California Brain Tumor Association Outreach Director Kevin Mottus filed studies at the FCC, posted in docket 19-226 Wednesday, raising concerns about the health effects of RF emissions from wireless facilities. Comments are due Friday on a December NPRM (see 1912040036) on the range of frequencies for which RF exposure limits should apply. “The FCC and [Food and Drug Administration] lack the necessary competence and capacity to conduct proper safety testing upon whose results this rulemaking and human exposure limits to RF radiation should be based,” Mottus said: “We need proper safety testing as distinguished from demonstrably inadequate emissions testing.” “The FDA has many resources providing the agency’s view on exposure to radio frequency energy emitted by cellphones,” a spokesperson emailed. The FCC didn’t comment.
A March FCC Public Safety Bureau order designed to move the 800 MHz rebanding a step closer to wrapping up takes effect June 12, says Wednesday's Federal Register. Licensees that never filed timely completion reports are now deemed to have completed the process with no further avenue to challenge cost reimbursement or seek larger payments (see 2003230049).
The FCC granted Applied Information two more experimental licenses for testing cellular vehicle-to-everything connected vehicle applications on roads in Arlington, Texas, and Honolulu, the company said Tuesday. The licenses allow testing in "diverse transportation ecosystems,” said President Bryan Mulligan: “Among the unique applications being developed are interactions with at grade railway crossings, traffic queue warnings and dynamic speed harmonization.”
ARRL, the amateur radio operator group, asked the FCC to clarify that RF rules for amateur stations in the 135.7-137.8 kHz band don’t “preclude the use” of maximum permissible exposure (MPE) as a “surrogate” for specific absorption rate (SAR) to evaluate amateur operations. “Using MPE for RF Safety requirements is important to ensuring Radio Amateur compliance because, as the Commission appreciates, SAR evaluations are very complex to directly measure and we believe generally exceed the capability of most individual amateur operators,” ARRL said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 03-137. “SAR tests require prohibitively expensive laboratory equipment and facilities or very specialized and expensive simulation and modeling software.”
CTIA, AT&T, Google, Verizon and T-Mobile representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Public Safety Bureau staff on the most recent vertical location accuracy testing. The work with Google shows “device-based solutions offer promise to meet the goal of providing accurate Z-axis location information with indoor wireless 9-1-1 calls,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 07-114.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology seeks comment on a waiver request by equipment maker Radwin to use higher power levels for devices offering broadband in the 5.15-5.25 and 5.725-5.85 GHz bands. Radwin says allowing multiple directional beams at levels exceeding the limits for point-to-multipoint systems will help subscribers “stay connected and access essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Friday's Daily Digest: Radwin claims “increased power will provide improved system performance, including capacity and robustness.” Comments are due May 15, replies May 20 in docket 20-128.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Thursday on a request by Proceq USA to expand the range for an ultrawideband ground penetrating radar device used to test “the safety, durability and sustainability of materials such as concrete, metal, rock, and composites used in industrial settings.” The company wants to extend the operating frequency range from 200-6000 MHz to 30-8000 MHz. Comments are due June 8, replies June 22, in docket 20-127. An earlier waiver was approved last year (see 1909110054).
Valeo North America asked for waiver to market short-range motion sensing devices for 57-64 GHz at higher power levels than specified in FCC rules. "The devices would be used for in-vehicle child safety systems and other in-cabin safety-related monitoring,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 20-121. The sensor warns when a child is left in a vehicle. The company said parameters are the same as approved by the Office of Engineering and Technology last year for Google's Project Soli 3D sensor technology to enable touchless control of device functions (see 1901020007).
The FCC granted waiver requests by Comcast and Midcontinent Communications (see 2004280039), which Comcast partially owns, allowing both to bid in the citizens broadband radio service auction. “In light of Comcast’s limited role in the management and decisions of Midco under a long-standing agreement unrelated to the auction and the internal controls implemented by the parties, we find that application of the prohibition against commonly controlled applicants would not serve its intended purpose in these specific circumstances and that waiver serves the public interest,” the Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics said in an order in Wednesday’s Daily Digest.
Xcel Energy supports the FCC’s approach to reallocating the 900 MHz band, which will allow for broadband (see 2005010038), but sought a tweak on coverage benchmarks that takes into account that the most likely users will be utilities. “Clarify and confirm … that in determining whether the relevant coverage benchmarks have been met, the ‘license area’ to be covered will exclude those areas where use of the broadband segment is precluded, such as by the requirement to protect incumbent operations within the county and/or within 70 miles of the county border,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 17-200.