Crown Castle representatives told an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr that September’s infrastructure order has helped to more quickly site small cells and other wireless facilities. But they also said problems remain. The reps discussed “areas where challenges remain, including issues with timely access to electrical power, unreasonably high fees for application review, inappropriate consultant charges, and issues relating to Section 6409 [of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act], including pad expansion and the scope of ‘concealment elements,’” said a filing Thursday in docket 17-19. Carr has been leading FCC efforts to address wireless infrastructure rules.

CTIA representatives met aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks on dispatchable solutions for calls to 911. “Member companies are committed to enhancing the location accuracy of wireless 9-1-1 calls, particularly indoors, for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) through innovative solutions,” CTIA said, in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 07-114 . Since 2015, “wireless providers have met every location accuracy benchmark and requirement set forth” that was approved by the FCC that year (see 1501290066), the group said. The nationwide carriers have “tested and implemented solutions, such as device-based hybrid to meet the Commission’s increasing benchmarks for horizontal location accuracy, stood up the NEAD [National Emergency Address Database] and attained Commission approval for its privacy and security plan, and proposed a vertical metric for z-axis information,” CTIA said.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai assured Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., the agency will protect critical infrastructure use of the 6 GHz band, even if it’s reallocated for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use. “I agree that protecting incumbent users from interference is an important consideration,” Pai said in an April 29 letter posted Thursday. “That is why the FCC suggested allowing unlicensed devices to operate in the 6 GHz band only in locations and in frequencies where they would not cause harmful interference to incumbents.” The agency is examining Wi-Fi and other unlicensed use of the band (see 1903190050). Some utilities are concerned (see 1905200048).

Sennheiser officials asked the FCC to press at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference for an agenda item on harmonizing spectrum for wireless mics. The agenda for that meeting is to be set at this year’s conference. Sennheiser met with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, and staff for the International Bureau, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 16-185.

ATIS said Thursday it has completed changes to wireless emergency alerts standards. The FCC last year imposed a Nov. 30 deadline for carriers to more accurately “geotarget” alerts (see 1801300027). The new version of WEA will more precisely target warnings, ATIS said. It also made changes: “1) defining a set of requirements for the behavior of the mobile devices when a WEA alert message is received; 2) defining the interface between the Federal Alert Gateway and the Commercial Mobile Service Provider Gateway for WEA alerts; and 3) providing a Public Warning System Specification, describing the use of the Evolved Packet System Public Warning System for the delivery of … messages.” The new standards were “delivered on time to meet deadline-driven FCC requirements,” said ATIS President Susan Miller.

Via Licensing said Wednesday it added nearly 100 BlackBerry patents to its LTE patent pools. The patents have coverage in 23 countries, it said.

New America Wireless Future Project Director Michael Calabrese opposed CTIA proposals to license the upper 6 GHz band, currently under examination for unlicensed use, in meetings with FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and aides to the other commissioners. Any private sale of the C band would violate the public auction requirements of Communications Act Section 309(j) even if the FCC requires transparent auction procedures and a share of the money to Treasury, Calabrese said. “With respect to the 5.9 GHz band, I inquired about the reason for delaying a Commission vote on what Chairman [Ajit] Pai indicated would be a Further” NPRM (see 1905150053), said a filing posted Wednesday in dockets including 18-295.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau denied a complaint by a customer who alleged that Verizon violated the rules attached to its 700 MHz C-block licenses by causing the tethering application on his handset to stop functioning. Edward Ryan alleged that following a 2013 network update by Verizon he could no longer tether with his Motorola Moto X phone using the FoxFi application, the bureau said. “We find that the record contains no evidence that Verizon took any action causing Ryan’s difficulties” and “we deny Ryan’s complaint,” said a Tuesday order in docket 14-219. Ryan couldn’t be reached for comment.

Comments will be due June 21, replies July 22 in docket 19-116 on proposed allocation and service rules for the 1675–1680 MHz band, following expected publication of a Federal Register notice Wednesday. Commissioners approved 5-0 an NPRM on the topic at their May meeting. “The Commission seeks comment on the appropriate sharing mechanisms that will protect incumbent federal operations while making the spectrum available for new, non-federal use,” the notice says: “The Commission also proposes service and technical rules designed to promote efficient and intensive use by any new, non-federal services.” The notice had been sought by Ligado (see 1905090041).

Representatives of ITS America discussed the group’s stance on the 5.9 GHz band and the current state of cellular vehicle-to-everything and other deployments, with staff from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology. Chairman Ajit Pai was ready to circulate an NPRM on the band last week but postponed seeking a vote after the Transportation Department asked for a delay (see 1905150053). “OET staff requested any additional information available regarding the deployment of C-V2X technology on Interstate 70 by the Colorado Department of Transportation,” said a filing Tuesday in docket 13-49.