Howard Buskirk

Nearly 18 months into his tenure, FCC Chmn. Martin clearly relies more on close advisors and less on bureau staff and others, insiders said. Officials were split on the extent to which Martin’s close control has precedent, and over its impact on the FCC. A spokeswoman for Martin, who became chmn. in March 2005, declined to comment.

Regulated carriers can report subscribers transmitting apparent child porn without violating requirements that they protect customer proprietary network information (CPNI), the FCC said. Reports go to the CyberTipLine run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The FCC made the clarification in the order released late Wed. on its own initiative, it said.

State regulators wanting to participate in talks on the Missoula plan for reforming FCC intercarrier compensation rules are being asked to agree beforehand never to criticize the process followed to develop the plan and won’t speak ill of the plan as long as they're in discussions. Me. regulator Kurt Adams -- not companies behind Missoula -- proposed the rules. Vt. has agreed to abide by the rules.

A pattern of cancelled and never-scheduled meetings by FCC advisory panels has state regulators increasingly concerned, they said. The N. American Numbering Council (NANC)hasn’t met since Jan., with 3 meetings through Sept. cancelled by the Wireline Bureau. Panel members - whose mission is to explore numbering issues including area code exhaustion -- are asking why. FCC officials didn’t comment on the mostly empty 2006 NANC calendar.

The Wireless Bureau seeks comment on rules for a coming auction of 64 licenses in the 1392-1395 MHz and 1432-1435 MHz bands, set for 2007. Auction No. 69 is comparatively small, offering licenses useful in fixed or mobile services such as wireless Internet and advanced 2-way mobile and paging. One source said the spectrum is essentially “scraps.” The FCC, as in the AWS auction, sought comment on whether to follow the traditional simultaneous multiple-round (SMR) format. The FCC again is eyeing blind bids, with winners unknown the auction ends. “In particular, commenters should specifically address whether technological considerations or the likely level of competition in this auction weighs in favor of or against limiting the disclosure of information on bidder interests and identities relative to most past Commission spectrum auctions,” the bureau said. Comments due Sept. 11, replies 7 days later.

An Ohio state court will hear a lawsuit against Verizon Wireless, Dobson Cellular and other carriers, after the 6th U.S. Appeals Court, Cincinnati, rejected a federal court’s assertion of jurisdiction. The case -- which involves whether wireless carriers should be allowed to charge for calls that end in a busy signal -- has been in limbo for years. Four plaintiffs filed cases nearly 6 years ago.

Neutral Tandem -- which accused Verizon Wireless of being the only major carrier it can’t do business with -- wants the FCC to order Verizon to provide direct connection to its system. Last week, Verizon Wireless asked the FCC to reject the petition. Neutral Tandem wants the Commission to “rescue an actor from the consequences of its choices” and “take the extraordinary step of reinstating a commercial contract… that has lawfully expired,” Verizon said.

AT&T accused CTIA of trying to gain special privileges for wireless carriers, in its comments on a rulemaking released with the final report of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks. AT&T also took issue with NENA’s contention that all 911 system service providers should be required to analyze the redundancy of their 911 networks and tell the FCC about possible gaps.

Designated entities (DEs) are playing a minuscule role in the advanced wireless services (AWS) auction as it enters its later stages. By value, only about 6% of winning bids were by DEs, with a large bid by DE Denali for one license accounting for almost half that. Through round 35 late Tues., total bids stood at $12.5 billion. Bids have been rising slowly -- just 0.69% for the round. To speed action, the FCC required Mon. that participants bid 95%, not 80%, of their bidding credits in opening stages -- forcing DEs to bid or shed eligibility.

The FCC should auction educational broadband service (EBS) white spaces spectrum well before 2010, when a sale is scheduled, the Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA) and others said in oppositions to petitions for reconsideration filed as part of that longstanding debate. Allies of WCA include the WiMAX Forum, NextWave Broadband and Sprint Nextel. They're opposed by the Catholic TV Network and National ITFS Assn., which urged the agency to proceed with caution.