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from: Broadcasting and Cable

Senate Schedules FCC Spectrum Auction Hearing

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/4/2007 2:56:00 PM

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a June 14 hearing on the upcoming FCC auction of spectrum in the 700 mHZ band.

from: National Journal

FCC Urged To Change Auction Rules

By Heather Greenfield

On a day when Congress was out of session, the New America Foundation packed a Senate hearing room for a panel discussion on what seemed to be a specialized topic -- the next spectrum auction at the FCC. But the issue could affect how most consumers and companies communicate via high-speed Internet.

from: New York Times

June 2, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
The Price of Free Airwaves

By MICHAEL J. COPPS
Washington

AS a member of the Federal Communications Commission, I often hear how fed up Americans are with the news media. Too much “if it bleeds it leads” on the evening news and not enough real coverage of local issues. Too little high-quality entertainment and too many people eating bugs.

Triple Ploy and the Lie of Competition

In the past two years telephone companies have rushed to introduce national and statewide video franchising legislation around the country to better position themselves as cable TV providers.

FROM: Public Knowledge

Public Interest Groups Want FCC To Create Wireless Broadband Competition

The comments were due yesterday at the FCC on the proposals for how the auction of the valuable 700 MHz spectrum should be conducted. PK was part of a group of public-interest organizations that made recommendations on how the spectrum should be used best to try to break up the duopoly that telephone and cable companies have on high-speed broadband, or at least add some semblance of competition.

from: Eldo Telecom

Telecom association chief's assertions at odds with reality

Thursday, May 17, 2007

United States Telecom Association President and CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission this week that contained two key myths of telco propaganda when it comes to broadband deployment in the U.S: 1) that competition is speeding broadband deployment and 2) that telcos are investing in broadband deployments in less densely populated areas of the U.S.

from: Ars Technica

House Dems: Broadband isn't broadband unless it's 2Mbps

By Nate Anderson
| Published: May 17, 2007 - 11:25PM CT

Note: This regulatory positioning of the NCTA represents big fights ahead for public interest obligations.

from: TV Technology

Cable Chief Calls for Dereg Excepting Interconnects

May 17, 2007

Cable lobby chief Kyle McSlarrow headlined a recent Media Institute luncheon where he riffed on silos. He said cylindrical storage structures were an outdated model for a regulatory regime.

from: National Journal

FCC Chief Pledges Loyalty To USF, Reforms

By David Hatch

(Tuesday, May 15) FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has responded to a detailed query from Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., regarding the regulator's positions on the multibillion-dollar universal service program that subsidizes telecommunications and Internet connections in rural and impoverished areas.

Note: Spend some time with Harold Feld's excellent analysis below. It may seem a difficult read at first - but his observations will become crucial in the coming months.

from: Wet Machine

The 700 MHz Auction as the Next Front In the Cable/Telco War.