Comcast and now-former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin haven't exactly been the best of buddies during Martin's tenure at the regulatory agency, and it looks like things weren't about to change as he made his way out the door. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Martin announced yet another investigation into Comcast in his final hours on the job, with this one focused on allegations that Comcast is deliberately downgrading its rivals' phone services -- an allegation that may sound strikingly familiar to those that follow such things. For its part, Comcast simply says that it has "fully complied" with the FCC's so-called congestion-management practices, and that it is "reviewing the FCC staff's letter." In related news, Martin has also proposed $500,000 in fines against several cable companies, including Comcast, saying that they have failed to provide enough information about whether they have improperly shifted channels from analog to digital tiers. Of course, all of this is still up in the air at the moment, and could possibly be rolled back if and when President Obama's expected choice to head the agency, Julius Genachowski, takes the reins.

Shortly after Barack Obama's transition team urged Congress to postpone the looming digital TV transition, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has hit back with suggestions to keep things on track. His primary concern is that delaying the cutover, which has been scheduled for years and advertised as such, will confuse consumers -- and honestly, we think he has a point. If the February 17th changeover date suddenly becomes meaningless, we could definitely see consumer confusion about this whole ordeal hitting an all-time high. Martin was quoted at an interview at CES as saying that "there are options they can do without having to delay to get coupons flowing immediately," suggesting that extra funding should be hastily given or that those 90-day expiration dates be marked null and void. Additionally, many broadcasters have already scheduled work to take down their analog equipment, and cancellations could be costly and disruptive. Oh, brother -- just call us when this mess is over.

We knew they didn't like it, and now they're going out of their way to prove it. After FCC chairman Kevin Martin set forth a proposal to use the freed spectrum from the forthcoming 2009 digital TV transition for bringing mobile broadband to more locales, broadcasters who'd rather not deal with the trouble are stepping in with a collective "nuh uh!" Station owners and the four television networks filed an "emergency request" on Friday afternoon in hopes of convincing the FCC to hold off on its plan to vote on white space rules until "everyone had a chance to comment on the findings." The report that's mentioned found that no significant interference would come into play should the waves be opened up for unlicensed devices, but a spokeswoman for the National Association of Broadcasters stated that "the FCC is misinterpreting the actual data collected by their own engineers." Whether or not NAB will get the 45-day grace period it's asking for, however, remains to be seen.

[Via Mobile Tech Today, image courtesy of Orbitcast]

Good news, folks -- Kevin Martin believes that more mobile broadband is good for this nation. And we're all about getting the WiFi to the people. Just as expected, the FCC chairman has voiced his support for using vacant airwaves from the looming 2009 digital TV transition to bring mobile broadband to more areas. According to Martin: "No one should ever underestimate the potential that new technologies and innovations may bring to society." His proposal was issued ahead of an official report asserting that potential interference with existing infrastructure could be avoided if "technical safeguards" were put in place to prevent it. Sounds good from here, now go 'head with your bad self, Mr. Martin.

[Image courtesy of TechLuver]

Read - Proposal
Read - Official interference report

Just over a year ago, we were all making bitter beer faces at FCC chairman Kevin Martin for not going along with a delightful sounding "free internet" plan. Now, it seems the main man's tune has changed. During a recent interview, Martin stated that there was a "social obligation in making sure everybody could participate in the next generation of broadband services because, increasingly, that's what people want." He's reportedly looking to attach a free mobile broadband requirement to the AWS-3 spectrum that's set to be auctioned next year, which would require the winner to allocate 25% for gratis access. 'Course, we wouldn't get our hopes us for this to actually go down like it surely is playing out in your mind just now, but we won't fault you for dreamin'.

[Via phonescoop]

In a somewhat unsurprising move, the FCC has approved the merger of Sirius and XM after protracted -- and incredibly boring -- multi-year negotiations. The Federal Communication Commission decided tonight to allow a deal that will bring the two satellite radio providers together, creating a combined subscriber base of roughly 18 million users. The deal isn't without catches, however, with the Commission stating that the companies must cap prices for three years following the merger, allow subscriber choice on content, and lower fees for channel packages. FCC head Kevin Martin seemed pleased with the final outcome, stating, "Consumers will get to enjoy the best of the programming on both services." You know who wasn't so stoked? Clear Channel.

While the FCC hasn't announced any decision, the Associated Press says that its chairman will recommend approval of the $5 billion merger between XM and Sirius. Kevin Martin does so, however, on the condition that the two satellite broadcasters freeze consumer prices for three years and turn over 24 channels (that's 8% of their combined satellite capacity) to "noncommercial and minority programming." The merged giant must also offer an "open radio standard" meant to create competition amongst radio manufacturers and an "a la carte" service that would allow customers to only pay for the channels they want as long as they purchase new radios. Speaking of those non-existent radios, the two claim that Interoperable radios capable of receiving both XM and Sirius broadcasts would be available "within one year." With DoJ Antitrust approval out of the way, all that's left now is to circulate Martin's recommendation for final vote from the FCC's four other commissioners -- a vote on a merger which, as strange as it seems, was expressly prohibited by the FCC when it licensed the satellite radio industry back in 1997.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Gulp. FCC chairman Kevin Martin is prepping for a big ol' congressional probe this morning. Martin received a letter today warning that he is being investigated for, "management practices that may adversely affect the Commission's ability to both discharge effectively its statutory duties and to guard against waste, fraud, and abuse." Martin, you'll recall, was recently accused of being in Verizon's back pocket during its attempt to revise the 700MHz open-access rule. The investigation is prompted by allegations made by "credible" FCC employees, both current and former, so far reaching -- including its handling of Comcast and the so-called, 70-percent ruling -- that Ars Technica expects it to turn the "FCC upside down." Martin has two weeks to deliver "a truckload" of records to Congress before this revolution gets televised.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced at CES last night that his agency will be looking into Comcast's data-meddling ways. "Sure, we're going to investigate and make sure that no consumer is going to be blocked," he said. Per FCC rules Comcast is allowed to use "reasonable traffic management" solutions to keep its network running, but Martin said he thinks Comcast and other ISPs should be required to disclose filtering to customers even if it's found to be reasonable. That's pretty encouraging, but we'll see how this all plays out in the industry -- especially since NBC and AT&T execs were talking excitedly about ISP-based copyright filtering on another stage at CES earlier in the day.

[Via Slashdot]

Prepare to feel your carrier-hate well from within. Remember Verizon Wireless' lawsuit against the FCC claiming that the 700MHz open-access auction rule "violates the US Constitution?" Well, according to "industry sources," FCC chairman Kevin Martin is "aggressively pushing" for revisions to the 700MHz open-access rule in response to Verizon Wireless' lobbying efforts. However, having been met with an internal FCC "backlash" last week, Martin is said to be preparing a "declaratory ruling" in an effort to fast-track support for VZW's claim outside of the normal public-comment process. Insiders worry that Martin is caving to VZW pressure as the auction, expected to generate some $15 billion in FCC fun-money, draws near. Man, nothing says free market capitalism like a little protectionist bullying -- "can we sue you now."

[Via Phonescoop]

If you've got concerns about not getting your fair shake on the new 700MHz spectrum, don't worry, because a group known as M2Z (backed by Google, Amazon, Netscape, MySpace, and TiVO) has got you covered. The gang is looking for the FCC to break off 25MHz of the new spectrum to set up a "free" wireless internet stream for nearly 95 percent of Americans to go surfing on. There's only one problem: the FCC doesn't look like it's going to give it up. AIn a recent request to the federal agency, M2Z asks to be given bandwidth on the soon-to-be-abandoned airwaves, instead of following typical FCC procedure which requires an auction to be held. In the M2Z plan, the U.S. Treasury would get 5 percent kickbacks from any gross revenue the network derived, though it appears FCC chairman Kevin Martin is looking to put a kibosh on the plot. According to the Wall Street Journal, Martin has circulated a document to other FCC commissioners calling for them to decline the group's proposal, and the CTIA (the wireless industry's lobby group), meanwhile, has urged the agency to "dismiss or deny M2Z's application," on the grounds that it would circumvent standard procedure. You can expect some serious back-and-forth over this in the upcoming days, so you'd better get used to the 700MHz soap-opera.

The FCC has just approved rules on the highly-sought after, Google-attracting 700MHz wireless frequency band auction which will take place sometime next year. The agency has decided that one-third of the soon-to-be-empty band will be available to consumers under FCC chairman Kevin Martin's "open access" plan, which forces the winning bidder to keep the band accessible to any wireless device or application regardless of the maker, opening up options heretofore unseen on established networks. The 700MHz range -- which is being vacated by television broadcasters going digital -- is desirable because of its ability to travel long distances and easily penetrate walls, and Martin feels it could provide a "third pipe" to US homes, circumventing the established stranglehold cable and telephone companies have on bandwidth. A total of 60 megahertz will be auctioned off, with twenty-two of them "open," and another 10 set aside for a "national public safety" network. The auctioning off of the frequency is expected to raise as much as $15 billion for the federal treasury.