Howard Buskirk

The benefits of the 800 MHz rebanding order are so significant for public safety groups that it’s unlikely rival carriers will go to court to seek a stay when the order is eventually released by the FCC, Nextel Senior Vp Robert Foosaner said Wed. during an earnings call with analysts.

In what’s shaping up as the next potential big spectrum fight, the FCC is contemplating a release at its Sept. meeting or earlier of a rulemaking clearing the way for the auction of H-block spectrum, sources told us Tues. The FCC is expected both to reallocate the spectrum and propose service rules to make an auction possible.

Cingular and AT&T Wireless turned over to the FCC late last week hundreds of pages of documents responding to a June 30 request for information on the companies’ proposed merger. In another merger development, Rogers Communications announced that the deadline expired at midnight Sun. for AT&T Wireless to sell its 34% in Rogers Wireless.

The FCC is preparing to vote out an order that would hold push-to-talk (PTT) phone calls are subject to CALEA. The order is expected to be released concurrently with a proposed rulemaking on CALEA. Sources told us the PTT provisions are causing little initial concern. A Nextel spokesman said that the carrier, which has the most PTT phones in circulation, can readily comply with CALEA. “Nextel has been compliant with CALEA since the Winter Olympics 2 years ago in Salt Lake City,” the spokesman said. “This hasn’t been a problem for Nextel for a couple of years now.”

Despite initial skepticism about the technology, more than 100 operators in 63 countries are offering or preparing to roll out GSM-based EDGE high-speed wireless data technology, 3G Americas said Fri. EDGE is considered an alternative to WiMax.

The U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., Fri. ordered the FCC to reconsider a 2002 Verizon petition seeking forbearance from Sec. 271 unbundling requirements when they're lifted under Sec. 251 of the Telecommunications Act. The decision was a potential win for the Bells that they hope will prompt a quick decision regarding Sec. 251 rules for broadband loops.

The FCC is preparing to vote at its Aug. 4 meeting on a controversial order that would impose reporting requirements on wireless carriers. Commissioners received a proposed order this week, we have learned. While all the details are not clear, industry sources said they have been told it will impose a number of requirements laid out in a rulemaking strongly opposed by wireline and wireless carriers (CD May 27 p1). Wireless carriers told the FCC a requirement that they file information on service outages could harm national security. One wireless carrier source said the information requirement could be the start of the FCC’s delving deeper into service quality issues. The Dept. of Homeland Security has suggested that reports be kept on file at the Information Sharing & Analysis Center in the National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications, not at the FCC.

Wireless carriers and IXCs railed against a NASUCA filing at the FCC asking the Commission to order carriers to follow “truth-in-billing” requirements on customer bills. But a number of state interests agreed with consumer advocates that steps need to be taken to protect the interests of consumers.

T-Mobile is asking the FCC to use its order on pending interim UNE rules as a lever to reopen the issue of rates for wireless backhaul, an issue first raised in 2001 but never acted on. CLECs as well are starting to look more closely at the issue, which is a panel topic at CompTel’s fall meeting.

The Justice Dept. has asked for a huge amount of information from other carriers on the individual customers they serve, as DoJ expands its investigation of the Cingular- AT&T Wireless merger. Sources told us the information request, almost unprecedented in scope for a telecom merger, is the clearest sign yet that the merger will get an extremely thorough review.