CTIA reported to the FCC that the number of handsets in use in the U.S. that can use the latest generation of wireless emergency alert technology (WEA 3.0) continues to grow. CTIA, citing IDC data, now estimates the WEA 3.0 penetration rate is about 60% of active smartphones, an increase from 34% last year, said a filing posted Friday in docket 15-91. “Given the reported handset lifetime of 35 months … we conclude that such handsets amount to a majority of active smartphones in use in 2022,” CTIA said: “CTIA and its member companies appreciate the Commission’s dedication to enhancing the WEA system and are very pleased with the progress that the wireless industry and FEMA have made on delivering new WEA features to consumers.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an FCC motion to extend abeyance on a lawsuit by the League of California Cities challenging the FCC’s June 2020 wireless infrastructure declaratory ruling. Proceedings are stayed until Nov. 14, the court said Thursday. The FCC sought more time to get to five commissioners (see 2207130052).

NAB raised concerns about a proposal in a 2020 Further NPRM to allow very lower power (VLP) operations throughout the 6 GHz band (see 2207260052), in calls with aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr, Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington. The change would mean “harmful interference to licensed operations in the band, including particularly broadcasters’ electronic newsgathering (ENG) operations,” NAB said: “Newsworthy events frequently transpire in close proximity to crowds, whether indoors or outdoors. Thus, broadcaster ENG operations could easily receive harmful interference from nearby VLP devices -- particularly when there is little or no physical distance between individuals who may be using VLP devices and ENG operations.” Representatives of the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Wireless Innovation Forum, meanwhile, met with Office of Engineering and Technology staff on the “specifications, test plans, test cases, test harnesses and other elements by which systems and devices” that employ an automated frequency coordination system in the band “may be assessed.” Both filings were posted Wednesday in docket 18-295.

Robotexts pose a rising risk for consumers, the FCC warned Thursday. “Substantial increases in consumer complaints to the FCC, reports by non-government robocall and robotext blocking services, and anecdotal and news reporting make it clear that text messages are increasingly being used by scammers to target American consumers,” the agency said. The FCC received 5,700 consumer complaints about robotexts in 2019, growing this year to 8,500 through June 30, said a news release: “RoboKiller estimates consumers received over 12 billion robotexts in June.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau Wednesday granted 15 licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum, with one in Missouri and the rest in Kansas. The award is in keeping with a 2020 order reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband while keeping 4 MHz for narrowband (see 2005130057). “No petitions to deny these applications were filed, and the applications sufficiently demonstrate conformance with the eligibility conditions … and requirements for transitioning the 900 MHz band in the particular county requested,” the bureau said.

Early commenters asked the FCC to act quickly to approve a December waiver request by proponents of cellular-vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band asking to be able to deploy as quickly as possible (see 2112140070). “Intelligent transportation system technologies hold the potential to help improve roadway safety, while also advancing other societal goals such as improved mobility and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” said the National Electrical Manufacturers Association: “In light of these benefits, policymakers across the federal government have worked for decades to spur the widespread deployment of these technologies.” The California Department of Transportation agreed. “The petitioners that submitted waiver requests, including infrastructure owners and operators; automobile manufacturers; and the technology developers, have significant experience in the development, use and application of the C-V2X technologies,” the agency said: “These organizations intend to fully deploy C-V2X technologies quickly and safely, and the largest barrier is the available spectrum.” Comments are due Thursday in docket 19-138.

5G is starting to take off, speakers said Wednesday during a Mobile World Live. Experts agreed 5G networks and services require a new approach to radio access network (RAN) planning and design. “All the pieces are starting to fall into place for 5G deployments,” said James Joiner, analyst-mobile operators and networks at GSMA Intelligence. So far, 56 countries have held 5G auctions, mostly for mid-band spectrum, with “activity picking up” in auctions for low- and high-band, he said. To date, 240 carriers across 106 markets have trialed 5G, with nearly 200 launches in 77 markets, he said. “We expect this momentum to continue over the next few years” with another 55 markets seeing 5G networks by the end of 2025, Joiner said. There are now an estimated 650 million 5G connections worldwide, which is almost 10% of mobile connections, he said. GSMA expects 5G connections to account for 25% of connections by the end of 2025 and more than half by 2030, he said. China, South Korea and the U.S. are leading the world, he said. Providers are finding it “more and more difficult” to find the expertise they need to manage their networks, said Regis Lerbour, vice president-product and R&D at Infovista, a network optimization company. Optimizing investments in 5G requires a combination of more accuracy and more efficiency, he said. “There’s no point in becoming more efficient if you’re not as accurate as you can be,” he said. Network planning needs to be based on “real-live data from their network,” he said. Automation of the RAN can make managing it more efficient, Lerbour said: “You don’t always need your engineers involved and running standard workloads when they could be working on real problems in the network.”

Wi-Fi Alliance representatives spoke with aides to all four FCC commissioners seeking action on the long-pending Further NPRM on the 6 GHz band, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology has reportedly started work on an order addressing the 2020 FNPRM (see 2207060036). “Despite the Commission trailblazing the use of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operations, regulators in other countries have rapidly advanced beyond the Commission’s initial decision, allowing more complete use of the band for very low power and additional low power indoor use,” the alliance said: “We observed that 6 GHz incumbents in those other countries are no different than in the U.S. -- with extensive fixed microwave and satellite services deployments in the band.”

The FCC granted 2,431additional priority access licenses in the citizens broadband radio service band, the first awarded since December. The grants follow adoption of “consent decrees and subsequent amendments made by the Applicants consistent with those consent decrees” addressing concerns raised by the commission (see 2207150034), said a Tuesday order by the Wireless Bureau. The licenses were awarded to Cable One, NorthWestern, SAL Spectrum, Shenandoah and UScellular.

Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless, faced with a straightforward U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision, are trying to rewrite that decision and the underlying False Claims Act itself, Vermont National Telephone (VNT) said Friday in a response to the defendant-appellee designated entities' petition for rehearing or rehearing en banc (docket 21-7039). They're challenging a D.C. Circuit panel's decision to reverse a dismissal of fraud claims by VNT for the 2015 AWS-3 auction (see 2206160075). The D.C. Circuit and the False Claims Act are clear that an FCC licensing proceeding where it can't levy monetary penalties isn't an administrative civil money penalty proceeding, VNT said. If Congress wanted every administrative proceeding to implicate the government action bar, it would have said so, VNT said. Counsel for the appellee didn't comment Monday.