that that be in place before the fcc can repack. otherwise they don't, they literally don't have a channel to move to. >> host: that's just the physics of airwaves. when the house bill was marked up in early december, the democrats complained, they said it was too generous in terms of how much money was reserved for broadcasters who were force today relocate. not giving up their spectrum, but as part of the repacking, they might have to move to different channels. it's $3 billion in the house bill. it's less in the senate bill and less than what the house democrats have proposed. do you think $3 billion is too generous? and if not, why not? >> guest: well, i think to properly understand the house bill, you need to understand that the $3 billion is a cap. when we went from analog to digital, the whole cost of redoing, um, the system was $15 billion for broadcasting. i hope that there's much, much less than $3 billion spent because there won't be that many that have to move. but we don't know that until they come up with a plan that s

the fcc can do its work. the american people who count on free and local television will continue to enjoy it. >> guest: what are some provisions in particular you see important in the house bill not in the senate bill? >> guest: well, specifically the international treaty piece, and we were very thankful to congressman conyers representing michigan, and frankly, every northern senator and congressmen, they would be badly impacted by anything going forward that didn't have these -- this understanding, this reworking of the treaty with canada, and in part with mexico, that that be in place before the fcc can repack, otherwise they literally don't have a channel to move to. that's just the physics of airways. >> guest: when the house bill was marked up in early december, the democrats complained that it was too generous in terms of how much money was reserved for broadcasters, forced to relocate, not giving up the spectrum, but repacking, moving to other channels, it's $3 billion in the house bill, less in the

that must be in place before the fcc can repack. otherwise, they literally do not have a channel to move. that is the physics of airways. >> when the house bill was marked up and are of a december, the democrats said this was too generous in terms of money reserved for broadcasters forced to relocate. in other words, they are not giving up the spectrum, but have to move to different channels. it is $3 billion in the house bill. it is less in the senate bill and less house democrats proposed. mr. billion dollars to generous? >> i think to properly understand the house bill, you need to understand $3 billion is a cap. when we went from analog to digital, the cost of redoing the situation was $15 billion for broadcasting. i hope there is much less than $3 billion spent, because there will not be done and even have to move. but we do not know that until the come up with a plan that says which channels have to move. your viewers should understand that moving a broadcast tower is not an expensive proposition. we do not know what the cost

fcc is a very complex organization. the deals and such are cerebrum and technical matters -- supreme pool -- cerebral and technical matters. communication becomes very important. most people do not know what you do. if they do, they're probably afraid of you. those personal skills are incredibly important. i would like to start the questioning with a question to each of you. it is a question jessica has heard many times before because i ask it as the first question. we were responsible for establishing a program we are very fond of. a lot of other people help. it has done a fantastic job in helping to close the digital divide. i thought at the time that when it passed, a high number of costumes would be covered. in fact, it was only 15%. that was in california. houston went wireless and within two days, they were 100%. there was a vast variations in west virginia. the numbers are now very high as they are across the country. the e-wave program is about the technology and keeping it current so it can continue to close th

chairman. >> fcc is a very, is a very complex organization. it deals in such cerebral matters and technical matters that the human relations aspect within the fcc, also reaching out to the public becomes are important because most people don't know what to do. and if they do they're probably afraid. and so, you know, those personal skills are incredibly important. i would like to start questioning with a question to each of you, a question which jessica rosenworcel has certainly done before because i ask as the very first question. senator olympia snowe and i were responsible for starting a program which we are very fond of called the rate. a lot of other people helped it is not a fantastic job in helping with closing the digital divide. i thought at the time that when you passed, that the california would be way out, you know, i never, percentage of classes were covered in fact he was only 15% on the other hand houston which i they would be low, they went wild and within two days they were 100%. so i mean there was this vast irrigation. west

i wonder if i took every speech of the chairman of the fcc, julius genachowski, and let's see how many times he's mentioned the words internet versus media ownership or telecom interconnection policies, you know, the core of the '96 act, i think we would find a huge disconnect between the focus of his administration and what's in the statute. the words "internet" barely appear in the telecom act. you've heard this before, we're still regulate anything a very balkanized bucket. you're entitled to a telecommunications carrier, if you're coaxial carrier, you're a title 6 industry provider. but every type and every stripe almost all regulatory questions now are gray because the act doesn't provide clarity, and it creates jurisdictional disputes, it creates a lot of litigation. there's a heavy inefficiency in the statute. so it's either going to die under its own weight, and it's certainly growing in irrelevancy, i would argue. and at one point i think congress has to migrate us out of it. i think that's my thinking about it, migrate to a bit is a bit kind of regulatory world as opposed to

the fcc gave them a pass on many things. what you call centralization, i call monopoly, so it becomes more monopolistic. i respect his mother and father, but michael powell, an african- american was head of the fcc, son of colin powell. they let this happen and let the rules get more blacks are running the fcc. he is no longer there. -- lecter rules get more -- let the rules get more lax at running. >> when barack obama was running for office, he utilize the new media to a great extent to be able to mobilize the massive extent of people to support him, and he also promised that he would fight for a free and open internet. really, the battle in the media today is over the futur of the internet as a voice, video, and print all converge on the internet, and unfortunately, here is the chairman that does not have a good record on this. the issue right now is on the internet, will the people who control the pipes through which all of the information flows to your smartphone and your computer, your television set, will they be able

the fcc has put out an item looking at dynamics about spectrum access, seeking comments. years ago, as you're aware, the fcc looked at something called interference temperatures, and basically, the idea would be it would allow folks to use spectrum that wasn't used perhaps below the noise floor. that didn't work, that didn't go anywhere. as you said, politically, it's difficult and kind of from a business standpoint incumbents don't like anything that sounds like forced sharing, if you will. why technologists like to look at dynamic spectrum access, perhaps in up licensed spectrum. how realistic is it for that to be implemented in licensed bands, do you think? >> guest: it comes down, again, to incentives. and as spectrum grows more valuable, if i'm holding spectrum and i'm not using it all the time, hopefully, the marketplace would work. somebody would come to me and say, dale, i see you're using your spectrum heavily during the week but not so much on weekends, and i want to do some electronic news gathering in boulder, for example, on the weekends. i'm making this up e

the fcc has put out an item looking at dynamic spectrum access. years ago as you are aware, the fcc looked at something called interference temperatures and basically it, the idea would be, it would allow folks to you spectrum that wasn't used perhaps below -- that didn't go anywhere. as you said politically it's difficult and from it business standpoint incumbents don't like anything brought about by for sharing if you will. technologist if you look at dynamic spectrum access, how realistic is it for that to be implemented do you think? >> guest: it comes down again to, incentive and as spectrum grows more valuable if i am holding spectrum and not using it all the time hopefully the marketplace would work. somebody would come and say dale, i see that you are using your spectrum heavily during the week but not so much on weekends and i want to do some electronic newsgathering in boulder for example on the weekends ago i making this up entirely. i would like to lease some spectrum for new and used it on a dynamic basis. so that would provide econom

. >> the fcc wants to voluntarily reallocate 120 megahertz of spectrum. that would be part of the 500 mhz they want to free up. from a political standpoint, how difficult will that be? how do you convince television channels to give up spectrum, and how do you get it to the wireless carriers? >> part of the problem as i indicated earlier is that spectrum is not used uniformly. it tends to be used the most and the most valuable in urban areas. in the case of television, it is in the northeast corridor where people are packed closely together and television stations have to be closely packed together. creating enough spectrum in those critical areas for reallocation is where it is really tough. are veryical analysies challenging. my own sense, and i have not done a detailed studies myself, but my own sense is that it is going to be a challenge to come up with significant amounts of spectrum in the urban areas where it is needed the most for the cellular phone type applications. where it is clearly very useful is in rural areas of the country where we can fr

following a story out of washington involving fcc, how loud commercials can be regulated.ngela phos ser tracking the commute. first, we start with meteorologist, justin berk. >>> 6:43, how cold is it this morning. weest got 29 pear hall. science center 346789 that's a spread to baltimore city. 27 in joppa. 26 bel air. 31 edgemere and towards sykesville. we've got a look at clear skies. clouds creep in from the west. that sis stem going to take energy to the west, it's going to set the stage for something interesting as we go to the start of the week . frosty morning, warmer than yesterday with two degree guaranteed high. >>> things are picking up out there as we monitor traffic from the live desk. a quick view of what you are looking at traveling through howard county on i-95, southbound lanes, very crowded make your way through column chum down to the capitol beltway. back to you. >>> protesters during an early morning raid around 3:00, kuren redmond is live on the scene and has been there since shortly before 4:00. the police and protesters have been moved on. >> reporte

the fcc received information from his firm concerning a radio antenna. when the fcc would not to check it, the reported it was in compliance they found out it was not. at the same time as his firm producing airport, they told the city in look out exactly the opposite. it is not that they are not telling the truth. it is that there needs to be independent verification and there is not. the burden is upon at&t and even by what mr. hammett said. president chiu: if i could ask you to follow up your comments, explaining what happened even if that was true. >> what is even if? president chiu: i would like you to finish your sentence. >> my sense is simple. the fact of the matter is, you represent the people of san francisco. all the people of san francisco. if at&t comes to you and asks for something, you should ask them to prove what they say. even their own expert says that the material they submitted does not prove it. there is some hidden package someplace that does. that is not the way democracy is supposed to work. thank you. president chiu: thank you. c

both the arra and the fcc are setting specific standards and requirements for these networks. we are negotiating to make sure we have clear language in our agreement with motorola. motorola has to ensure that any device that is certified is compliant by the fcc or the national standards agency in washington will operate to it's full functionality on the network. we believe that is a key component, to develop a key market for devices and hopefully drive down the price of those devices. do you have my contact information? i love to talk about this. if you have any questions that you would like to follow up, please do so anytime. then he gets very excited about this. thank you. -- >> he gets very excited about this. thank you. we are changing the way we have done disaster councils in the past when we go over reports, and we will provide executive summaries for you and begin looking at trends and the things we're learning. we thought that would be more helpful at that level for the council. i will turn it over to rob, who will give you that kind of overview, our deputy director. >

it also caught the eye of the fcc. the fcc now says it's looking into this fee. by the way, is set to go into effect on january 15th. i think it's interesting how it caught the fcc's eye. >> at other thing that struck me in this was the timing of the announcement. the fact they waited until the so-called dead week between christmas and new year. it seemed a little calculating. >> well, you know, i don't know about the timing. customers are going to be notified of the media's covering this like crazy. one other thing that kind of stuck out at me, if you play your cards right here, customers really won't have to worry about this. the rub here, the real rub here is that probably people who can least afford the fee, meaning people who don't necessarily have bank accounts, they're the ones who are going to get stuck paying it. so, you know, i don't quite see the fairness in that. you know, verizon is offering a lot of ways to get around it. we'll see what happens. then there could be that consumer backlash a lot like we saw with that bank of america fee, that $5 debit

the exposure would be 2.9% of the allowable fcc limit. hearing is not the appropriate venue. this is to consider if the existing city law guidelines were properly administered in the authorization. in this case with the project cited in the most preferred location, and the project that meets all the criteria outlined in the guidelines and the planning code, the project is approved by the planning commission. assets the department respectfully requests the board of polled its conditional use authorization. i am available for questions. president chiu: i have a couple of starter questions. the appellant in their presentation showed a map that the project sponsor laid out which suggests that there is a lot of coverage gaps, making it look like certain parts of brant county as opposed to san francisco. if you go to the website it suggests that there is excellent coverage in the neighborhood we're talking about. how do you resolve the discrepancy? >> in consultation with the planner, that information about at&t's coverage from their rooms i wa

the fcc has the power, and they use it.the mere existence of the debate shows we have to define the duty we have as members of congress to the american people obtaining to the non-public information, and not refining this duty leaves a gap, and it's clear there's a gap of uncertainty that invites abuse and contributes to a break down of trust among the american people. that's not right. this legislation is directly aimedded at correcting this programs that academics like professors that you referenced have identified, and in his work, professor's work, found that members of congress investments may have benefited from an informational advantage over members of over general public, and in the recent book, is reports members of congress make a killing in real estate by approving federal funds to projects enhancing the values of buildings or lands they own. that's not right. as members of congress, we all know we have access to information that the public does not through classified briefings, personal conversations, and all o

the fcc imposed the rule tuesday after a flooding of complaints.ect though for another year. >>> we'll try to keep the volume down. maybe one or two things to shout from the hilltops. with the clouds at 36 degrees, a milder start but a darker start for you. especially for your commute, at least you won't have to fight off much sun glare. to the west a warming trend to the 40s and 50s ahead of this storm system. high pressure still in control. that high pressure trying to protect us but there's this slug of moisture that continues togance farther east -- to advance farther east and we're accounting for the chance of showers trying to sneak in here late morning to early afternoon. it's really attached to a storm system that will stay to our northwest. this is essentially a warm front. once it comes through and there's a chance of late evening showers to the north in pennsylvania, it will bring in warmer temperatures. we will have ourselves a push into the 50s today, and even warmer tomorrow. there's the frontal boundary. the computer models haven't d

if i took every speech of the current chairman of the fcc, my good friend, and see how many times he's mentioned the word "broadband" and "access rules" or "telecom interconnected policies" and i think there would be a huge disconnect and the word "internet" barely appears in the act. we are still regulating in bulcanized bucket. if you use co-ax cable, you're a title vi internet provider, but with industries of every type and stripe, almost all regulatory questions now are gray because the agent does not provide clarity and creates disputes and a lot of litigation. it heavy inefficiency in the statute. it's going to die under its own weight, and it's growing, i would argue, and at one point, i think, you know congress has to migrate us out of it. i think that's my thinking about it. migrate to a bit is a bit of regulatory world opposed to shatter it and try to rewrite the same thing in another four year dramatic exercise. i believe you can have a stably shorter broadband bill that is standards based, more flexible, that sort of rewards companies for investing and migrating to it and l

not only the fcc and the justice department but seven states sued at&t. >> tom: you mentioned the c.e.o. randall stevenson, this was his first big deal as the chief executive officer. >> right. >> tom: what does this mean for his tenure? >> i think that he's going to have a hard row to hoe right now with his board and with his shareholders. because at&t basically is going to get very little out of this and lose, as we just talked about, close to $7 billion. >> tom: let me ask you about that figure. because it's $3 billion in cash that has to write a check to deutsche telekom before the end of the calendar year, a lot of money to cuff up. but you are saying it sweater than twice that that's almost a 20% breakup fee this was a $40 billion deal and are you saying at&t is going to lose 8. >> that is an indication of the confidence that both deutsche telekom and at&t had in getting this deal patsed through the regulators. and as i said, back in march, it didn't look like it was going to be held up. but all of a sudden, the at&t story started changing and they got very defensive and they actu

. >> the fcc's but most of the fall dealing with consumer reform. it put a lot of input into the proceeding. one of the biggest concerns that the cable industry had was the right of first refusal provisions. he thought they gave an unfair edge package to all providers rather than cable providers and being able to receive a subsidy to build up their broadband network. talk about how you see that affecting cables interest in andy's rule areas where it is hard to reach. is this something you see cable companies suing the ftc over? >> cable is very proud to say that we have been through three or four cycles of the government new-found infatuation with competition over a natural monopoly. if you think about it, for 100 years in the united states we had a belief that all of these industries were natural monopolies. the government actually sanctioned them. these were not monopolies created in the marketplace. at&t did not become the phone company because they beat everybody. it did because the government made a deal. the deal it made in the early 1900's wa

not only the fcc and the justice department but seven states sued at&t. >> tom: you mentioned the c.e.o. randall stevenson, this was his first big deal as the chief executive officer. >> right. >> tom: what does this mean for his tenure? >> i think that he's going to have a hard row to hoe right now with his board and with his shareholders. because at&t basically is going to get very little out of this and lose, as we just talked about, close to $7 billion. >> tom: let me ask you about that figure. because it's $3 billion in cash that has to write a check to deutsche telekom before the end of the calendar year, a lot of money to cuff up. but you are saying it sweater than twice that that's almost a 20% breakup fee this was a $40 billion deal and are you saying at&t is going to lose 8. >> that is an indication of the confidence that both deutsche telekom and at&t had in getting this deal patsed through the regulators. and as i said, back in march, it didn't look like it was going to be held up. but all of a sudden, the at&t story started changing and they got very defensive and they actu

not only the fcc and the justice department but seven states sued at&t. >> tom: you mentioned the c.e.o. randall stevenson, this was his first big deal as the chief executive officer. >> right. >> tom: what does this mean for his tenure? >> i think that he's going to have a hard row to hoe right now with his board and with his shareholders. because at&t basically is going to get very little out of this and lose, as we just talked about, close to $7 billion. >> tom: let me ask you about that figure. because it's $3 billion in cash that has to write a check to deutsche telekom before the end of the calendar year, a lot of money to cuff up. but you are saying it sweater than twice that that's almost a 20% breakup fee this was a $40 billion deal and are you saying at&t is going to lose 8. >> that is an indication of the confidence that both deutsche telekom and at&t had in getting this deal patsed through the regulators. and as i said, back in march, it didn't look like it was going to be held up. but all of a sudden, the at&t story started changing and they got very defensive and they actu

it was entirely working to the with the other self-regulatory organizations and with the fcc. the concerns when you have a firm that takes a -- >> in hindsight somebody should have put them into bankruptcy a week before this to maybe save that $900 million that is floating around. i'm just trying to understand that because i'm very concerned, this feels like deja vu all over to me again, okay? mr. duffy, and and i had conversations about cme and how this would be the first time money was lost from segregated accounts, and i was counting on you guys sort of in this, and i appreciate that the cma put up $550 million which is, you know, towards the assistance to the customers, and how does this happen? you clear twice a day. you see who is got money and who doesn't. >> it is very disturbing, sir, and we have had many conversations, and i think one of the reasons you saw my testimony the way it was, it was a timeline to show we were getting falsified segregation reports, and as we tied the segregation report out from wednesday going into thursday and friday, the money was there as

and the fcc is down on tv commercials. consumers say are too loud.esday the agency passed an act to make sure they are the same volume as the show they appear in. congress already passed a law no but wanted the fcc to come up with enforcement rules. those are things we thought you should know. [ male announcer ] an lg smart tv, lg optimus cell phone and...an apology card. this is ridiculous. yeah, and it's got apps. nice. it's got vudu, twitter, facebook. no honey, not facebook. ♪ honey, you think my sweater's horrendous? cats don't skate. i think it kicks butt. [ male announcer ] get low prices on the gifts they love, like lg tvs with the latest technology. and get free shipping to your store or home. save money. live better. walmart. try bayer advanced aspirin. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test

they pulled that application after the fcc chairman came out against the deal.officials were hoping that a favorable court decision would help to prove their case to the fcc. >>> san francisco-based zynga is reportedly set to go public. they report the maker of popular social media games is expected to make it's initial public offering december 14th and anticipating selling shares between $8 and $10 a share and analysts say that could serve as an indicator how facebook could be valued if it goes public next year. >>> early birds enjoyed a total eclipse of the moon. after 3:30 a.m. the earth's shadow began to cover the moon. it lasted about 50 minutes. dozens pelf went to oakland's chabot earn and science center to get a look at the dark moab through the center's telescope. many brought their children for the hands on astronomy lesson. >> that it's more than reading books and you can partake and see it with your own eyes. >> there won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2014 and nasa says that one will also be visible. >>> researchers may be one step closer to

the fcc is ordering that commercials are not louder than the program. viewers have complained for decades now. the rule takes effect in the year. southwest airlines is delivering an order for boeing. the $19 billion deal is the biggest in boeing's hisotry. tory. the white house is scrapping a program to commemorate every u.s. president on the coins. they simply were not selling. the shutdown will save $50 million every year. that is america's money. >>> 6:18 now. adam caskey is joining us this morning. compared to yesterday, it feels a lot more pleasant outside. >>> not as frosty this morning. temperatures are above freezing. yesterday, we started talking about the chance of may be seeing a wintry mix on friday night and saturday morning. as of now, that is looking less likely. it looks like that system will push just far enough to the south, where our odds of getting hit are slimmer than yesterday. here is my favorite boat on the bay, festive for the holiday season. still a little while from sun up. here are the four coldest temperatures i could find.

the fcc opposition comes on top of a lawsuit from the department of justice to block the merger. the trial is expected to begin in february. netflix has had a difficult year. in a note to investors, netflix is " broken " in order to make up for the revenue shortfall, netflix will need to attract 15 million streaming only subscribers would. netflix has not yet commented. 93 percent of retailers are offering free shipping which is about 8% from last year. unlike before when many offer free shipping, this year there is a catch. experts say the best defense for shoppers is to look at overall deal, not just shipping. >>pam: for raider passes away at the age of 42. coming up next, gary rhenish with sports. if a salary >>pam: here is stanley roberts who vowed to some people behaving badly. >>stanley: this is a church. >> they cannibalize all of these. >>stanley: this is father robert reid from the st. ignatius antioch church located in antioch. his church has been hit numerous times by thieves. if the >> starting the first week in august all of our security cameras were stolen. >>stanle

the fcc will hold ah hearing in dc about loud commercials.is the loudness mitigation act, to prevent digital tv advertisements to be put out at a higher volume. the 12th is projected to be the businest day for holiday shipments. fedex expects to move 27 packages tomorrow. if you aren't ready to ship out here is your deadline. ground shipping, you have until december 16th. express december 23rd. here is what our sports team will do. a conference battle for the redskins as they take on the giants. sunday 1:00 at met life stadium. for the capitals, the fliers come to town the nthe capsen the caps go to winnipeg. a lot of frequent flier miles. it looks like his life story is coming from theto the screen. marion berry is the focus of a new film. ♪ lookin for love ♪ >> eddie murphy as marion berry. it is kind of funny. >> the former snl star became famous by impersonating famous characters. he will have lots to work with taking on the role of marion berry. he was thrust into the spotlight after being shot, and was busted in 1990 for smoking crack c

promises andlot of the way the fcc was created. i think we do need it, but i think at some point this party, that party organizing this week ,apa -- in the internet age, that may become increasingly too cumbersome. >> former fcc chairman, michael powell, talks about the issues affecting the telecommunications industry. tonight at 8:00 on "the communicators." ""washington journal" continues. , thank youa gotbaum for being here. describe the worked the pbgc does. guest: it is a backstop. when companies fail and cannot keep paying their pensions, we stepped in. it was modeled on the fdic. when a bank fails, they cover your deposits. pbgc was set up so when companies are bankrupt, cannot pay pensions, then we will step in and we will pay pensions. host: the bankruptcy filing of american airlines could saddle is this the obscure federal agency that entrance company pensions, your agency, could saddle it with a $9 billion loss. the reason the financial pressures on the debt and government funds and the possibility it could mean a taxpaye

a new fcc rule will prohibt commercials being played much louder than your tv show but it won't take effect for another year. >>> the united states postal service said it will delay the closings until may. the service was planning to close 250 mail processing facilities early next year to save money. >>> the holiday can be one of the most joyous but stressful times. we have tips to keep you cool. >>> houses and in some case entire blocks empty and in need of repairmt tonight a new move to restore some of the neglected streets. gift buying, cooking, traveling can make this an emotionally draining time. abc2 is working to help you manage your stress. >>> and new year's eve isn't the only thing to remember about the and of the year. tax credits could save you. >>> park heights, upper, lower. some of our once proud streets have fallen on hard times. now a huge investment in the center of the neighborhood and many are hoping this is a sign of good things to come. >> it's an attempt to put park back in park heights. when you look at den more, you say how could this have happened. in a year

traditionally the fcc has had authority to limit indecent and profane language and content. but the legal landscape is probably change it was that change is this is very important and i think it is incumbent upon the fcc and, frankly, all of us to make sure that we both provide quality content, foster it and stimulate, the good stuff for kids, and i would also help parents become good parents with providing them with tools to help protect their children. >> that's a good answer. and we will leave it at that. i'm very serious about this, and i worry about it greatly. i think that there's a lot of wonderful things to be said about the internet, a lot of wonderful things to be said about telecommunications, but people are talking to each other less. they don't have to take responsibility for what they put on facebook or other such social networks because it doesn't come back to haunt them. it's usually somebody else, except when it is them come and and are mortified. and it has an enormous effect. just hear me on that, and we will work together to see what can be done. you've b

where the fcc is poised to limit the volume of tv ads. if you don't like the loud tv commercials, you're going to like this. congress passed a law called the calm act. commercial advertising loudness mitigation. this time last year. this week, thursday is the deadline for the sec to come up with rules to determine how to get that done. broadcasters, cable operators, big and small, will be required to bring down the volume on those commercials, make sure it matches the programs that you're watching. how to do that, that's what they're working out in a meeting at is fcc today. cable operators in particular say they're getting program from all different sources, millions of commercials. they can't be responsible for the volume of every single one. a couple in particular told the scc they boost the volume because some go in so low. they want to make sure they can still do that, boost the volume of the entire channel. so they've got some things to work out. they'll give the majority of them a year to comply. some may get a little bit longer th

today the fcc voted unanimously to have the control law.ing to moderate the level of the commercials to the level surrounding them. the law takes effect next december. >>> a government audit of head start facilities has uncovered an unselling pattern of safety violations at some center around the country. more than 90% of those reviewed had toxic chemicals or cleaning supplies within reach of preschoolers. more than half had playground equipment in poor, even dangerous condition. one case, a machete was found near a play area. inle cases, the required criminal background checks hadn't been conducted on the staff. head start provides early education services to nearly 1 million chil verizon center ton. dan will explain. >>> holiday decorating is a tradition for many of us. are you keeping your family safe? >> last year, 13,000 people ended up in emergency rooms as a result of holiday decorating accidents and more than 100 people die each year in fires. today the consumer product safety commission demonstrated just how dangerous this time of

. >> there was word the fcc might investigate the fee, and after a giant backlash from customers people vented their anger on twitter and change.org, where over 100,000 people signed a petition against the feet and a little over 24 hours. >> i think we should rise up more for things like this. >> it is similar to what the banks were trying to do. >> a few months ago, bank of america said it would start slapping customers with a $5 fee per month to use the cards. it took the bank about a month to back down. it took verizon a day. verizon said in a statement that it would encourage customers to pay their bill and other ways but based on customer concerns it will not charge the $2 feet for on-line and phone payments. >> happy new year, tom. >>> still to come, a hollywood mystery, a slew of arsons under investigation. one fire destroyed the home of a music legend. >> and massive sinkhole, a whole neighborhood evacuate after the ground it opens up in a pennsylvania town. >>> investigators are searching for a serial arsonist set in hollywood. more than a dozen fires was set last night, each s

justice department and head of the fcc oppose the $49 merger plan.at&t must now find another way to address its shortage of wire les airwaves and -- wireless airwaves. >>> lotoleaveer is -- lotto believe -- lotto fever is up. >> i actually boot a ticket down the -- bought a ticket down the street the day they hit the $56 million. it was not my ticket. >> people liped up early at a doughnut shop to get tickets. the jackpot is $152. california is one of 42 states taking part in the megamillions lottery. >>> coming up at fogg, we'll -- 5:00 we're getting to the bottom of the carjacking in the south bay. you can see police are still on the scene at el cajon drive in south san jose. that's where the carjacking happened. robert honda is working the story. we'll have the latest at 5:00. thank you for trusting ktvu channel 2 news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. be sure to join us at 5:00. thanks for watching. state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender b

fcc is holding a open meeting today.ing commercials from bong transmitted at louder volumes than original programming. >>> national transportation safety board could come without with recommendations on texting and driving. it's going to look at a case of 19-year-old who caused a deadly highway pile up in missouri last year, when he rear ended a tractor trailer while texting. >>> shoppers can procrastinate. the retail federation survey says more stores are now pushing back to order deadlines for christmas delivery. it's tuesday december 20th, for many places. >>> items belonging to elizabeth taylor are hitting the auction blocks. some are pieces of her her stunning jewelry collection valued around $30 million. the auction begins at christies in new york. >>> motivational speaker in virginia is in trouble, coming up, what martha nicholas is accused of doing that has members of a cancer community crying foul. >>> can breast cancer treatment help memory problems later in life? >>> police move in and force occupy baltimore p

we had already heard from the fcc they were going to look into this, right? >> right. that was kind of an interesting twist in this. that hit the wire a short time ago, maybe half an hour to an hour ago that the fcc was concerned about this fee. didn't elaborate on why but was looking into it. that added a new layer to this new fee that really just caused consumers such outrage to have to pay a fee just to pay your bill. especially since it seems -- it looked to have maybe targeted people who, you know, didn't have bank accounts, who had to pay those one-time fees because they don't have those bank accounts. so interesting turn of events from verizon wireless, isha. >> yes, indeed. verizon wireless dropping that $2 fee. alison kosik, appreciate the update. thank you. >>> switching gears now. north carolina police have inspecting a turkey farm. one operated by butterball, the largest producer of turkey products in the united states. the reason for the search, a complaint coupled with graphic hidden camera video of alleged animal abuse. we want to warn you, some of you m