin Martin saying that local franchise authorities at times obstruct and in some cases completely derail new attempts to bring video competition to an area.

    The measure, which will not be made public by the agency until after the vote, has alarmed local franchising authorities, which contend action by the agency may wind up hurting consumers.

    New subscription television providers like the telephone firms reports state must apply with thousands of American cities and towns for permission to offer the service and they have complained that the process could take years.

    The FCC will vote on a plan to limit local authorities to 90 days for reviewing most applications and restrict demands that providers offer unrelated services to cities such as installing playgrounds and streetlamps.

  • Broadband growing rapidly worldwide, says study

    Broadband growing rapidly worldwide, says study

    Research agency In-Stat/MDR has forecast that the number of broadband subscribers worldwide will surpass 46 million by the end of 2002.

    The number of broadband subscribers is expected to grow rapidly over the next three years to surpass 120 million by 2005, according to the agency. The news comes on the heels of figures released by the Federal Communications Commission, The number of broadband connections in the US increased by 33 per cent during the second half of 2001, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

    In late 2001, DSL became the most widely used broadband access technology when the number of worldwide DSL subscribers exceeded 17 million. However, in the US, cable modem subscribers continue to outnumber DSL subscribers by a wide margin. According to In-Stat/MDR, other broadband access technologies such as satellite broadband, Fiber-to-the Home, and fixed wireless service account for only five percent of current worldwide broadband subscribers.

    The number of homes and businesses using high-speed lines to connect to the Internet increased from 9.6 million to 12.8 million lines in the US at the end of the year.

    This compares with a 36 percent rise in the first half of 2001 when the number of high-speed lines increased from nearly 7.1 million to 9.6 million. Of the 12.8 million high-speed lines in service at the end of 2001, 11 million served residential and small business subscribers, a 41 percent increase on the first half of 2001 when 7.8 million residential and small business subscribers could connect to the Net using high-speed lines.

    Around 7.4 million of the total number of high-speed lines in service at the end of last year were advanced service lines that provide services at speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in both directions. This is an increase of 25 percent on the first six months of the year. About 5.8 million residential and small business subscribers had advanced service lines, according to the report.

    At the end of 2001, the presence of high-speed service subscribers were reported in all fifty states, and in 79 percent of the nation’s zip codes.

    ADSL lines in service increased by 47 per cent during the second half of the year, from 5.2 million to 7.1 million lines, while cable modem service increased by 45 percent, from nearly 3.6 million to 5.2 million lines.