TIA filed comments with the FCC responding to the commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding E911 location accuracy and reliability requirements for public safety, because there simply isn't a near-term, implementable and technically feasible solution that meets the proposed accuracy requirements at every Public Safety Access Point (PSAP) across the country, as the NPRM proposes. 

Carriers and manufacturers are unanimous in their assessment that the proposed new standard cannot be achieved with current technology, and even the National Emergency Number Association has acknowledged this on several occasions. Also, the FCC's proposed use of PSAP geographic coverage areas as part of the proposed technical standard ignores the reality of widely-varied sizes, shapes and topography for PSAPs nationwide. Should the commission decide to adopt a PSAP-level accuracy requirement, industry would need sufficient time to develop, implement, standardize, test and validate various approaches to technologies – at both the handset and network levels.

Conversely, TIA and many other industry companies and associations advocate the creation of an E911 location accuracy advisory committee that would include vendors, wireless carriers, public safety representatives and the regulatory community. FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein himself has said that such a committee could proceed along the lines of the WARN Act Advisory Committee, which has been fairly successful in achieving consensus.

TIA also opposes an FCC mandate of a single technology or standard, which forecloses the better option of giving the industry the flexibility to test various solutions.  If the commission allows vendors and wireless carriers to develop standards through third-party standards-setting bodies, industry will have the clearest path to developing the right mix of technologies – there is almost certainly no magic bullet to solve all problems related to E911 location accuracy.

The FCC will hold a hearing on the matter on September 11.  We urge any interested members to join us in opposing these mandates.

For questions or comments about this NPRM please contact Patrick Donovan at 703.907.7739 or pdonovan@tiaonline.org.

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TIA’s Communications Research Division (CRD) is holding a day of meetings at TIA’s Arlington headquarters today, Wednesday, August 29, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.  To follow up on priorities from the last meeting held at NXTcomm in June, CRD focused on the recently-passed America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education And Science (COMPETES) Act and questions emergingregarding the National Science Foundation's execution of the grant funds from theaAct. CRD developed a networking “hard problems list” identifying key networking problems requiring research in tandem with the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. CRD also discussed future priorities vis-a-vis the political landscape, like the upcoming sorting of appropriations for COMPETES.

Wednesday’s meeting began with a meeting with NSF officials at 11:00 a.m., followed by a lunch with NITRD, NIST, DoD and DoT officials at noon and ending with a CRD-only meeting at 1:00 p.m. to discuss new technologies and standards needs CRD might address. TIA’s CRD maintains its goals of ensuring that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a world leader in and through advanced research, providing expert advice to the government on R&D in the technology and communications sectors, and educating the public on the importance of R&D in our industry.

For more info on the Communications Research Division or Wednesday’s meeting, please contact Tom Shull at 703.907.7014 or tshull@tiaonline.org.

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In past publications, we have reported that TIA is working closely with the United States Information Technology Office (USITO) on China’s “indigenous innovation” policy, which was articulated in China’s Five Year Program issued last year. The policy seeks to address “unbalanced economic development” through the development of national standards and domestic government procurement policies. TIA has been supporting USITO in activities designed to address the protectionist concerns raised by this policy.

A recent article in Tech-On, an Asia-based tech magazine, lays China's protectionism bare.  "TD-SCDMA: More Standards to Come" illustrates the harmful effect the policy is having on TIA members. It notes that China's "indigenous innovation" strategy is working by "nurturing" Chinese industry at the expense of foreign competitors, many of which are TIA members. Ultimately, the policy could harm much more than foreign competition, as next-generation technologies and services are delayed, adversely affecting Chinese communications sector development and ultimately Chinese consumers. Indeed, the article notes that TD-SCDMA, China's homegrown next-generation wireless standard, has been delayed since 2003. This has in turn delayed the licensing for other third-generation wireless technologies, such as cdma2000® and W-CDMA, which are rapidly being deployed in other countries.

Through USITO, TIA will have the opportunity to comment on China's technology policies from the inside.  TIA members are encouraged to join us in preparing our approach to convincing China to open its wireless market.

For questions or comments on TIA-USITO efforts in this arena, please contact Michael Nunes at 703.907.7725 or mnunes@tiaonline.org.

cdma2000® is a registered trademark and certification mark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA-USA).

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The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) held its annual Aspen Summit in Colorado last week from August 19-21. The 2007 theme, “Making Markets - Critical Information Policy Choices,” focused on antitrust issues in the communications marketplace, as well as content issues such as digital rights management, free expression and online privacy. A variety of companies, non-profits, government sectors and trade associations, including TIA and its member companies, were represented at the conference.

The conference kicked off with an opening keynote address by Ambassador David A. Gross, U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Gross spoke about telecommunications and the global economy. The following morning included panel discussions on topics such as “Telecommunications Policy in a Converged World” and “Property Rights and Patent Reform,” followed by a luncheon address by Federal Trade Commission Commissioner William E. Kovacic. That evening’s working group dinners allowed attendees to discuss issues concerning spectrum, online content and digital rights in a smaller group setting.

The final day of the Summit began with opening comments from First Amendment scholar Laurence Tribe of Harvard University, followed by additional panels. The conference concluded with a dinner featuring Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO of Google. Schmidt lauded the fundamental principles of American society, particularly free expression and freedom from government suppression. He also answered questions regarding his company’s responsibility to ensure online safety; intellectual property rights; and online advertising.

For questions or comments about TIA's involvement in the Aspen Summit please contact Rebecca Schwartz at 703.907.7477 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org.

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The members-only Broadband & Telecom Lunch hosted by TIA on September 19 will provide a special opportunity to celebrate the House career of Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), who announced his retirement on Friday, effective after the 2008 elections.  Attendees will also be able to discuss emerging tech issues with a prominent young Republican member of the House at the start of what promises to be an active legislative session.

Pickering has left the door open to a future run for higher office, though he hasn't commented specifically – this means Rep. Pickering's presentation may well foreshadow his policies as future senator, or possibly governor, and members will have the chance to become informed on his views on broadband & technology issues in the subsequent Q&A session.

Pickering told the Associated Press on Friday that he will remain involved in politics, and the AP speculated that he will make a bid for the Senate when either Republican Senator Thad Cochran or Trent Lott retires. Pickering has long been regarded as the most likely successor to either senator.

With questions or to participate in this members-only event, please contact Tom Shull at +1.703.907.7014 or tshull@tiaonline.org.

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TIA continues its efforts to actively lobby members of Congress and their staff urging the passage of the free trade agreements (FTAs) between the United States and Korea, Panama, Colombia and Peru. These lobbying efforts are being undertaken by TIA both independently and through two U.S. Chamber of Commerce trade coalitions. To support these efforts, TIA has developed position papers and handouts, which are available on the TIA website. On July 27, TIA coordinated with the High Tech Trade Coalition to host a congressional staff briefing. The panel included representatives from Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, TIA, AeA, Applied Materials and CSI. The event was well attended, with staffers of more than 20 members present. TIA is planning a similar event in September on the Senate side.

TIA played a significant role in the development of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, successfully lobbying for the inclusion of strong telecom language that reduces barriers to U.S. entry in the Korean market in the text of the final agreement.

The three Latin American agreements would improve U.S. access into telecom markets valued at more than $7.6 billion. Broadband and wireless subscribers in the region are growing at significant rates, and infrastructure investment is increasing, signaling opportunity for TIA members. TIA is also keenly aware that failure to pass any one of these agreements will set a negative precedent for the Korea FTA, which will likely be voted on sometime after Congress votes on Peru and Panama.

For any questions or comments about our work with the four pending FTAs, please contact James Maday at 703.907.7724 or jmaday@tiaonline.org.

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TIA continues to prepare for the U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral ICT Commercial Dialogue this September 17-18 in Hanoi.  TIA staff will participate in panel discussions and otherwise help the U.S. Department of Commerce prepare for its Dialogue with Vietnam's Minister of Posts and Telematics Do Trung Ta. 

The inaugural meeting will involve a public seminar, government-to-government talks and an industry-to-government dialogue.

TIA has sought input from its members on an approach to the Vietnamese market and will utilize information available in its Global Insights report on Vietnam, compiled this summer by TIA researchers. 

For any questions or comments about the pending Vietnam Dialogue, please contact Michael Nunes at 703.907.7725.

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The World Radio Conference (WRC), put on every three to five years by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is coming up soon.  This October 22-November 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, the WRC will meet for the first time since 2003 to discuss a wide array of issues related to the tech and telecom industries.

While there are a number of issues on the WRC agenda, TIA is following two policy issues in particular: Resolution 1.4 and Resolution 1.9.  Resolution 1.4 will consider frequency matters for the future development of IMT (including IMT-2000 and IMT-Beyond), which is the global standard for 3G and 4G wireless communications, as defined by the ITU; and Resolution 1.9 will review the operational efficiency of terrestrial and satellite co-sharing of the 2.5 Ghz to 2.69 Ghz band.

International issues raised at the WRC, and the ITU more generally, remain very important to TIA, and we will continue to make them a priority.

For questions or comments about the WRC or other upcoming ITU events and issues, please contact Michael Nunes at 703.907.7725.

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