Chmn. Genachowski Expected This PM
Adelstein Departure

Acting Chairman Copps sent the following message to FCC staff today on the transition:

"Today a new Commission begins to take shape with the arrival this afternoon of our new Chairman, Julius Genachowski. I know everyone joins me in giving Julius a warm FCC welcome and in wishing him all the best as he begins what promises to be a very distinguished chairmanship. He knows the FCC well, having worked here previously, and he brings impressive experience and innovative thinking with him. I am looking forward to working with Julius.

Today also marks the final day as Commissioner for my friend and colleague Jonathan Adelstein. Jonathan has been a tremendous colleague to work with over the past seven-plus years. Experienced, smart, personable and truly dedicated to the public interest, he has served the country, and the Commission, exceedingly well. I join you in wishing him all good things as he moves ahead in the confirmation process toward becoming Administrator of the RUS.

Also we look forward to the imminent swearing-in of Rob McDowell for a full term. Rob goes in one day from being the junior to the second most-senior among Commissioners. Based on the record he has compiled here and on the thorough and collegial way he works, I know Rob will be a critically-important part of the new Commission's success.

I mentioned at the outset a "new" FCC--but that's not really how it is. There's an ongoing FCC, peopled with the most talented public servants this town has to offer, and their work--your work--day-in, day-out, is what gives this place continuity, character and class. I have been so incredibly privileged the past five months to be your Acting Chairman. It's an experience I will always remember, and what I will remember most is being surrounded by so many talented and dedicated folks who really want to--and do--make a difference in people's lives.

We've had some extraordinary challenges during these five short months. Coping with the many unmet challenges of the DTV transition occupied much of our time as we fielded a team and a program to accomplish in a few months time things that should have been top-priority for a few years. It was really an exercise in going grassroots as hundreds of you took up the cause and made an incredible difference in helping people prepare for the big switch to digital. The effort isn't over yet, but we can all take pride in your Herculean and successful efforts to smooth out what would otherwise have been a horrendously bumpy road for millions of consumers. While DTV occupied much of our time over these months, so did launching the broadband initiative mandated by Congress and the President. Developing a broadband plan for the nation between now and next February is one of the greatest challenges--and opportunities--ever to come the Commission's way. There were so many other items and issues being dealt with over these five months that I wouldn't try to list them all, but they, too, were of huge importance to many, many Americans.

It is the ongoing daily work of the Commission--which doesn't often capture the headlines-- that is, in the final analysis, what gives us credibility and what gets our mission accomplished. This place is filled to the rafters with unsung heroes. And one thing that I really tried to encourage over these past five months was to create an environment wherein each member of our FCC family can communicate and work and create to the fullest extent possible.

So to each of you, I want to say "Thank you." Thank you for your dedication to serving the American people. Thank you for your commitment to doing your job as well as that job can possibly be done. And thank you for going out of your way to help me along the way--over these past five months especially, but over the course of the eight years that I have been privileged to work here.

Don't read this as "Farewell" however, because I plan to stick around and continue fighting for the causes I believe it. I just wanted to take this special moment to say a heartfelt thank you for being there for the American people. "

UPDATE - At 4:15 PM Chmn. Genachowski arrived in building and sent FCC staff a message saying, among other things, that he looks forward to "doing a lot of listening and learning" in the "coming days and weeks". He will address the staff tomorrow afternoon.

Public Notice announcing Chairman's Office staff.

6/30 Address to FCC Staff
Excerpt:

"(C)ommunications technology has the power to transform lives for the better.
That’s never been more true than today. Communications must play a role in solving many of our nation’s most pressing challenges. It’s the FCC’s job –our job –to turn this aspiration into reality. We will be judged by whether we find concrete, practical ways to improve the lives of all of our nation’s people."

Chairman Genachowski Confirmed

Chairman Genachowski was confirmed by the Senate yesterday. No word yet on swearing in.

Senators also approved Robert M. McDowell to serve a second term on the commission. The White House said it had sent to the Senate the nominations of Meredith Attwell Baker, a former head of NTIA, and Mignon L. Clyburn, a South Carolina regulator, to serve on the commission. (Broadcasting & Cable coverage.)

The Senate also approved by unanimous consent the nomination of Larry Strickling as assistant secretary of Commerce for communications and information, which is the title for the top executive at Commerce's National Telecommunications & Information Administration.

Wikipedia bio:

Julius Genachowski (born August 19, 1962) is an American business executive with experience in telecommunication and technology issues. He is Barack Obama's nominee to chair the Federal Communications Commission.^[1]

Education

Genachowski grew up in Great Neck, New York and received his B.A. in history in 1985 magna cum laude, from Columbia College, Columbia University, where he was an editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator. He received his J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School, where he was a notes editor at the Harvard Law Review^[2] when it was headed by Barack Obama, who graduated in the same year. After graduating from Harvard, also magna cum laude, Genachowski clerked for the Honorable Abner J. Mikva on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and then at the U.S. Supreme Court for two years, for Justices William J. Brennan and David Souter.^[3]

Government and business experience

He worked on the select committee investigating the Iran-Contra Affair and for U.S. Representative (now Senator) Chuck Schumer.^[4] He was General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Reed Hundt, a position he left in 1996 to go into business.

Genachowski was Chief of Business Operations and a member of Barry Diller's Office of the Chairman at IAC/InterActiveCorp. He had previously served on the Boards of Directors of Expedia, Hotels.com and Ticketmaster.^[2]

He is a co-founder of LaunchBox Digital and Rock Creek Ventures.^[3] He is also a special advisor at General Atlantic and a member of the Boards of Directors at The Motley Fool, Web.com, Mark Ecko Enterprises, and Beliefnet.^[3] He was appointed to the board of JackBe in April 2006. ^[5]

Genachowski serves as a board member of Common Sense Media, a leading organization seeking to improve the media lives of children and families; and as an advisory board member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2). He also recently helped found the New Resource Bank, the country’s first commercial "green bank."^[2]

Obama campaign and transition

For the Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign, Genachowski was Chairman of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications policy working group that created the Obama Technology and Innovation Plan.^[6] He also advised and guided the Obama campaign’s innovative use of technology and the Internet for grassroots engagement and participation.

He co-led the Technology, Innovation, and Government Reform Group for president-electBarack Obama's presidential transition team.^[7] On January 12, 2009, several news outlets reported that Genachowski would be President-Elect Obama's choice to head the Federal Communications Commission as Chairman. This was confirmed by a press release on March 3, 2009. ^[8]

Personal

He is married to Rachel Goslins, a documentary filmmaker. His parents are Eastern European Jews who survived the Holocaust.^[9] His cousin, Menachem Genack, is an Orthodox rabbi and the CEO of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division.^[10]

Papers from 6/25 New America Foundation
Spectrum Workshop
Now Available

Video recording of workshop

The End of Spectrum ‘Scarcity’

Wireless is the most cost-effective and rapid means to bring broadband access to under-served rural and urban residents. Even after high-capacity Internet access becomes universal, wireless remains as the complementary infrastructure needed to achieve the larger goal of pervasive connectivity. Within a few short years, most Americans are likely to spend more hours each week on mobile than on wired Internet connections. Demand for spectrum will outpace availability under current spectrum man-management policies. Meanwhile, in every… more

Michael Calabrese |

A Potential Alliance for World-Wide Dynamic Spectrum Access

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) Systems are one of the most promising technologies available to increase the range and efficiency of spectrum dependent services. DSA systems locate unused spectrum, and organize their users to operate within the spectrum they have identified. DSA systems ensure no interference to other users by scanning and sensing the environment, as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) NeXt Generation spectrum sharing field tests have established, or through pre-existing knowledge, such as the geolocation database… more

Preston F. Marshall

New Approaches to Private Sector Sharing of Federal Government Spectrum

As the U.S. economy and society becomes more and more information-centric and mobile, wireless systems are becoming a major factor in the efficient functioning of our society. Radio spectrum is a key economic input into wireless systems that power our information society and economy and enhance public safety and national security. Since the earliest days of radio regulation in the United States; federal government use of spectrum has been handled independently of other users’ access to spectrum. … more

Michael Marcus

Revitalizing the Public Airwaves

The time has arrived for the unmet potentials of federal white spaces to receive some well-deserved attention. While many policy analysts have focused on the fate of the 700 MHz auctions, the digital TV transition, and the promise of television white space devices, the best available data suggests that the majority of federal spectrum capacity is left unused (McHenry, 2003; McHenry, 2004) – a situation that has gone largely unexamined. Strategic reuse of this spectrum could help obviate the need… more

Sascha Meinrath, Victor Pickard

Evan Kwerel to be Recognized
by FCBA on Thursday

Dr. Evan Kwerel of the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis will be honored at the FCBA's Spring Reception on Thursday, June 25, 2009. He will receive the FCBA’s second Excellence in Government Service award. The award was created in late 2007 to recognize individuals with long-term careers in the federal government in the field of communications who are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in public service.

Evan was the major intellectual force behind the FCC's spectrum auction program and many other applications of economic concepts to spectrum management. He was reviled for years by some in the wireless industry for his ideas, but his pioneering work is now known and copied all over the world. He is one of the finest civil servants I ever had the honor of working with.

An old bio:

Evan Kwerel has been a senior economist in the Office of Plans and Policy at the Federal Communications Commission since 1983. He has worked on broad range of spectrum policy issues and has been a proponent of market-based approaches to spectrum management. After Congress granted the FCC auction authority in 1993, he had primary responsibility for developing the FCC's innovative simultaneous multiple round auction methodology. He has also been involved in a variety of common carrier matters, including the development of price cap regulation.

Dr. Kwerel received a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. From 1976 to 1982, he was an assistant professor of economics at Yale University. In 1981 he was a Brookings Economic Policy Fellow, and from 1982 to 1983, he was a senior economist with the President's Council of Economic Advisers.

Congratulations, Evan, on this honor well deserved!

The End of Spectrum ‘Scarcity'
Opportunistic Access to the Airwaves

Here is the announcement for a conference I am speaking at on Thursday. Note you should RSVP if you want to attend.

The conference will be webcast live:
http://www.newamerica.net/events/2009/end_spectrum_scarcity

As the FCC begins its year-long process to recommend a National Broadband Plan, one starting point is to unlock publicly-owned assets that can facilitate ubiquitous, affordable broadband access. Wireless spectrum remains the most cost-effective and rapid means to deliver broadband access to rural and unserved urban residents. But as mobile broadband use continues to increase exponentially, demand for spectrum will rapidly outpace availability under current spectrum management policies.

Public policy seems stymied by the myth that spectrum is scarce. In reality, only government permission to access the airwaves (licenses) is scarce – spectrum capacity itself is barely used in most locations and at most times. This underutilized spectrum represents enormous, untapped, public capacity for high-speed and pervasive broadband connectivity. It is vital to a national broadband plan to consider policies that will encourage more intensive and efficient use of the nation’s spectrum resources.

What combination of technologies and policy reforms can open the airwaves and enable an era of pervasive connectivity? Our panel includes technology and policy experts who believe dynamic, opportunistic access to underutilized spectrum – especially federal government bands – is feasible if we can only muster the political will. One promising mechanism for making substantial new allocations of spectrum available for wireless broadband deployments and other innovation is to leverage the TV Bands Database that will be certified by the FCC for unlicensed access to vacant TV channels. Several papers describing this and other ideas to achieve more shared, dynamic spectrum access will be released at this event.

Start: 06/25/2009 - 12:15pm

End: 06/25/2009 - 1:45pm

New America Foundation

1899 L Street NW, 4th Floor

Washington, 20036

United States

See map: Google Maps

Participants

Kevin Werbach
Assistant Professor of Law, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Co-lead on the Obama Administration's FCC Transition review

Preston Marshall
Director, Information Sciences Institute, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California
Former Program Manager, DARPA
Next Generation Communications

Michael Marcus
Director, Marcus Spectrum Solutions

Tom Stroup
CEO, Shared Spectrum Company

Sascha Meinrath
Director, Open Technology Initiative, New America Foundation

Michael Calabrese
Vice President and Director, Wireless Future Program, New America Foundation

Post DTV Transition Issues:

NCTA: "Once more - there
are two (DTV) transitions"

Here's a quote from an NCTA-related website:

"If you are a cable customer, you may have to do little or nothing to enjoy your favorite programming after the switch to digital TV (DTV). Your cable provider will take care of the transition for you!"

Similar quotes can be found on FCC sites. These quotes are true for many homes, perhaps even most homes. It is true if your focus is high end cable customers with set top boxes. However, among the elderly and economically disadvantaged there are a lot of people with analog TVs connected directly to cable without a set top box. with analog TV, both NAB members and the cable systems used NTSC.

However, a fact not well known outside the policy wonk community is that the usual format for signals in cables systems is becoming 64-QAM, not the over-the-air 8-VSB and the famous NTIA-subsidized boxes only handle 8-VSB per Congressional guidance. The impact of this will be that basic tier cable signals that have traditionally been free and receivable without a set top box will move to 64-QAM in the next few months and out of the reach of the most vulnerable subscribers. So if they have been used to CSPAN, CNN, ESPN, etc. they are in for a rude shock. And who will they blame? Probably not your blogger.

The big cable providers have been delaying this switch for a few months by consensus brokered within NCTA. But this will not last forever.

While the FCC still has its public communications media in high gear would be a good time to prepare the public for "the second shoe to drop". The change is very reasonable and will have many advantages for many people. But if vulnerable people are caught by surprise it will not be a good beginning for the new FCC team which carefully waited out the DTV transition.

Post DTV Transition Issues:

700 MHz and Wireless Mics

Now that the DTV transition has turned out to be "Y2K-like" moment rather than a "Hurricane Katrina-like" moment it is time to get on to other issues that have been ignored for too long. Historians can address the question of what would have happened if the transition had happened in February as originally scheduled and how good or bad a job the Martin chairmanship did in preparation.

On Saturday, Acting Chairman Copps said, "Job One in the coming days and weeks is to help restore service to those consumers who may still be experiencing difficulties."

Let me respectfully disagree. Chairman Martin minimized non-DTV spectrum policy issues during his tenure and only addressed them when forced to by Congress. Thus there was a backlog by the election. Then Sen. Rockefeller urged FCC to focus on DTV after the election and almost everything else came to a halt. It is time to start a reasonable transition to start addressing issues other than pure DTV. So in this post and the next one I will review two DTV transition-related issues that have been ignored in the rush to June 12.

FCC still has not evicted wireless microphones from the 700 MHz band as was proposed in Docket 08-167 (certainly later than it should have been.)

Let me be specific here. On June 14, 2 days after the DTV transition, I attended an affair at the Madison, Wisconsin Hilton Madison Monona Terrace hotel. I noticed a wireless mic was in use and during a break I checked it out. It was an Audio-Technica model, FCC ID: JFZT52B. The operating frequency was marked as 744.85 MHz The chart below shows the significance of that number:

This is the former TV channel 59. However, due to inaction in Docket 08-167, continued sale and use of this unit by Part 74 licensees is perfectly legal! Now hotels are not eligible for Part 74 licenses so their use was illegal, but FCC has "turned its blind eye to this issue for at least a decade.

Recall Auction 49? Check the chart below:

The band that includes 744.85 MHz was auctioned off by FCC in 2003 with full access after the DTV transition. Are the licensees happy?

If you think the wireless mic manufacturers are taking steps to get their customers, who may have bought new equipment as recently as 2 years ago, to vacate 700 MHz then look at teh following snapshot of Shure's press releases as of June 12th:

See any guidance on vacating 700 MHz at any time?

Let's resolve these issues now by acting on Docket 08-167! May I also suggest that the enforcement issues involved be resolved by signing consent agreements with Shure and Audio-Technica to set aside any enforcement issue for their aggressive merchandising to users ineligible for licenses if they promptly start a public information campaign to expedite departures from 700 MHz, offer credit to 700 MHz equipment users with recent equipment, and make direct mailings to all known users from warranty information databases.

Unsung Hero of DTV Transition: Bob Eckert

As we go down the almost final stretch of the change from analog to digital TV, let me talk about a former FCC colleague who had a key role in the basic planning as a result of years of quiet basic technical work in the shadows of FCC.

The basic details can be found on the web at this location for a session at 2004 NAB convention:

Since 1980, Robert Eckert worked for the FCC specializing in matters relating to radio propagation prediction, spectrum efficiency and frequency-assignment algorithms. In the 1990s his work concentrated on HDTV, where he found ways to assign DTV channels within the current TV broadcast bands while minimizing possibilities for interference. Eckert reflects, “I enjoyed working on the computer programs for evaluating candidate allotment tables. These programs took a long time to run – like 10 days – so one long 4th of July weekend I linked up about a dozen FCC Unix computers to run simultaneously to get the answers we needed. I might dare to admit I so enjoyed computer programming that I spent much of those contract-with-America government furlough days working by modem from home to improve DTV allotment table software, possibly in violation of federal law.” His significant work on the current table of digital TV channels earned him the 2003 NAB Engineering Achievement Award.

Bob joined FCC in 1980 working for me in the old Technical Analysis Division of OET's predecessor, the Office of Science and Technology/OST. Then FCC Chief Scientist Steve Lukasik has a lot of unusual background experiences. One of them dealt with the issue of Cold War SIOP planning. SIOP was the name for the planned nuclear retaliation in the Soviet Union when "the balloon went up". In those days of "thinking about the unthinkable" the goal of the SIOP was to maximize the damage of the Soviet Union given a finite number of bombers and missiles and given that "fratricide" between nuclear weapons might reduce the possible damage.

In a real case of "beating swords into plowshares", Lukasik suggested that the mathematical "nonlinear programming" algorithms used to plan the SIOP could be used for the general problem of how to assign frequencies for any type of radio licenses across the country to maximize the number of licenses given constraints for limiting mutual interference. Note that at this time HDTV, let alone DTV, were on no one's agenda and teh topic was not necessarily focused on broadcasting. It was part of an internally generated research idea on how the FCC might do its job better. So around 1980 Lukasik convinced the Commission to spend about $50,000 for a special version of the algorithm used for SIOP planning and gave the assignment to the newly hired Bob Eckert to use the program and find useful applications for it. Soon Lukasik would leave after the arrival of Chairman Fowler and Bob was pretty much on his own in pursuing the project.

Bob's experience, insight and initiative were key in this project. The inisital program showed the benefits of computer frequency assignment. But when the HDTV/DTV issue arose several years later it was clear that the nonlinear programming algorithm was not adequate for the job of planning a whole new gebneration of broadcast stations. Bob was very knowledgeable by this time in this class of algorithms and found out that Bell Labs had developed an "annealing" algorithms (so called because is was similar to the atomic annealing of metals as they were heated). Bob visited Bell Labs to discuss their approach and then came back to FCC to implement it for the DTV project.

The section in the quote above about UNIX computers referred to the fact that FCC had marginal technical computer resources at that time, but had several DEC UNIX workstation computers that were handling large databases as servers. He realized that he could used these resources in off hours to do the huge computations that were necessary to find solutions for making DTV assignments for both during and after the transition. Several years ago Bob told me that no other group was able to do this large computation from scratch and that the broadcast industry submitted alternative allotments all started with plans he had computed. Thus for years Bob worked evenings and weekends from home to harness the FCC's computer resources together to make the DTV allotments.

Bob retired suddenly about 6 years ago when his wife's chronic illness took a turn for the worse and he decided that taking care of her was his top priority. His name still appears from time to time in FCC filings from broadcast interests.

Bob was recognized by FCC in 1997 with the FCC Silver Medal Award. But I always thought it was odd that such distinguished engineering work towards key FCC goals didn't get the Gold Medal - especially when a top OET manager got 2 Gold Medals for DTV work.

Also, this work would not have been possible without the FCC research funding (nonexistent in the past decade) to buy the original software, Bob's dedication to pursue it when their was not specific end project (before DTV), and then the endless overtime he put in to see the project to its success. These days FCC is not trying new approaches like it did in 1980. Hopefully that will change under the new leadership.

DTV Transition is Almost Upon Us:

But 700 MHz Wireless Mic Issue Unresolved

As we count the time to the shutoff of full power analog TV station in hours now and the cellular establishment is about to get full access to the 700 MHz spectrum they paid billions for, FCC still hasn't resolved the issue in Docket 08-167 of what to do with the wireless mics in the 700 MHz band.

Now the pros in the wireless mic business, e.g. Broadway shows and the legal broadcast users have probably already moved out of the 700 MHz band to a large degree, but who knows about the "unwashed" illegal users who certainly outnumber the others by a significant number.

Note also that the public safety community represented by APCO also is entitled to use of parts of the 700 MHz band but faces reliability questions due to the 700 MHz squatters.

I know the DTV transition is important, but isn't resolving this issue vital also?

Personnel Changes at FCC

Broadcasting and Cable reports that on Friday FCC announced the following personnel changes:

• Acting FCC Chairman Copps has brought in Blair Levin, former FCC chief of staff under Democratic Chairman Reed Hundt, to coordinate the development of a national broadband plan.

• Media Bureau Chief Monica Desai moved to special advisor to the general counsel. Robert Radcliffe will serve as acting chief.

• David Hunt, assistant, IG, for investigations, will become acting inspector general with the retirement of Kent Nilsson after 30 years at the FCC

• Mary Beth Richards, deputy general counsel, has also been named acting managing director.

Frankly, I can't find any of these on FCC's website, but Broadcasting & Cable has always been very well plugged in.

UPDATE: Changes now posted on FCC site.

Virginia Tech Annual Wireless Symposium June 3-5

Just got back from the annual Virginia Tech Wireless Symposium. Virginia Tech is one of the few universities in the US that has an active education and research program in wireless technology of commercial interest. Their annual seminar is a good course of information. Sadly, no spectrum managers came from FCC or NTIA or IRAC membership.

I gave a paper on new approaches to sharing Federal Government spectrum with nongovernment users. I also gave, together with Anne Linton, a short course on spectrum management issues for engineers.

I thought I would give links to two outstanding survey presentations I attended:

• "Pushing the Limits: Information Theoretic Limits of Cooperation and Cognition in Wireless Networks", Natasha Devroye, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) - A good survey at the Scientific American-level of basic information theory that applies to contemporary wireless systems.
  

• "Emerging Wireless Standards", James Neel, Cognitive Radio Technologies, LLC Lynchburg, VA - An encyclopedic current survey of worldwide CMRS and RLAN technology standards and their status with lots of links included.
  

Comm. McDowell Renominated

Yesterday the White House has announced its intention to re-nominate Republican Commissioner Robert McDowell for a new five-year term at FCC.

Acting Chairman Copps stated,

I congratulate my colleague and friend Rob McDowell on the announcement that President Obama intends to nominate him for another term at the FCC. I am truly delighted that he will continue on as a fellow Commissioner. Since becoming Acting Chairman several months ago, I appreciate more than ever Rob's collegiality, his openness, his creative intellect, and the deep sense of purpose he brings to his work. I especially want to thank him for all the talent and energy he has brought to our work on next week's DTV transition. He has traveled near and far to help consumers prepare and he has done an outstanding job in helping us deploy an extensive
DTV Call Center operation.

Broadcasting & Cable pointed out

If the Republicans have settled on the other Republican seat--former NTIA acting head Meredith Attwell Baker is thought to be the choice--that could pave the way for the scheduling of nomination hearings for Democrat chairman-designate Julius Genachowski and Mignon Clyburn, a South Carolina utility commissioner. Republican leaders were widely thought to be intent on picking the Republicans before moving on the Democratic choices.

So finally FCC might be able to start addressing other issues besides DTV in the next month or two.

======================================

McDowell bio from White House:

Commissioner McDowell brings to the FCC approximately sixteen years of private sector experience in the communications industry. Immediately prior to joining the FCC, Commissioner McDowell was a senior executive for a trade association representing competitive facilities-based telecommunications service providers. McDowell was graduated cum laude from Duke University in 1985. After serving as chief legislative aide to a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, he attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. Upon his graduation from law school, McDowell joined the Washington, D.C., office of Arter & Hadden, a national law firm based in Cleveland. McDowell is admitted to practice law before the courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, First, Fourth and Fifth Circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ofcom Takes on Susan Boyle Issue

The UK press has reported that the FCC's UK counterpart, Ofcom,

"has launched an investigation to determine whether ITV, the network that produces and airs Britain’s Got Talent, violated the broadcasting code when Susan Boyle was allowed on the finale despite showing clear signs she was heading for a mental breakdown. Reports in the British media indicate that viewers had complained to ITV prior to Saturday when the finale took place, which would mean the producers deliberately chose to ignore all concerns for the sake of the 19 million audience recorded."

Whether this is a good idea or not is not something I am expert in. Readers may recall that I am an admirer of Ofcom's spectrum policy in general. I boldly predict that spectrum policy development at Ofcom will continue at its normal pace and will not be affected by the distraction of the Boyle issue.

The key thing to note here is that Ofcom is able to "rub its stomach and pat its head" at the same time because top management knows how to delegate to its top managers in the several product lines such as broadcast content, spectrum management, broadband policy, etc.

By contrast FCC in recent history can only focus on one issue at a time and the other issues lie fallow while the issue du jour gets all the attention.

I hope the new FCC leadership team learns something from how Ofcom can do multiple things at the same time and clean up the present spectrum policy backlog after June 12.