FCC bowing to Verizon pressure in auction?
updated 05:05 pm EDT, Wed September 26, 2007
FCC Bowing to Verizon
The Federal Communications Commission's chairman Kevin Martin may be revising the rules for its upcoming auction of the 700MHz wireless band under pressure from Verizon, reported insiders say. The regulatory body chief is said to be considering a special declaratory ruling that would override the rules he had already set for the auction, which would insist on open access by any device and program to the frequency. Martin agreed to the unusual reversal after intensive lobbying efforts at a September 17th meeting between himself, his staff, and Verizon executives, the sources claim.
Verizon has repeatedly objected to open access under the argument that open access prevents the carrier from "differentially pricing" features and services on the network. Many have accused it of wanting to preserve an existing model that prevents customers from using devices from other providers or running software that would offer a lower-cost alternative, such as a VoIP calling program.
The company is also supported by its own lawsuit and petitions from AT&T as well as other providers, who are concerned about the terms of the auction. Some of their concerns also extended to the demand to open the frequency to public safety crews and the expensive minimum bids required for different portions of the 700MHz spectrum, which could lock out smaller buyers.
If the FCC rule regarding open access is overturned, the auction could dash hopes from Google and other companies to use 700MHz wireless for independent, wide-area Internet networking that could find its way into cellphones, computers, and other handhelds. Google is said to be developing an HTC-made cellphone but also has close partnerships with software for cellphone makers, including Apple and LG.
interesting
09/26, 05:28pm reply
If the report of the report is true, then either someone is chicken or got a paid out.
dliup
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
Verizon
09/26, 06:20pm reply
Verizon is notorious for locking features out of their phones? Greed is way too abundant in our various government bodies. This FCC guy is a chicken s***.
Heaven forbid we let the technological possibilities dictate terms instead of big business.
gjas18
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2004
Pussies....
09/26, 08:14pm reply
It's about greed.
Eriamjh
Addicted to MacNN
Joined: Oct 2001
I want yo monies
09/26, 10:28pm reply
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!
slider
Mac Elite
Joined: Oct 1999
they can all drop dead
09/26, 11:03pm reply
Verizon is Mephistopheles and AT&T is Beelzebub. Neither will get any more of my money if I can help it.
Titanium Man
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2001
more of the same
09/27, 02:03am reply
Would you expect anything different from a Bush-appointed Republican FCC chair? I'm not defending Democrats here, but Republicans have been in power the last 7 years, and have repeatedly screwed the American taxpayer for their own greed.
Will you be surprised when Martin quits the FCC and starts a high-paid lobbying job with Verizon or AT&T? I won't.
elroth
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Joined: Jul 2006
re: more of the same
09/27, 02:34am reply
Both parties are just as bad. Okay, maybe the Republicans are a bit worse. But Pres. Clinton signed the NAFTA treaty, which started the globalization outsourcing trend, and Bush got China into the WTC, which vastly accelerated the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs.
So both parties s**** the middle class in favor of corporations whenever they get the chance.
petsounds
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2007
re: to beat appletv
09/27, 09:25am reply
i don't think he said he liked the d-link just that apple didn't set the bar too high with the apple tv. sure it's better than most of these so called apple tv competitors but it's only marginally so.
part of apple's problem is their reluctance to play anything but their own content as far as video goes. sure it's not incredibly complicated to set up a workflow to automate getting recorded tv shows to the apple tv...but why is a workflow even required?!
if they saw it as a way to increase itms video purchases, it worked for me for about a month and one season of battlestar galactica but after the initial euphoria died down, i rarely use it. it's easier to download tv shows and then watch on a laptop hooked up to my tv.
cmoney
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: Sep 2000
SOS
09/27, 10:02am reply
Same old spit from yet another Bush Admin corporate toadie eagerly willing to sell out the public to greed. It's become so common place that people are cynically shrugging news like this off as "business as usual". The US is turing into a 3rd world, corruption laden government and economy with the attitude of "as long as I've got mine" who gives a spit about you... God help us.
macbarry
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2002