Don’t adopt additional parameters for broadband maps, Verizon representatives told the FCC. The parameters adopted in last month’s order (see 2007160062) fully satisfy the requirements of the March broadband data law (see 2003240049), Verizon said. “Standardizing additional parameters such as [a reference signal received power] value or fade margin would make the maps less, not more, accurate,” the carrier said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195: “The Order’s link budget and propagation model reporting requirements, together with the audit, crowdsourcing, third-party data, and challenge process provisions, already satisfy the Broadband DATA Act’s requirement for a verification process. At most, speed test data and infrastructure data should be used for case-by-case verification in small areas, when other verification methods have identified a potential issue.” The Verizon officials spoke with staff from the Wireless and Wireline bureaus and Office of Economic and Analytics. T-Mobile also raised concerns about the July order in calls with FCC staff. The carrier cited “the lack of confidential treatment of link budget information for mobile wireless providers while presuming that link budgets should be confidential for fixed wireless providers” and the requirement of a second set of maps for in-vehicle mobile usage. “Link budgets are highly proprietary and commercially sensitive,” T-Mobile said: The order “lacks any justification for arbitrarily treating mobile link budgets differently than fixed wireless link budgets.”
DOJ, FAA, the Department of Homeland Security and the FCC issued an advisory Monday on federal laws and regulations “that may apply to the use of capabilities to detect and mitigate threats” posed by unmanned aircraft systems. “As the number of drones in our airspace continue to rise, it is unsurprising that the availability of counter-drone technologies has likewise increased,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen: “Because these technologies may be presented for sale without a full discussion of important legal requirements, this Advisory steps forward to provide an outline of the relevant legal landscape.”
Granting SpaceX use of the 12 GHz band for its non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) mega constellation would limit FCC options as it considers the best use of that band, multichannel video and data distribution service licensees Go Long Wireless, Cass Cable TV, Story Communications and Vision Broadband said in an RM-11768 posting Monday. They said the record makes clear the commission should grant the MVDDS 5G Coalition rulemaking petition and get comments from stakeholders for "a reasoned decision." SpaceX doesn't need the 12 GHz band, they said, noting approval of Amazon's NGSO constellation Kuiper not including 12 GHz spectrum. The satellite company didn't comment. SpaceX argued 5G in the band could jeopardize NGSO operations (see 2008070028).
The Public Safety Spectrum Alliance met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on the future of the 4.9 GHz band. The new group was formed “to support public safety’s use of that spectrum,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 07-100. The alliance's goal “is to raise awareness in the FCC, Congress and the White House about what broadband public safety communications needs are, including use of 4.9 GHz and the continued enhancement of the FirstNet Authority,” the group said.
Public Service Towers agreed to pay $16,000 to resolve an FCC Enforcement Bureau investigation into claims the company “constructed a wireless facility without complying with the Commission’s environmental and historic preservation rules.” Those include the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act, the EB said Friday. PS Towers “admits that it violated the Commission’s environmental and historic preservation rules” and “will implement a robust compliance plan,” said the order.
Deny Intelsat's request to change C-band rules, Verizon asked the FCC: "Instead of focusing on the complex and crucial task at hand, Intelsat and others are re-litigating issues already thoroughly considered and decided." The telco said Intelsat, "despite being in line to collect relocation payments for agreeing to move operations on an accelerated timeline," now "requests changes that would slow the transition process and could ultimately affect 5G deployment." The wireless carrier wants telemetry, tracking and command/gateway sites consolidated to the four locations selected by satellite operators "in the manner and timeframe set out by" the regulator. "Intelsat’s requests regarding TT&C/Gateway operations are unnecessary," Verizon said in a filing posted Friday to docket 18-122. Also that day, ACA Connects' request was posted seeking separate C-band changes (see 2008140033). And Intelsat filed its final transition plan. The company didn't comment further.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology denied requests from APCO and the Edison Electric Institute to stay the 6 GHz band order, said a docket 18-295 order Thursday. “We find that both APCO and EEI have failed to demonstrate that the extraordinary equitable relief of a stay is warranted,” the order said. They didn’t demonstrate that they’re likely to prevail in their legal challenges of the rules or show that a stay wouldn’t harm others, OET said. The new 6 GHz rules will help meet growing, COVID-19-exacerbated demand for broadband and a stay would postpone those benefits, the order said. “Given the expected benefits that will result from deployment by both consumers and businesses of 6 GHz unlicensed devices, and the unlikely, speculative nature of the petitioners’ claims about the alleged dangers, we conclude that petitioners have not established that it would be in the public interest” to stay the new rules, the order said. “OET made the right decision,” said Wireless ISP Association Vice President-Policy Louis Peraertz in a statement. The FCC “made a thorough examination of the 6 GHz proceeding, which was open, diverse and robust, and properly chose not to require [automated frequency coordination] AFC for low power indoor devices or location-accuracy requirements for standard-power access points to define exclusion zones in the band.” APCO and EEI didn’t comment.
Fossil said it’s “hard at work” on its first cellular LTE-connected watch for debut in time for the holidays. The coming LTE smartwatch introduction will be built on the generation 5 software platform, said Chief Commercial Officer Greg McKelvey. It’s a “particularly interesting” SKU because “it opens us up to the telco channel as a meaningful incremental distribution opportunity,” he said. “The near-term refocusing of the wearables business along with continuing to push on innovation is creating a path to profitable growth in connected. We think and believe 2021 is the turning point where our teams make that happen again.” The company remains “confident” in connected watches, though profitability in the category has been a struggle, McKelvey said. Smartwatches “offer us a substantial total addressable market opportunity,” he said. “We also remain very confident in our team's ability to compete and grow this business. For us, everything starts with product.”
The stringent out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limit proposed by Wi-Fi interests on unlicensed use of 5.9 GHz (see 2008030022) would more than protect adjacent intelligent transportation systems (ITS), but still follow IEEE standards, Wi-Fi advocates told FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff, according to a docket 19-138 ex parte posting Wednesday. The filing said technical analyses in the record back a more flexible OOBE limit but tying the technical rules to IEEE standards would be an extra layer of protection to ITS operations while allowing unlicensed devices to operate. And they said duty-cycle analysis by Broadcom and Facebook and the low duty cycle expected given that any in-vehicle Wi-Fi would be supported by cellular backhaul show that in-vehicle use of unlicensed devices pose "negligible" risks of interference. Meeting with the FCC were CableLabs, Charter Communications, Comcast, Broadcom, Facebook and NCTA.
Efforts to clear federal spectrum for commercial use can help government agencies revamp their wireless operations and adopt new technologies, CTIA said Tuesday in a report. The group cited the results of auctions of spectrum on the AWS-1 and AWS-3 bands, which gave federal agencies money to upgrade their wireless operations and improve spectral efficiency. CTIA believes relocating government operations on the 3.1-3.55 GHz band could provide a similar benefit to federal agencies. President Donald Trump's administration said Monday it reached a deal for DOD to hand off a 100 MHz portion of the band for commercial shared use (see 2008100038). "The federal government has long been the largest spectrum user in the U.S., and expanding commercial use of these airwaves would represent a spectrum management win-win outcome," said CTIA General Counsel Tom Power.