The FCC Wireless Bureau granted Jotron's request for a waiver for authorization and use of a personal locator beacon not in compliance with commission rules (see 2311290052). Jotron remains subject to testing and approval requirements, "including to secure certifications from independent test facilities" and obtain an approval letter from the U.S. Coast Guard demonstrating compliance with part 95 requirements, said an order Wednesday in docket 23-292.

Terrestrial 5G networks with directional base stations can coexist in the 12 GHz band by dynamically selecting the radius of an exclusion zone around an incumbent fixed satellite service (FSS) receiver, Virginia Tech and George Mason University researchers said Tuesday in docket 20-443. They developed modeling for potential harmful interference between 5G radio links and incumbent fixed non-geostationary orbit FSS receivers in the 12 GHz band and applied that to the topographical parameters and population density of Blacksburg, Virginia, the researchers said. While the modeling is in its pilot stage and was limited to Blacksburg, the results are useful in spectrum sharing discussions, they added.

DirectTV representatives reiterated that a Savid study showed interference problems from introducing terrestrial mobile into the 12.7 GHz band (see 2207180026) during a meeting with FCC staff, according to a docket 220352 filing Tuesday. Adding the effect of mobile user devices also points to increased interference woes, they said during a session with staff from the Wireless and Space bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology. DirecTV said terrestrial operators have pointed to being more interested in the 3-8 GHz range for expanded terrestrial service.

Mobile phone service providers must protect consumers against SIM card fraud schemes, the FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force said in an enforcement advisory Monday. “Threat actors” are increasingly targeting consumers by using fraudulent SIM swapping to target customers who request one-time passcodes via text for multifactor authentication, the advisory said. Telecom companies should familiarize themselves with a July report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board outlining threats associated with SIM fraud, the advisory said. “A telecommunications carrier’s failure to reasonably protect customer information, including through allowing fraudulent SIM swap schemes,” can violate FCC rules, the advisory said. “The Enforcement Bureau will aggressively protect consumers’ privacy and sensitive data, and we will hold accountable carriers to ensure they are doing everything possible to combat these cell phone account access scams,” EB Chief Loyaan Egal said in a news release.

Samsung Electronics America told an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel that approval of its request for waiver for a 5G base station radio working across citizens broadband radio service and C-band spectrum (see [Ref:2309130041) is important to 5G deployment in the U.S. “Additional delay in granting the Petition will hold up deployment in both the 3.7 GHz and CBRS bands,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 23-93. “The waiver advances the public interest by affording 5G network operators access to an innovative, efficient, and cost-effective base station that is smaller and has greater functionality than separate, standalone CBRS and 3.7 GHz band radios,” the company said. Samsung noted it’s a proponent of CBRS as a “major CBRS vendor” including to cable operators like Comcast for its Philadelphia CBRS deployment and “broke new ground by offering the first phone with CBRS” in the U.S.: “Simply put, Samsung would not develop or deploy a multiband radio that would intentionally cause interference to its own or anyone else’s CBRS radios.”

Federated Wireless filed a report at the FCC on public tests of its 6 GHz automated frequency coordination (AFC) system. As was the case with Qualcomm (see 2312070062), Federated said most challenges came from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and AT&T Labs. Federated “received 16 challenges from AT&T and the FCC that resulted in modifications to the Federated Wireless AFC system,” said the report filed Thursday in docket 21-352. Another 12 challenges involved a buffer area along the Canadian border, which were also resolved, the company said. The EPRI challenges “relate to the implementation of the propagation models specified in FCC Part 15 for different distances” and addressing them would require changes to FCC rules, Federated said.

Crown Castle announced that CEO Jay Brown will retire effective Jan. 16 after seven years at the helm. Board member Anthony Melone will serve as interim CEO and the board will conduct a search for a permanent CEO, according to an announcement issued after market close Thursday. Brown told the board Wednesday of his plans, the company said. Melone is a former chief technology officer at Verizon and Verizon Wireless. Brown's announcement comes after Elliott Investment Management called for "significant changes" to Crown Castle's executive and board leadership (see 2311280062). Brown “has helped establish Crown Castle as the nation’s leading provider of shared communications infrastructure connecting thousands of cities and communities to essential data,” said board Chair Robert Bartolo: Melone “is a proven leader with an impressive track record as an operator. His career spans more than 35 years in telecommunications and infrastructure, and he is deeply familiar with our business, team and portfolio. The Board is confident that Tony is the right person to serve as interim CEO while we conduct a search for a permanent successor.”

The Competitive Carriers Association brought officials from member Union Wireless to meet with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on delays small carriers face in receiving reimbursement through the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (see 2312040015). “As a participant in the Reimbursement Program, Union reiterated the critical need to fully fund the Program and successfully achieve its important national security objectives,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-89. “The current 39.5% allocation will only allow Union to replace a portion of their sites, which may result in some areas becoming unserved, including areas of strategic importance and areas where Union is the only wireless provider,” CCA said: “Losing service in these areas would not only impact Union’s subscribers, but the many domestic and international roamers on its network.”

Verizon updated the FCC on its 911 location-based routing (LBR) implementation efforts at the request of the Public Safety Bureau, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-64. Verizon has fully implemented LBR for 414 public safety answering points, with another 277 in progress, it said: “Verizon has worked with its wireless 911 vendor Comtech to incorporate LBR in Comtech's centralized text control center … in a manner that supports LBR for 911 text messages nationwide.”

Shure urged FCC action on wireless multichannel audio systems rules, as proposed in a 2021 NPRM (see 2104220056). “There is broad consensus in the wireless microphone community of manufacturers, technical experts, and users in support of technologies that deliver greater spectrum efficiency than what is currently available with narrowband technologies,” said a filing Wednesday in docket 21-115: “Such innovations are important to address the continually growing demand for wireless microphone technologies in a context in which access to suitable spectrum has been dramatically reduced and spectrum will continue to be constrained in the future.” Shure representatives met with staff from the Office of Engineering and Technology. The record “reflects support for different technical approaches to implementing WMAS rules and Commission staff will need to assess the likelihood of potential interference and weigh the trade-offs of each approach based on definitions of permissible power, bandwidth and spectral efficiency requirements,” Shure said.