The California Public Utilities Commission urged the FCC to impose new requirements about network resilience on wireless carriers. The commission noted it filed the comments on time but in the wrong docket. They were posted Monday in docket 21-346. “Communications service providers have not sufficiently partnered with emergency responders to assist in ensuring public safety during disasters that cause communications network outages,” the CPUC said: “Adopt a set of mandatory resiliency strategies, particularly, a minimum backup power duration of 72 hours.” Require carriers to provide “accurate, real-time, and detailed information” on outages and “consider a process for issuing penalties when communications networks’ outages occur,” the commission said. Initial comments were due Dec. 16 (see 2112170065).

The FCC Public Safety Bureau delayed for 14 days, until Jan. 11, the replies deadline on the future of the 4.9 GHz band, said a Wednesday notice. The National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and Land Mobile Communications Council sought extensions, the bureau said. “We agree with NSA that given the intervening holidays, a 14-day extension is warranted to allow commenters sufficient time to file meaningful reply comments,” the bureau said: “We do not, however, find that LMCC’s request for an extension of time beyond 14 days is justified.”

Seek more information and ask more questions of the 14 companies or organizations seeking FCC certification to become automated frequency coordination (AFC) system operators in the 6 GHz band (see 2112010002), asked the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition and other incumbents in comments posted Wednesday in docket 21-352. “Protecting incumbent 6 GHz users remains critically important, and the Commission must demand that AFC operators meet rigorous standards to ensure licensees’ protection,” the coalition said: “At least one FWCC member has already experienced harmful interference to a licensed 6 GHz link from an unlicensed device.” The Utilities Technology Council and Edison Electric Institute raised similar concerns. None of the applicants “sufficiently demonstrate that they will fully comply with the Commission’s rules and all lack necessary technical detail for the Commission or affected incumbent operators to be certain that they will properly function and protect primary licensees from harmful interference,” the groups said. Applicants offer “differing explanations for how they will respond to reports of harmful interference,” with some suggesting “they will only be responsive to reports from the Commission,” APCO warned: “Public safety agencies should not be expected to report interference to individual AFC operators. Even if the particular device causing interference can be identified, incumbents are not likely to know which AFC operator is controlling the device.” AT&T said “the vast majority of the AFC System applications only superficially describe their compliance with the requirements of the 6 GHz Report and Order, and therefore fail to provide assurances that primary … incumbents will be protected.” Stakeholders haven't "identified consensus parameters for the propagation models that will assess unlicensed 6 GHz transmissions, in particular the confidence level, and only one of 13 AFC system applicants revealed the confidence level its system applies,” Verizon said. Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Microsoft, Meta and Qualcomm encouraged the FCC to act. “Articulate a decisional framework for processing the applications … with a goal of completing the review and authorization of commercial operations of AFCs and Standard Power devices in 2022,” the tech players said: “The relative simplicity of the AFC sharing mechanism compared to those in other bands should make FCC review and approval straightforward.” That 14 entities submitted proposals to operate AFC systems “evidences the utility of AFC-controlled standard power devices in the 6 GHz band,” the Wi-Fi Alliance said.

Comments are due at the FCC Jan. 6, replies 10 days later, on a September CTIA petition asking for partial consideration of rules for combating contraband cellphones in prisons, says Wednesday's Federal Register. The FCC “should reconsider the requirement to act on qualifying service termination requests within two business days for both legal and policy reasons,” the petition said: “CTIA understands the Commission’s view that service terminations should be prompt and asks that the Commission replace the two-business day requirement with a rule that would require wireless providers to act on termination requests as soon as practicable but not later than five business days, with a presumption that three business days is reasonable.”

Mint Mobile should stop calling its data plans “unlimited,” a National Advertising Review Board panel ruled, after a challenge by AT&T. Customers who use data above a specified limit have the service slowed to 2G speeds and “throttling to 2G does not provide ‘unlimited’ data as consumers understand that term,” NARB said Tuesday. Mint said it “supports the self-regulatory process and will comply with NARB’s decision, although it disagrees.” NARB is part of the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation urged the FCC to act on revised rules for short-range field disturbance sensor radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2110190067), in a call with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. The group asked for liberalization of the technical rules “to allow for greater fixed and mobile automotive radar use of the band without the need for waivers,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264.

The Enforcement Bureau fined uAvionix $13,000 for marketing aviation equipment to government contractors before it was authorized by the FCC. The company admitted it violated rules and will implement a compliance plan, said Monday's consent decree. It “designs, manufactures, and markets avionics equipment” for drones and manned aviation, some of which uses automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast surveillance technology, which must be approved under rules for part 87 devices, the bureau said.

Representatives of the Utilities Technology Council, Edison Electric Institute, APCO and others told an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr they would like the agency to stop certifying low-power indoor (LPI) devices in 6 GHz and seek new rules for the band (see 2112080058). “Adopting new rules for 6 GHz LPI devices and granting a stay of certification of all 6 GHz LPI devices is procedurally appropriate and in the public interest,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295.

The Competitive Carriers Association, which last week urged an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to announce a schedule for the 2.5 GHz auction (see 2112160054), made that pitch to aides to the other three commissioners. “Announce a schedule for this auction so that all potential bidders can prepare,” asked a CCA filing posted Monday in docket 18-120.

Verizon indicated interest in the 2.5 GHz band, dominated by T-Mobile, which the FCC is expected to auction next year. Verizon isn’t expected to be a big player in the auction (see 2112100045). Its filing was its first in the 2.5 GHz proceeding, docket 18-120, since July 2019. Verizon urged the FCC to make more information available on the licenses that will be offered for sale. “As supported by other potential … bidders, the release of relevant terms such as the duration of the leases, whether there are rights of first refusal to renew the lease or purchase the incumbent’s licenses, and lease termination provisions would have a potentially dramatic effect on the valuation of the spectrum to be auctioned and may lead to more competitive bidding,” the carrier said in a filing posted Monday.