WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission diluted the agenda for the highly anticipated Wireless Day by including an item regarding low-volume users of long-distance services, but the chairman’s office hopes the item will be considered before Thursday’s meeting.
“The hope is that the other offices will vote the item before Wireless Day [so] it will not be [considered] on Wireless Day and it will not pollute Wireless Day,” said Ari Fitzgerald, wireless legal adviser to FCC Chairman William Kennard.
Kennard announced in February the FCC would devote an entire meeting to try to resolve wireless items.
Overall, the agenda for Wireless Day-minus the item from the FCC’s Common Carrier Bureau-spreads the wealth around various sectors of the wireless industry with items of note to commercial and private wireless interests.
Items on the agenda include further action on calling party pays, an initiative of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, as well as competitive networks, which deals with building access for fixed wireless carriers. The competitive networks discussion also may address CTIA’s pre-emption petition regarding imposing state and local taxes that are “discriminatory and/or excessive taxes and assessments.”
Plans call for the commission to open the meeting with the fourth annual report and analysis of competitive market conditions for commercial mobile radio services. Fitzgerald said the FCC also plans to hear presentations from Kathleen Wallman on developing technical standards for public-safety use of spectrum formerly used for TV channels 60-69, and Dr. Ricardo Martinez, administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the convergence of wireless 911 and traffic safety.
