NewPhone Wireless will pay $100,000 to the U.S. Treasury under a consent decree to resolve an FCC Enforcement Bureau probe into whether the company violated Lifeline rules by requesting or receiving support for ineligible subscribers, the bureau ordered in a document released Friday.

The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus extended until April 1 the filing window for accepting to file applications by incumbent licensees for part 22 and 90 T-Band facilities. It's "in the public interest to extend the period limiting applications to incumbent licensees as staff continues working on ways to improve the orderly resumption of the application and licensing processes for the T-Band,” said Friday's order. The bureaus previously extended the incumbent-only window until Dec. 19.

The Competitive Carriers Association urged an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to announce a schedule for the 2.5 GHz auction (see 2112100045), said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-120. “Many of the licenses in the 2.5 GHz inventory cover rural and underserved areas and will provide critical mid-band spectrum,” CCA said: “The licenses also will be offered on a county basis, which provides opportunities for small carriers.”

Representatives of the Utilities Technology Council, Edison Electric Institute, APCO and others spoke with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on their request that the agency stop certifying low-power indoor (LPI) devices in 6 GHz and seek new rules for the band (see 2112080058). They “requested that the Commission immediately grant the Request for Stay and expeditiously adopt a rulemaking to develop new rules for 6 GHz LPI devices, establish a cost recovery mechanism to reimburse the costs incurred by licensed microwave incumbents to mitigate and resolve interference from unlicensed operations in the band,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. They also sought “independent testing to consider the extent to which new rules for standard power access devices should be developed."

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance urged the FCC to stay further certification of low-power indoor (LPI) devices in the 6 GHz band, as sought by the Utilities Technology Council and others (see 2112080058), until it fully evaluates Southern Co. interference field tests. “EWA has no reason to challenge the FCC’s decisions in this proceeding other than a profound concern about the interference potential of unlicensed LPI operations in the 6 GHz band under the current rules, a concern that has been greatly increased in light of the Southern Test Report,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. EWA said it represents “numerous utilities, transportation providers, oil and gas companies, manufacturers, private wireless operators, and other enterprise users that depend heavily on 6 GHz microwave networks to manage their operations.”

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council told the FCC it supports “a reasonable extension” of AT&T’s planned 3G sunset, as requested by the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (see 2109150041). “Both AICC and AT&T have set forth reasonable arguments from their own perspectives,” NPSTC said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-304: “Ideally, AICC and AT&T could reach some compromise that would meet each other’s needs. However, should AICC and AT&T be unable to reach a voluntary agreement, NPSTC’s greatest concern is the safety issues that will occur if the 3G sunset is not extended.” NPSTC’s concerns involve fire, intrusion and security and medical alert alarms “that will not be able to communicate once the 3G service is retired." AT&T didn’t comment.

An Ookla analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data from the most popular Android and iPhone phones found 5G Android devices are twice as fast as 4G devices in the U.S., said a Tuesday report. The iPhone 13 was found to be almost three times faster than the iPhone 11. Ookla said Tuesday it has acquired RootMetrics, which also looks at network connectivity data.

The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition urged the FCC to reject a November request to consider using Part 101 frequency coordination procedures as an alternative to automated frequency coordination. “Because Encina’s Letter is not clear regarding what it seeks and does not meet the requirements for a petition for rulemaking or a waiver of the rules, the Commission should dismiss the Letter at this time,” the coalition said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295.

The FCC Wireless Bureau gave Pine Cellular in a Tuesday order, a limited one-year waiver, to Jan. 9, 2023, to meet the tribal lands bidding credit construction requirement as it deploys service to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The carrier says it's unable to meet a Jan. 9, 2022, deadline to serve 75% of the population covered by one of two 600 MHz licenses purchased using credits, the bureau said. Pine Cellular says it “needed additional time to deploy its network to serve Choctaw Nation communities because its existing network in that geographic area uses Huawei equipment for the performance of core functions,” the bureau said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau OK’d a waiver Tuesday allowing railroads to operate locomotive radios at up to 50 watts transmitter power output (TPO) as part of positive train control, acting on a request by PTC-220, a joint venture of the nation’s seven Class I freight railroads. “We find that not permitting PTC-220’s member railroads to operate mobile radios at 50 watts TPO would be contrary to the public interest because it would preclude sharing of scarce spectrum resources, which are needed for robust interoperable PTC deployment throughout the country,” the bureau said: PTC-220 also has no reasonable alternative. “PTC-220’s member railroads have installed more than 16,000 locomotive radios that operate at a constant 50 watts TPO in the 220-222 MHz band; the record shows that it is not possible to program the radios to operate at 50 watts TPO and satisfy the condition that TPO be 25 watts or less when external radio commands are not present.” The order will enable the railroads to “deploy Congressionally mandated, interoperable PTC safety systems on rail lines serving 16 western states,” the bureau said. It will also “benefit Amtrak and other railroads that operate as tenants on the members’ rail networks as well as passenger and commuter railroads leasing spectrum to deploy PTC on their own lines in the license area.”