CTIA Guidelines To Carriers May Avert "Bill Shock" And FCC Rules.

CTIA Bill Shockhttp://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
CTIA will unveil today guide lines on how to manage / avert Bill Shock to customers. Not only people who received bills like $26000 from T-Mobile but according to FCC, one in six bills have additional charges and 23% of all wireless customers have $100 or more tagged on to their phone bill. We all have seen ridiculously high phone bills and carriers care less about it.
FCC started to bring out plans for law controlling such bills last year but was send to waiting line for now, since CTIA, the wireless trade association is seem to take care of the matter.
According to an Official, the FCC intends to leave its bill shock proceeding open and watch how the carriers perform against the the industry guidelines, and work on bring up enforceable rules if carriers fail to abide by the guidelines.

Free Press Challenges Wireless Provisions Of FCC's Open Internet Rules.

FCC's Open Internet Rules. http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Free Press a prominent Public interest group filed a petition today challenging U.S. Internet rules set to go into effect November 20. The petition challenges the provisions of the rules that leave more flexibility for wireless broadband be controlled by the carriers.

"When the FCC first proposed the Open Internet rules, they came with the understanding that there is only one Internet, no matter how people choose to reach it. The final rules provide some basic protections for consumers, but do not deliver on the promise to preserve openness for mobile Internet access. They fail to protect wireless users from discrimination, and they let mobile providers block innovative applications with impunity. Our challenge will show that there is no evidence in the record to justify this arbitrary distinction between wired and wireless Internet access. The disparity that the FCC's rules create is unjust and unjustified." Said Free Press Director Matt Woods.

Press release;

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: September 28, 2011
Contact: Dave Saldana, 202-265-1490 x 32

BOSTON -- Free Press filed today in the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston a petition for review of the Federal Communications Commission's December 2010 Open Internet order. The Federal Register published the new rules last week, opening the window for such lawsuits.
Free Press, headquartered in Western Massachusetts, will challenge the arbitrary nature of rule provisions that provide less protection for mobile wireless Internet access than they do for wired connections.
Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:
"When the FCC first proposed the Open Internet rules, they came with the understanding that there is only one Internet, no matter how people choose to reach it. The final rules provide some basic protections for consumers, but do not deliver on the promise to preserve openness for mobile Internet access. They fail to protect wireless users from discrimination, and they let mobile providers block innovative applications with impunity.
"Our challenge will show that there is no evidence in the record to justify this arbitrary distinction between wired and wireless Internet access. The disparity that the FCC's rules create is unjust and unjustified. And it's especially problematic because of the increasing popularity of wireless, along with its increasing importance for younger demographics and diverse populations who rely on mobile devices as their primary means for getting online.
"Free Press will fight in court to make these rules stronger, even as we work elsewhere to uphold the FCC's crucial role in promoting openness and equality on the Internet."
The Petition for Review can be seen here:http://www.freepress.net/files/Petition_for_review.pdf###
Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. Learn more atwww.freepress.net

FCC Will Begin White Space Database Tests On Sep 19, 2011

Super WiFi tests http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
FCC announced that it will begin testing a new database of that will allow a bunch of new gadgets, devices and systems to traverse the white space airwaves and determine if they could participate in the Super WiFi initiative that the agency, nearly a year ago.
The tests will continue for 45 days but could extend if FCC determines that it is necessary. Wireless MIc and cable operators are invited to register with the database to test it.
The site for testing Spectrum Bridge is up but if you visit it you will find that the links are not alive yet. I guess it will become really liVe on Now. 19TH.


Office of Engineering and Technology Announces the Opening of Public Testing for Spectrum Bridge's TV Band Database System
ET Docket No. 04-186

The Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) announces that on September 19, 2011, it will commence a 45-day public trial of Spectrum Bridge Inc.'s TV band database system. This is a limited trial that is intended principally to allow the public to access and test Spectrum Bridge's database system to ensure that it correctly identifies channels that are available for unlicensed TV band devices, properly registers those facilities entitled to protection, and provides protection to authorized services and registered facilities as specified in the rules. We encourage all interested parties to test the database and provide appropriate feedback to Spectrum Bridge.

The Commission's Part 15 rules (47 C.F.R. § 15.701 et seq.) require that unlicensed TV band devices contact an authorized database system to obtain a list of channels that are available for their operation (i.e., channels not occupied by authorized radio services) at their individual locations and must operate only on those channels. Such devices are required to provide their geographic location, by means of a secure Internet connection, to a TV band database system authorized by the Commission. The database will then return a list of the channels available for operation by the device for its reported location.

As part of its authorization process for TV band database systems, the Commission stated that each database will be subject to a public trial period of not less than 45 days to ensure that the database is providing accurate results before it is allowed to be made available for regular public use. OET has examined Spectrum Bridge's channel availability calculator and finds that it is ready for trial testing by the public.
Trial Access and Details

Parties may participate in the trial by accessing Spectrum Bridge's TV band database test facility at: http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.com/Trial.aspx. This website provides a description of the trial, instructions for participation, details on use of the database system, access to the database's various capabilities, and a link for providing feedback to Spectrum Bridge. Note that the test facility will not be active before the date the trial is scheduled to commence.


During this trial, participants are encouraged to test
• the channel availability calculator;
• the cable headend and broadcast auxiliary temporary receive site registration utilities; and
• the wireless microphone registration utility
to ensure that each of these elements of the database system is working properly and providing the interference protection required under our rules.

In addition, participants are encouraged to report any inaccuracies or other issues with any aspect of the database system to Spectrum Bridge through the response facility on the trial's website. Spectrum Bridge will respond, as appropriate, to such reports with an explanation and notification of any responsive actions it may take, as appropriate. During the trial, Spectrum Bridge may apply any corrective measures it determines are needed and will advise participants of such measures through the trial's website.

As indicated above, the trial of the Spectrum Bridge database system is currently scheduled to last for 45 days and will end on November 2, 2011. However, if the results of the trial indicate that additional testing is necessary, OET may extend the trial period.

After the close of the trial, Spectrum Bridge will provide a summary report to OET that identifies: (1) problems reported and their disposition; and (2) descriptions of changes made to the channel availability calculator or registration systems. Once Spectrum Bridge submits its report, we will provide a short period of time for interested parties to submit comments on the report. Note that the successful performance of the database system through this trial is only one element in the commission's evaluation of a system for approval to operate. Other requirements for TV band database systems are set forth in 47 C.F.R. 15.701 et seq. and OET's January 26, 2011 Order on TV band database administrators (see Order in ET Docket No. 04-186, DA 11-131). OET would grant final approval for Spectrum Bridge to operate its database system with certified TV band devices once it determines that the system complies with all of the applicable rules and requirements. The public will be informed of such decision through a Public Notice.

The FCC rules require that TV band database systems protect the following radio services: (1) broadcast television stations (including full power, TV translator, low power TV, and Class A stations); (2) fixed broadcast auxiliary service links; (3) receive sites (and received channels) of TV translator, low power TV and Class A TV stations and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs); (4) private land mobile radio service and commercial mobile radio service operations; (5) offshore radio telephone service operations; (6) radio astronomy operations at specific sites; and (7) low power auxiliary service operations (principally licensed and certain approved unlicensed wireless microphone venue sites). Except for MVPD receive sites, sites where licensed wireless microphones are used, and approved unlicensed wireless microphone venues, the necessary protection data will either be extracted by Spectrum Bridge from the Commission's databases or are specified in the rules. Operators of facilities for which information is contained in the Commission's records or provided in the rules do not need to take any action to obtain protection from TV band devices.


Operators of MVPD receive sites and wireless microphones users must specifically register their sites to receive protection from TV band devices. As required under the rules, Spectrum Bridge is providing a registration capability for these facilities. These registration capabilities are available through the database test facility at: http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.com/Trial.aspx. The rules also provide that responsible parties may request that the Commission approve registrations for protection of venues where large numbers of unlicensed wireless microphones are used. Such requests for registration will first be made available for public comment, and the Commission will subsequently review them for approval. However, the Commission has not yet completed the development of its process for acceptance and approval of registrations for these venues. In the interim and for purposes of this trial, Spectrum Bridge, with OET's approval, has implemented a test registration capability for registration of venues where unlicensed wireless microphones are used; this test registration capability is also available through Spectrum Bridge's the database test facility.

Registrations for MVPD receive sites, sites where licensed wireless microphones are used, and venues where large numbers of wireless microphones are used that are made during the trial period will be deleted by Spectrum Bridge after the trial. Parties will be able to register their MVPD receive sites and sites where licensed wireless microphones are used in the database once general operation of the database for use by TV band devices is approved and implemented. Parties responsible for venues where large numbers of wireless microphones are used will need to request registration approval by the Commission once the Commission's process for that function is activated. We encourage parties responsible for MVPD receive sites and licensed wireless microphone operations to enter trial registrations and make use of these capabilities in their testing of Spectrum Bridge's database. OET will provide notice of, and time for, affected parties to enter active registrations into Spectrum Bridge's database during the process for final approval of the Spectrum Bridge database system for full operation. We also note that once one or more additional database systems are approved and active, all registrations entered with a given database will be communicated to the other database(s) so that registrations will not need to be entered with multiple databases.

The TV bands database systems are the subject of a docketed proceeding, ET Docket No. 04-186, and responses to the trial of Spectrum Bridge's database system conducted pursuant to this public notice may be filed with the Commission at any time using the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) as described below. A simplified interface for ECFS has been implemented to facilitate consumer comment. Documents filed on ECFS may be accessed and reviewed on that system, which contains copies of written submissions and summaries of oral submissions regarding the white spaces proceeding.

Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR §§ 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply comments on the trial of Spectrum Bridge's database system at any time during and after the trial period. Comments may be filed using the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).

• Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/.

• Paper Filers: Parties that choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number.

Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.

• All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission's Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building.

• Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.

• U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554.

People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty).

All filings must be addressed to the Commission's Secretary, Marlene H. Dortch, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554. Parties should also send a copy of their filings to Hugh L. Van Tuyl, Office of Engineering and Technology, Federal Communications Commission, Room 7-A162, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554, or by e-mail to Hugh.VanTuyl@fcc.gov. Parties must also serve one copy with the Commission's copy contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc. (BCPI), Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY-B402, Washington, DC 20554, (202) 488-5300, or via e-mail to fcc@bcpiweb.com.

Documents in ET Docket No. 04-186 are available for public inspection and copying during business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, SW, Room CY A257, Washington, DC 20554. The documents may also be purchased from BCPI, telephone (202) 488-5300, facsimile (202) 488-5563, TTY (202) 488-5562, e-mail fcc@bcpiweb.com.

Questions regarding this Public Notice may be directed to Alan Stillwell at (202) 418-2470 or Hugh L. Van Tuyl at (202) 418-7506.

By the Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology.


-FCC-

AT&T - T-Mobile Deal Opposed By DOJ!

AT&T - T-Mobile Deal Blocked By DOJ http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

We were surprised this morning by the reports on Bloomberg and the WSJ saying that the United States Department Of Justice (DOJ) is lopposing the AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile on antitrust grounds.

The news is scant but Bloomberg grabbed the following from the complaint filed in federal court stating;

“AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market.”

Later FCC chairman Julius Genachowski stated;

“By filing suit today, the Department of Justice has concluded that AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile would substantially lessen competition in violation of the antitrust laws. Competition is an essential component of the FCC’s statutory public interest analysis, and although our process is not complete, the record before this agency also raises serious concerns about the impact of the proposed transaction on competition. Vibrant competition in wireless services is vital to innovation, investment, economic growth and job creation, and to drive our global leadership in mobile. Competition fosters consumer benefits, including more choices, better service and lower prices.”

We were not happy about the acquisition but took it for granted that the deal will go through. In fact one of our colleagues was planing to defect from AT&T and go to T-Mobile but changed his mind after the news and is enjoying unlimited data voice service from Sprint. The AT&TT-Mobile deal was backed by Facebook and Microsoft, and 10 venture capital firms, Others include Yahoo, Oracle and the Research in Motion and was also opposed by many.

Of course AT&T is unhappy about the news and plans to take action. Should the deal fall through, AT&T will have to pay Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile upwards of 6 Billion.

AT&T's Wayne Watts,senior executive VP and general counsel released the following statement regarding the news stating that they plan to fight the decision in court;

We are surprised and disappointed by today’s action, particularly since we have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated. We plan to ask for an expedited hearing so the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed. The DOJ has the burden of proving alleged anti-competitive affects and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court.



At the end of the day, we believe facts will guide any final decision and the facts are clear. This merger will:



* Help solve our nation’s spectrum exhaust situation and improve wireless service for millions.

* Allow AT&T to expand 4G mobile broadband to another 55 million Americans, or 97% of the population.

* Result in billions of additional investment and tens of thousands of jobs, at a time when our nation needs them most.



We remain confident that this merger is in the best interest of consumers and our country, and the facts will prevail in court.

Yes we want T-Mobile, as a separate entity.

Via TechCrunch

AT&T Files A Public Statement With FCC Supporting T-Mobile Acquisition.

AT&T  FCC  T-Mobile Acquisition. http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Looks like AT&T front is getting busy trying prove that the proposed AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile is good for everybody, even GDP.

"“[e]ach dollar invested in wireless deployment is estimated to result in as much as $7 to $10 higher GDP,”"

Two days ago  we published that AT&T got industry wide support for the $39 Billion ATTTmobile deal spear headed by Microsoft. Many industry leaders like facebook, RIM supported the bid but at the same time companies who stand to gain, like Apple was absent from the list of supporters.
There is alsolarge opposition to the $39 Billion merger from consumer groups and other smaller wireless providers like Sprint.
The public statement AT&T filed, looks to cover come these protests and support the cause. If you are interested, the full publicly available filing, with certain portions containing competitively confidential information redacted, is available at www.MobilizeEverything.com.

AT&T Press release;

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today filed with the Federal Communications Commission its statement supporting its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA and responding to critics. The filing demonstrates the overarching imperative that drives this transaction: giving AT&T and T-Mobile USA customers the network capacity they need to enjoy the full promise of the mobile broadband revolution. With the scale, spectrum and other resources generated by this transaction, the combined company will deploy Long Term Evolution - the premier next-generation wireless broadband technology - to more than 97 percent of the U.S. population. The synergies of this transaction will create immense new capacity that will provide enormous benefits to consumers. That new capacity will provide a more robust platform for the next generation of bandwidth-intensive mobile applications while improving consumers’ overall service quality through faster data speeds and fewer dropped and blocked calls. In the process it will create jobs and investment, help bridge the digital divide, and help achieve the Administration’s rural broadband objectives, all without the expenditure of government funds.

For these reasons, the transaction has unparalleled support from across the political and commercial landscape. This significant support includes the governors of 17 states; labor unions representing 20 million workers; minority and disability rights advocates; rural and environmental groups; venture capitalists; and a broad swath of the high-tech community’s apps developers, device manufacturers, and equipment vendors. Companies such as Avaya, Brocade, Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, Qualcomm, RIM, Yahoo! and many others, support this merger because the widely available LTE platform it makes possible will help fuel the entrepreneurship, innovation and investment that is critical to U.S. leadership in high-tech industries. In addition, they recognize that the transaction will use spectrum more efficiently, improve service quality, and deploy an expanded LTE network, all of which will in turn drive a virtuous cycle of technology deployment, job creation, and economic growth.

Commenting on the contents of the filing, Wayne Watts, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, said: “This merger is about adding capacity and improving existing voice and data services while simultaneously enhancing the capabilities of the combined companies to roll out next generation wireless broadband services to 97% of Americans. Ultimately, the capacity and efficiency gains this merger will create are a public interest benefit, and will create the ability to provide enhanced services at lower cost. These benefits underscore why this transaction should be promptly approved. Our opponents aren't really concerned about competition or prices. The posturing of rivals such as Sprint is about one thing: their desire to compete against a capacity-constrained AT&T and a T-Mobile USA that has no clear path to LTE.”

Highlights of the filing concerning the merger’s benefits include:

The transaction will generate jobs and economic growth

As a result of the merger, AT&T will make an additional investment of more than $8 billion to expand LTE deployment and to integrate the AT&T and T-Mobile USA networks. That investment will directly produce work within the combined company and externally for engineers, equipment manufacturers, construction firms, and a host of others. Expanding the advanced LTE platform to an additional 55 million more people will also have job-creating ripple effects throughout the economy, particularly in rural areas. As Lawrence Summers, then head of the President’s National Economic Council, concluded, “[e]ach dollar invested in wireless deployment is estimated to result in as much as $7 to $10 higher GDP,” and, as wireless investment grows, “the benefits for job creation and job improvement are likely to be substantial.”

The transaction will preserve and promote competition and innovation

Nothing about the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile USA could possibly keep Sprint or any other provider from acting on the same incentives it has today to keep innovating in this unusually dynamic ecosystem. In fact, in the past couple weeks we have seen incredible support for AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile come from a large and broadly diverse number of high-tech companies that recognize the need for robust capacity to support further growth and innovation in mobile broadband.

The wireless market will remain vibrantly competitive

As anyone who watches television or reads the newspaper knows, the wireless market is one of the most competitive in the entire U.S. economy, with wireless providers aggressively marketing a vast array of products and services. This is demonstrated in the basic competitive realities in markets throughout America, including the resurgence of Sprint and the fact that roughly three-quarters of Americans have a choice of five or more facilities-based wireless providers. Furthermore, other major providers posted record gains in the first quarter of 2011 which confirms that they can fill any competitive gap T-Mobile USA might leave after this transaction is complete.

The network capacity of the combined company will far exceed the sum generated by its pre-merger parts

Over the past four years, AT&T has invested more than $75 billion to upgrade its wireline and wireless networks—more than any other public company has invested in the United States, despite opponents’ claims of underinvestment. Contrary to opponents’ arguments, neither this massive investment, nor piecemeal technology “solutions” can solve the macro-level, system-wide constraints confronting AT&T, and they cannot, alone or together, provide the capacity relief on anything approaching the scale of this transaction, let alone in the same time period. Benefits from T-Mobile cell sites (which are densest in urban centers), cannot be achieved by AT&T on its own, and because AT&T and T-Mobile USA have uniquely complementary networks and spectrum positions, the network capacity of the combined company will far exceed the sum generated by its pre-merger parts.

Numerous competitors will have ample spectrum to maintain the vibrantly competitive U.S. wireless market

The combined spectrum position of Sprint and Clearwire (in which Sprint currently owns a majority stake) is far stronger than AT&T’s today. Clearwire has the best spectrum position in the industry, on average, 160-megahertz of spectrum in the top markets. This is more than the combined AT&T/T-Mobile company would have if their merger is approved,[1] and does not even include the additional spectrum Sprint holds directly.

The full publicly available filing, with certain portions containing competitively confidential information redacted, is available at www.MobilizeEverything.com. 

 Businesswire