Conformity - November 2008 - (Page 10) NewsBreaks Airwaves Exchange Will Market Unused Frequencies A Florida-based company has reportedly created an on-line market exchange for wireless spectrum licenses that may lead to a more efficient use of the available spectrum. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, the company, Spectrum Bridge, Inc. (www.specex.com), launched its spectrum exchange in early September, with an initial inventory of about $250 million worth of spectrum licenses. An informal secondary market for spectrum licenses already exists, with major spectrum holders frequently purchasing small slices of unused spectrum from other parties. However, Spectrum Bridge says that the current secondary market is inefficient, and that buyers and sellers often have a limited understanding of spectrum market values. Spectrum Bridge will reportedly investigate both spectrum buyers and sellers, and receive a commission based on the total value of the transaction. Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would have to approve the transfer of any spectrum licenses bought or sold through the exchange, a spokesperson for the FCC indicated that Spectrum Bridge’s business model is consistent with the Commission’s prior support of secondary markets. The company’s management team reportedly includes four former executives of Motorola. Partial funding for the exchange has come from the Telecommunications Development Fund, which is financed by the federal government, and whose board members include current FCC Chairman, Kevin J. Martin. in proposed monetary fines of up to $11,000 per violation. Our readers can view the complete text of the Commissions’ Forfeiture Order against EZPMG at www.conformity.com/2310. FCC Releases Report on Numbering Resource Utilization The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released its annual report on the utilization of telephone numbers allocated to telecommunications carriers. The Commission requires carriers to regularly report statistics on the telephone numbers that have been allocated to them for phone service subscribers to help ensure the most effective use of available numbers under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). This regular reporting allows for the reallocation of blocks of numbers between carriers when required, and ultimately helps to preserve the current 10-digit numbering scheme despite the rapidly escalating demand for phone numbers. The report compiles data that was received by the FCC through December 31, 2007. Some of the findings include: • Overall, 47.1% of all available telephone numbers have been Mortgage Service Company Gets $400,000 Fine for Junk Faxes The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $443,500 against a New Jersey-based mortgage service company for willful and repeated violations of its rules against the sending of unsolicited fax advertisements. The Forfeiture Order cites EZPMG, based in Englishtown, NJ, for delivering at least 90 unsolicited advertisements by fax to at least 78 consumers. The unsolicited faxes were reportedly sent after the firm received a Citation from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, warning them against future violations. Violations of the FCC’s regulations regarding junk faxes typically result DiLbert: © Scott Adams/Dist. by United feature Syndicate, inc. reprinted with permission. 10 Conformity november 2008 http://www.conformity.com/2310 http://www.specex.com
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