Vodafone veteran Eben Albertyn will join Dish Network as executive vice president-chief technology officer, wireless business in September, Dish said Tuesday. He will oversee network technology strategy and operations for Dish Wireless, and replaces Dave Mayo and Marc Rouanne, who have overseen the growth of the network since its launch. "Eben has operated in fast-moving environments where highly engaged leadership, communication and teamwork matter, like they do at DISH," said John Swieringa, Dish Wireless president-chief operations officer: "He brings a deep understanding of both wireless infrastructure and IT, which is key given our first-of-its-kind, cloud-based Open RAN network architecture." Mayo is retiring and Rouanne will become executive vice president-global partnerships.

Aura Network Systems CEO Bill Tolpegin and others from the company spoke with FCC Wireless Bureau staff about the company’s request for a rulemaking on expanding use of air-ground radiotelephone service (Agras) channels between 454.675-454.975 MHz and 459.675-459.975 MHz for voice and data communications, including by drones (see 2109230049), said a filing posted Tuesday in RM-11912. The representatives “discussed AURA’s operations and its significant progress developing its terrestrial, standards compliant, command and control (C2) and voice technology stack to augment its existing network to enable uncrewed and remotely piloted flights in controlled airspace and other advanced air mobility (AAM) operations,” company said: They “stressed the importance of C2 to AAM operations, many of which will rely on standards compliant C2 networks and services to gain” FAA approval.

CTIA supported developing a “National AI Strategy” that highlights the “far-reaching consumer, economic, and societal benefits promised by AI,” in comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The strategy should “encourage organizations to weigh the risks and the benefits of AI systems, which will allow AI stakeholders to make more considered decisions about AI deployment and promote more effective use of AI technology,” CTIA said. The comments were due last week but haven't been posted (see 2307100060). CTIA cited the benefits of “AI in action.” The wireless industry already uses AI to “improve national security and cybersecurity, by engaging in real-time network threat detection and combating fraud; optimally and efficiently operate networks and services; improve customer care and service interactions as well as order fulfillment; help build 5G networks; contribute to the development of Open Radio Access Networks; and stop illegal robocalls,” CTIA said. The group said potential bias in AI can be overcome: “While AI could potentially reinforce biases if systems are poorly designed, with appropriate controls in place, AI can also be used to address and reduce potential biases and shortcomings in human decisionmaking.” CTIA said there's no need for new laws or regulation to control AI: “Reactive, technology-specific laws run the risk of creating ambiguity, sweeping too broadly, inhibiting innovation, and failing to anticipate future technology changes. Burdensome AI-specific regulations would be detrimental to businesses, consumers, and the United States’ leadership abroad.”

The Texas Department of Public Safety urged the FCC to address limitations on the symbol, or baud, rate for amateur radio operators, which has been a focus of the ARRL (see 1907160016). “It is critical that our State Emergency Response Teams have timely, accurate, and adequate communication flow during disasters,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 16-239: The state “relies on effective amateur radio communications to provide critical information and ground truth in areas severed from traditional modes of communications. Unfortunately, the Symbol Rate Limit rule restricts our ability to accomplish this vital task. … Eliminating the … rule will eliminate this need and allow seamless information flow during training, planning, responding to, and recovering from disasters.”

Tech companies told the FCC a new study by utility FirstEnergy warning of interference risks to utilities and other incumbents in the 6 GHz band as more Wi-Fi users take advantage of the spectrum (see 2305100047), suffers from the same flaws as a report the utility filed last year (see 2210130051). “Rather than conducting a large-scale probability analysis to test whether [radio local access networks] present a significant risk of harmful interference, FirstEnergy instead (1) cherry-picked a single [fixed service] site with two receivers, (2) purposefully selected only a set of consumer homes in the main beam of the link that it apparently believed would maximize the chance of producing its desired results, (3) placed RLAN access points in unrealistic locations within those homes, and (4) then forced multiple APs to operate constantly co-channel with the FS link rather than on any other available channels, as would be the case in the real world,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. The filing was signed by Amazon.com Services, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Qualcomm.

The FCC scheduled for publication in Monday's Federal Register all parts of the complicated item on the lower and upper 12 GHz band, approved by commissioners 4-0 in May. Comments are due Aug. 9, replies Sept. 8, on a Further NPRM on facilitating more robust terrestrial operations in the lower band, 12.2-12.7 GHz, “through additional possible terrestrial uses of the band.” Comments are due the same days on an NPRM on “various proposed means for transitioning some or all of the 550 megahertz between 12.7-13.25 GHz … to mobile broadband and other expanded use, as well as on alternative changes to the Commission’s rules that could promote use of the band on a shared basis.” An order directing fixed and mobile broadcast auxiliary services and cable television relay services licensees authorized to use the upper band “to certify the accuracy of the information reflected on their licenses, including whether their facilities are operating as authorized” is effective Monday, though the date when the filings are due will have to await another notice. Also effective Monday, an order saying “it is not in the public interest to add a mobile allocation to permit a two-way terrestrial 5G service in the 12.2 GHz band based on the current record.”

The market for in-vehicle advanced driver assistance systems will reach $6.1 billion globally by 2028, said a new report by ResearchAndMarkets.com. The report predicted the Western Europe market will be a leader for vehicle-to-everything, hitting $11.2 billion by 2028. “Combined 5G and mobile edge computing solutions” will “accelerate V2X growth” in the Asia Pacific and North America markets, the report said.

AT&T is working with Boldyn Networks to expand 5G coverage in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) system by installing antennas in 11 miles of tunnels and 11 underground stations, the companies said Thursday. “Our next-generation SFMTA distributed antenna system network is an extension of our high-density fiber footprint in the region which delivers 5G wireless connectivity, data center access, and enables connected buildings to better serve residents and businesses,” said Christos Karmis, CEO of Boldyn Networks’ U.S. business.

Verizon and T-Mobile split the honors in Opensignal’s July 5G experience report. Verizon won on 5G upload speed, with a score of 18.5 Mbps, “breaking T-Mobile’s streak of seven consecutive wins,” the company said: “AT&T lags behind its competitors with a score of 12.1 Mbps, as T-Mobile and Verizon users’ average 5G upload speeds are 50% and 52.1% faster, respectively.” T-Mobile won on download speed, for the eighth consecutive time, with a score of 195.5 Mbps, which is “twice as fast as Verizon users and 2.4 times as fast as AT&T users,” Opensignal said. Verizon offers the best “5G Live Video Experience,” the report said. But T-Mobile’s network is more widely available. T-Mobile users spend 57.9% of their time on the 5G network, which is “2.8 times more than the time” spent by AT&T users “and nearly six times more than Verizon users,” Opensignal said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment through July 17, replies July 24, on an NFL request for a two-year waiver extension of rules for the citizens broadband radio service, allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications system in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games (see 230601002). “The NFL contends that an extension of the conditional waiver is needed in case simultaneous Internet outages occur during or immediately prior to a football game, preventing its system from connecting" to a spectrum access system, the bureau said Wednesday in docket 21-111. “The NFL also asserts that an extension will allow it to continue to assess the technical and regulatory aspects of additional workaround solutions in the event of a simultaneous Internet outage.”