FCC Wireless Bureau is seeking comments on request for expedited waiver from Nextel subsidiary FCI 900 for 5-year construction period for 900 MHz major trading area (MTA) licenses. Nextel asked for extension of deadline from Aug. 12, 2001, to Aug. 12, 2004, for all 900 MHz MTA licensees. Commission rules require MTA licensees to provide coverage to at least 2/3 of population within 5 years of license’s being granted. One option for licensees is that they can demonstrate that they are providing substantial service. Nextel has told Commission that it needs waiver because equipment isn’t yet available to integrate 900 MHz MTA licensed spectrum into existing national 800 MHz iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced Network). Equipment won’t be available by Aug. 12 construction deadline. Nextel also said it planned to deploy 900 MHz pico cell technology to address coverage gaps and alleviate certain kinds of interference between its 800 MHz commercial operations and adjacent 800 MHz public safety communications systems in July. Nextel told agency that deployment of that technology would be delayed if it had to build analog 900 MHz systems to meet Aug. 12 construction deadline. Bureau is taking comments on waiver requests through Feb. 1, with replies due Feb. 8. Nextel is seeking expedited consideration of request because if it doesn’t get extension, it will have to order analog equipment in time to provide required coverage by existing deadline. Neoworld Licensing Holdings, which plans to deploy national 900 MHz digital dispatch system, is seeking similar waiver of 5-year construction period. Neoworld is seeking extension until Dec. 31, 2002, citing timelines needed for equipment delivery, testing, deployment.

Northern Communications agreed to buy broadcast group owner Shockley Communications for undisclosed price, companies said. Northern also said it would spin off KXLT-TV (Ch. 47, Fox) Rochester, Minn., to Shockley family. Northern will sell 5 former Shockley-owned ABC affiliates in Wis., plus 2 postproduction facilities, to Quincy Newspapers. Northern is private investment group that buys privately owned properties and “maximizes assets” by spinning off components, it said. In separate transaction, Lee Enterprises said it would sell KMAZ (Ch. 48, TBN) Las Cruces, N.M., to Council Tree Hispanic Bcstrs. for undisclosed price. Sale will complete Lee’s exit from commercial broadcasting.

Telecom Business Notes: (1) Qwest won contract worth more than $100 million to provide network capacity to Cable & Wireless. (2) Viatel said it realigned its operations to focus on high- growth businesses and would stop providing consumer voice services in countries “that do not meet long-term corporate objectives.” Streamlining will lead to staff reduction of about 30%. (3) Time Warner Telecom plans IPO of 4.4 million shares of its Class A common stock. Proceeds will be used to repay portion of $700 million senior unsecured bridge loan that Time Warner Telecom used to finance purchase of GST Telecom’s assets.

Fox should re-evaluate its advertising for Temptation Island, FCC Comr. Tristani said in letter to News Corp. Chmn. Rupert Murdoch. She said “many parents” had complained about ads for show airing during children viewing hours, saying “children should not be exposed to advertisements for programming that is inappropriate for children.”

FCC Enforcement Bureau fined SBC $94,500 for violating requirement that it post notices on its Internet site identifying central offices that have run out of physical colocation space. Notice requirement is one of conditions placed by FCC when it approved SBC-Ameritech merger. SBC spokesman said company didn’t dispute that it made “a few clerical errors.” However, “we think it was unfortunate that the Enforcement Bureau feels it necessary to propose a penalty for a few errors of this nature,” he said. Posting is necessary so CLECs don’t waste their time waiting for space in central office that can’t be provided instead of finding other ways to serve their customers. Violation occurred in audit period of Oct 8, 1999-June 8, 2000.

Cost of wireless phone service dropped average of 6.9% last year in 25 metro areas, Econ One research group said. Subscribers to 600 min. per month plans saw deepest average price reductions, 10.1%, from $66.63 to $59.91, company said. Overall average in 25 cities was calculated across plans with 30, 150, 300 and 600 min. of use. Average price for all such plans dipped to $39.60 last month from $42.53 in Dec. 1999. St. Louis, Dallas and Kansas City saw biggest price declines -- 18.2%, 15.6% and 14.4%, respectively, Econ One said. Sacramento price plans increased 4%. Although average prices dropped last year, 19 of 25 cities surveyed in Dec. saw increases in monthly service plans. It said “aggressive” handset pricing could explain why services prices didn’t drop more in Dec..

Broadcasters are averaging 4 hours of children’s TV programming per week, one more than FCC’s 3-hour guideline, FCC Chmn. Kennard said in letter to Capitol Hill Thurs. Letter accompanied FCC reports on children’s TV rules and on DTV public interest standard. On kidvid, Kennard said more still needed to be done, including limiting preemption of children’s programming and publicizing availability of shows. On DTV public interest, report listed 11 possible ways for broadcasters to “fulfill their statutory duty to serve the public interest,” Kennard said. He said principles should “provide useful guidance” for congressional discussions with broadcasters. Principles cited in report include airing local issue-oriented programs, carrying PSAs, “enriching children,” protecting children from harmful programs, “enhancing democracy,” providing disaster and emergency information, protecting consumer privacy, making programming accessible to disabled, using technology to enhance service.

As FCC Chmn. Kennard departs today, he leaves legacy as extremely decent man who might have been more effective if he were more of a politician, industry officials told us. “He is a prince of a man, honorable, honest,” said one telecom lobbyist. “But I don’t believe he’s a politician at heart and it’s hard for that kind of person to survive the political cauldron in Washington.” No one we talked with disputed Kennard’s honorable nature. Even his ideological opposite, Comr. Furchtgott-Roth, said Thurs. that he viewed Kennard’s departure to make way for Republican as “somewhat bittersweet” because Kennard was “one of the finest, most decent individuals I've ever met.”

Wash. Utilities & Transportation Commission (WUTC) approved new rates for extending telephone lines to serve new residences within an incumbent telco’s local service area. New schedule caps up-front charge at 20 times customer’s basic exchange service rate. After service begins, customers would pay double their normal basic exchange rate for first 20 months of service. WUTC said new rate schedule would make it simpler for unserved residents to acquire phone service. New rate schedule applies only to residential service; business-service line extensions continue to be provided under old schedules.

SAN JOSE, Cal. - Telecom leaders need to develop regulatory strategy and regulators should become more flexible and less prescriptive, panelists said at Wireless Communications Assn. annual technology symposium here Wed. Regulators can help improve Internet broadband access and promote innovation by imposing regulations that are “technology-neutral,” said Industry Canada Spectrum Engineering Deputy Dir. Gen. Veena Rawat. Canadian regulatory agencies, she said, were moving away from “prescriptive, detailed technical standards” in favor of minimum constraints and only “essential technical rules.”