June 28, 2012

Inside The Beltway 06/28/12

Lots of FCC news to report. First, the Enforcement Bureau adopted a consent decree resolving the agency’s investigation of Comcast’s compliance with certain broadband-related merger conditions imposed by an earlier order approving the Comcast/NBCU merger. The bureau specifically negotiated a year-long extension of the merger condition requiring Comcast to offer a reasonably priced broadband option to consumers who do not subscribe to Comcast’s video services. In addition, Comcast will make a $800,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury as part of the settlement. In other news, the commission’s Technological Advisory Council will host a July 16 forum on the future of wireless band plans. The forum will include discussions on the impact of developments in filter technology on band planning, LTE trends and their implications for future band plans, and network operator perspectives on band-plan design. The workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at FCC headquarters. Finally, in a move related to the recent Verizon/T-Mobile spectrum-swap proposal (click here for more information), the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau issued a Public Notice establishing a 14-day period in which interested parties can comment on the impact of the T-Mobile/Verizon Wireless applications on the pending Verizon/SpectrumCo deal. As such, the commission is stopping its informal 180-day shot clock for 14 days, restarting it on July 10.