A personal radio services order, approved 4-0 in August (see 2108040058), is effective Oct. 28, said Tuesday's Federal Register. The order addressed three petitions for reconsideration of a May 2017 order.

ACT|The App Association cited the importance of broadband maps, finalizing rules for the 6 GHz band and other issues in a conversation with FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-233. ACT urged making more spectrum available for 5G and Wi-Fi: “Resolve remaining issues in its 6 GHz band proceedings as soon as possible based on the well-developed record” that “proposed unlicensed use will not result in harmful interference,” the group said.

Appellants SNR Wireless and Northstar Wireless had ample opportunity to work out a new arrangement with Dish Network but instead spent much of that time arguing against the existence of de facto control that others had pointed out, intervenors AT&T, T-Mobile and VTel Wireless told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a brief (in Pacer, docket 18-1209). The interveners said Friday the appellants offer "only the most superficial challenges" to the FCC findings Dish had de facto control of them in the AWS-3 auction. SNR and Northstar are challenging the FCC denying them $3.3 billion in designated entity bidding credits in the AWS-3 auction (see 2011230062). The FCC didn't comment Monday.

Southern Co. disputed Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) arguments that Wi-Fi 6E certification ensures devices “would now default to use bands other than the 6 GHz band to discover networks operating in 6 GHz.” The alliance made its case at the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology last month. “We support any and all updates that would reduce harmful interference to 6 GHz incumbent uses,” the utility said in a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295: “Unfortunately, based on the information WFA has provided, their proposed changes will do no such thing.” Wi-Fi 6E is the latest version of the standard, which incorporates the 6 GHz band. The alliance didn’t comment.

Electric utilities, public safety and aviation companies support Aura Network Systems and A2G Communications' 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). Comments were posted Friday in RM-11912. “Availability and use of spectrum” is “an important factor” in utilities’ use of drones: the Edison Electric Institute said. Agras “propagation characteristics, bandwidth, and lack of other incumbents makes it well suited for command and control and nonpayload communications at low altitudes and a cost-effective nationwide coverage,” EEI said. “It’s understandable that much of the FCC’s attention is focused on spectrum bands with the ability to deliver broadband capabilities to consumers,” the Enterprise Wireless Alliance commented: “EWA encourages the Commission also to devote appropriate resources to proceedings such as this that promise to retool an historically underutilized band.” The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council and the Aerospace Industries Association also urged a rulemaking. Aura and A2G urge action in a Friday filing not yet posted by our deadline. “Significant market demand exists for the modern data services that can be supported on AURA’s network,” they said: “While the bandwidth limitations in the 450 MHz AGRAS band make the spectrum unsuited for commercial broadband data services" it's "ideal for serving aviation subscribers with sound and data.”

The Wireless Infrastructure Association said Thursday it joined the National Spectrum Consortium, with the goal of increasing “industry collaboration" on R&D of 5G and "5G-based technologies.” One focus will be telecom workforce development, WIA said.

The FCC's limiting part of the 5.9 GHz band to just cellular vehicle-to-everything use is raising “unanticipated intellectual property” issues, said representatives of Continental Automotive Systems in a call with an aide to FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “Parties obligated to comply with FCC regulations must be able to do so legally in compliance with the U.S. Patent Laws,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138. Some C-V2X standard patent holders “refuse to license automotive industry participants such as Continental, or only will do so on unreasonable and discriminatory terms,” the company said.

The FCC takes the right approach in a draft Further NPRM on the 4.9 GHz band (see 2109090068) and should make it available more broadly than just to public safety and the critical information industry, the Wireless ISP Association said in a filing Thursday to be posted in docket 07-100. The band should be “available to any user that desires access to the band and can meet the Commission’s interference protection and device certification requirements,” WISPA said.

T-Mobile supports a thorough exam of the 12 GHz band and selling licenses in an auction “if the Commission determines, after a careful evaluation of the technical issues presented in the record, that the spectrum should be made available for terrestrial mobile services,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-443. T-Mobile slammed what it says is Dish Network’s approach -- that the FCC “should instead simply gift those rights to existing incumbents.” Dish argues that in wireless communications service, the FCC allowed terrestrial use of that band absent an auction, T-Mobile said. In WCS, “incumbents were already permitted to provide terrestrial mobile services, and licensees acquired those rights at auction,” the filing said: “In this case, incumbent licensees would obtain entirely new rights to provide terrestrial mobile services.” A Dish spokesperson declined comment, except to point to an August filing.

Worldwide 5G subscribers hit 429 million in Q2, based on data from Omdia, 5G Americas said Wednesday. That’s up 124 million in the first half of the year, the group said: “5G remains on pace to triple the number of connections in 2020 and is forecast to reach 692 million globally by the end of the calendar year.” North America had 44.6 million by the end of Q2, up 17.9 million for the year.