The FCC’s public notice seeking a record refresh on improving how wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate first responders got only minor changes over the draft version, based on a side-by-side comparison. Commissioners approved the notice Wednesday (see 2206080040), and released it Thursday. Officials said Wednesday they didn’t adopt all the language proposed by APCO (see 2206060052) on emergency services IP networks (ESInets), but some was added. In an added sentence, the FCC now seeks comment “on whether wireless carrier plans and timelines for implementing location-based routing vary depending on whether PSAPs are using legacy E911 technology, are transitioning to NG911 (i.e., have implemented discrete NG911 elements, such as ESInets, but have not fully implemented NG911), or have achieved full end-state NG911 with all elements included.” The final version makes eight references to ESInets, compared with one in the draft. A new sentence asks: “How if at all is location-based routing different for [public safety answering points] that are not connected to an ESInet?” The FCC also added comment dates -- July 11 for initial comments, July 25 for replies -- which were based on the release date.

Low-power TV and TV translator stations, MVPDs and FM stations have until Sept. 6 to submit remaining incentive auction invoices to the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund, the FCC Media Bureau said in a docket 16-306 public notice Wednesday.

Redesignate USTelecom's Industry Traceback Group (ITG) as the registered consortium to head industry efforts to trace the origin of suspected unlawful calls, said NCTA and CTIA in comments posted Monday in docket 20-22 (see 2204200018). USTelecom was first designated in 2020 and redesignated in 2021. The ITG, established in 2015, "has played a central role in combatting illegal robocalls," said USTelecom. The ITG has "successfully fulfilled" its mandate since 2020, CTIA commented: It "remains best qualified to serve as the registered consortium." The ITG's "neutral framework consistently and effectively promotes the type of widespread participation necessary for success," the group said, citing "significant growth in industry participation." The FCC received a letter of intent from ZipDX expressing interest in being designated as the registered consortium in May. It's the second time ZipDX submitted a letter and called itself the "most competent applicant." ZipDX raised concerns about the ITG's potential for "associated intrinsic bias" because of its funding sources: "While there may be no explicit evidence of such allegiances, it is an obvious consideration." The FCC Enforcement Bureau said in its 2021 order redesignating the ITG that its "multi-member structure ensures neutrality and reflects openness" (see 2108250081). NTCA, which has several members that sit on the ITG's executive committee, said USTelecom "continues to build on its efforts to combat robocalls" and initiated nearly 2,900 tracebacks between January and November 2021. It "commend[ed] ZipDX’s participation in traceback efforts and its commitment to curbing illegal robocalls" but noted choosing another consortium would "hamper the industry’s ongoing and important efforts to protect consumers." The ITG’s record "speaks for itself concerning neutrality through consistent and even-handed implementation," USTelecom said.

RS Access CEO Noah Campbell and others from the company, and from RKF Engineering, said they spoke with FCC staff on a new engineering study on using the 12 GHz band for 5G, which they say shows no threat to the non-geostationary orbit fixed-satellite service (see 2205200038). “RS Access has now filed two rigorous technical studies based on Monte Carlo simulations of a robust nationwide 5G deployment and 2.5 million NGSO terminals,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-443: “NGSO operators -- including Starlink -- have failed to submit any technical analysis of their own during the 1.5 years this proceeding has been open. … To remove any doubt about the feasibility of 5G-NGSO coexistence, and despite serious questions about the claims made by opposing satellite companies, RKF’s new analysis incorporates technical assumptions put forward by Starlink about the nature and operation of NGSO terminals.” Starlink didn’t comment. The 5G proponents spoke with staff from the Wireless and International bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology. Proponents hope for an order addressing the band in coming months, though they say timing is difficult to predict (see 2205170052).

CTIA told the FCC Thursday nationwide wireless carriers, working with Apple and Google, can provide accurate vertical location information on wireless calls to 911, based on tests by the industry’s 911 Location Technologies Test Bed. CTIA said AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon also verified the results independently. “We are proud to report the testing validates that device-based hybrid (DBH) z-axis location technology solutions, Google’s Android Emergency Location Service (ELS) and Apple’s Hybridized Emergency Location (HELO), together achieve ± 3-meter accuracy for at least 80 percent of wireless 9-1-1 calls,” said a filing in docket 07-114. The companies faced a 2021 deadline to be able to deliver vertical location data in the top 25 cellular market areas. CTIA said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed testing. “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, including building access, delayed permissions to enter, a compressed testing schedule, and more, the 9-1-1 Location Technologies Test Bed completed testing across more than 1,000 test points,” CTIA Chief Technology Officer Tom Sawanobori blogged: “The tests were more extensive than any previous test campaign, including a greater variety of test regions -- from dense, urban environments to rural communities -- a broader diversity of test buildings (taking into account various heights, construction materials, and building uses), 15 test devices, and more test points per building.”

Three-quarters of the world’s population by the end of 2024 will have its personal data covered under “modern privacy regulations,” predicted Gartner Tuesday. Since most organizations lack a “dedicated privacy practice,” the responsibility for “operationalizing” these requirements will be passed onto chief information security officers, said Gartner: “With the expansion of privacy regulation efforts across dozens of jurisdictions in the next two years, many organizations will see the need to start their privacy program efforts now.” Gartner predicts that large organizations’ average annual budgets for privacy will exceed $2.5 million by 2024, it said

The Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board plans an open meeting July 13-14 at the American Institute of Architects in Washington, says a National Institute of Standards and Technology notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register. The agenda is expected to include an NIST briefing on updates to its cybersecurity framework and formal introduction to the board of newly confirmed NIST Director Laurie Locascio, says the notice. The final agenda will be posted on the board’s website, it says.

The FCC’s legacy version of the commission registration system (CORES) will be decommissioned July 15 at 6 p.m., said the Office of Managing Director in a public notice Friday. The current version of CORES -- which the PN calls CORES2 -- has been in use since 2016, the PN said. “Users should be aware that they will need to register in CORES2 to gain online access” and manage their FCC registration numbers, the PN said. The FCC “is in the process of transitioning its various online systems to CORES2,” the PN said, and some systems will still accept legacy CORES passwords as well as CORES2 passwords after the decommission date, until they are also shifted to solely using CORES2, the PN said. Payment of regulatory fees will transition to CORES2 July 15, checking red light status will transfer Aug. 5, Universal Licensing System payments Aug. 26 and application fee payments Nov. 18, the PN said.

Broadcom will finance $32 billion of its proposed $61 billion VMware buy for cash and stock with new, "fully committed" debt financing from a “consortium of banks,” said the buyer Thursday. Broadcom also agreed to assume $8 billion in VMware debt, it said. The transaction is expected to close during Broadcom’s fiscal year ending October 2023. The deal includes a 40-day “go shop” provision enabling VMware to solicit bids from other potential buyers, it said. VMware Chairman Michael Dell has agreed to vote in favor of the deal, “so long as the VMware board continues to recommend the proposed transaction,” Broadcom said. Dell controlled 97.4% of VMware’s voting power as of a May 2021 proxy filing at the SEC. The VMware buy will take Broadcom and its business “to the next level,” said Broadcom CEO Hock Tan on a Thursday call with investors. “By adding VMware, we will bring significant scale to Broadcom’s software business.” Broadcom’s “target” is for VMware to contribute EBITDA of $8.5 billion “once we have fully integrated the company onto our platform,” said Tan. VMware on Thursday reported 3% revenue growth in its fiscal Q1 ended April 28 to $3.09 billion but canceled its quarterly earnings call due to the Broadcom transaction.

Congressional discussions about regulating or breaking up Big Tech are focused heavily around antitrust issues and wrongly ignore national security implications, former National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said Wednesday in a CCIA/Foreign Policy webinar Wednesday. Any such legislation needs a robust review of national security implications before it's adopted, said Klon Kitchen, American Enterprise Institute resident fellow. Those Big Tech discussions suffer from "a problem of process," with the Senate Judiciary Committee taking the lead with national security input being omitted from the discussion, said Negroponte, now vice chairman of international trade consultancy McLarty Associates. He was among former national security officials signatories last fall to a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., warning about national security implications of some antitrust bills aimed at Big Tech. Negroponte said talk of breaking up Big Tech ignores the utility of scale, with tech giants more able to put billions into research into developing capabilities like quantum computing, AI and robotics. Big Tech being big "is not ... ipso facto bad," and breaking up Big Tech would disadvantage U.S. companies versus their foreign company rivals, he said. Legislation that would bar self-preferencing by Big Tech could end up hurting consumers, Kitchen said, pointing to Google using user-base insights to help preempt phishing attacks on Gmail uses, Kitchen said. "That's precisely the type of unintended consequences that need to be considered," he said. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S-2992/HR-3816) would curb self-preferencing. The tech that drives both national economies and military capabilities is coming largely out of the private sector for commercial purposes, with the private sector disrupting the national security burden born by governments, Kitchen said. While the U.S. response is for government to work collaboratively with industry, nations like China have fused their private sector and government together, directing both at state aims, he said. He said breaking up companies puts limits on their ability to innovate. He said it's not coincidental the companies operating at the greatest scale are driving emerging tech like AI. He said startups are able to be agile because of underlying capabilities and datasets that come from big incumbents and pointed to Google's TensorFlow machine learning platform.