The Wireless Bureau clarified that FCC Part 87 rules let aeronautical enroute stations transmit aircraft operational control (AOC) and air traffic control communications in 136.4875-137.000 MHz, as long as priority is accorded to ATC communications. The bureau took the step at the request of the FAA. “The FAA is currently implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) program, one component of which is Data Communications (Data Comm), which will augment the existing analog voice system for aviation communications with a digital communications system to offload repetitive and routine communications from the voice frequencies and to transmit complex instructions for which voice transmission would be cumbersome and time-consuming,” the bureau explained. “Data Comm will use aeronautical enroute stations for transmission of digital data that includes both ATC and AOC traffic, with ATC automatically accorded priority.”
Education and business technology company Sector 5 is seeking in parallel FCC and CE approval of its wireless charging technology, including 15-watt, 30-watt and 50-watt solutions. The company, which said Monday it recently completed final testing, didn’t respond to questions.
The Catholic Technology Network and the National Educational Broadband Service (EBS) Association asked the FCC to extend the initial and reply comment deadlines on a May NPRM on the future of the 2.5 GHz band (see 1805100053). “By extending the comment cycle for an additional 45 days, the Commission can ensure that the EBS community has an adequate opportunity to evaluate and respond to the important issues raised in the Notice,” the groups said Friday in docket 18-120. If the FCC agrees, initial comments should be due Aug. 23, replies Sept. 20, they said.
NTIA is releasing an updated version of its "Manual of Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management," effective Monday. It updates the agency's manual, "with which federal agencies must comply when requesting use of radio frequency spectrum,” says the Federal Register. “NTIA is making changes to the regulatory text to comply with the Incorporation by Reference formatting structure.”
The upcoming Tribal Mobility Fund Phase II auction should be weighted to provide money for the most remote and difficult to serve tribal lands, Smith Bagley Inc. told the FCC. SBI reported on meetings between Chairman Kevin Frawley and FCC staff. The carrier “presented demographic data from the U.S. Census and the Commission’s Connect2Health initiative demonstrating that the Tribal lands where SBI serves, as well as a number of others in the Lower 48, remain at a severe disadvantage compared to many other Tribal lands, and the rest of the nation.” It "would be a significant setback for the Commission’s ongoing efforts to promote telephone and broadband penetration on Tribal lands if the Tribal Mobility Fund II auction disbursed all of its funds to areas with better demographics and lower costs to serve, to the exclusion of the nation’s most challenging Tribal lands,” the carrier said, posted Friday in docket 10-90.
CTIA urged the FCC to move away from census tracts for priority access licenses (PALs) to be auctioned in the 3.5 GHz citizens broadband radio service band, in favor of the April compromise proposed by it and the Competitive Carriers Association (see 1804230064). Some “continue to call for the use of census tract PALs for all or some of the PALs,” but census tracts would be administratively burdensome, lead to interference concerns, increase the cost of deployment, hurt rural investment, lead to economic inefficiencies, “impede and delay access to spectrum” and “significantly reduce the value of the CBRS band,” CTIA said Friday in docket 17-258. “An auction that includes census tract licensing -- be it for all 70 megahertz of licensed spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band or only a portion -- will necessarily result in delayed deployment.” The filing hadn't been posted by the FCC.
NTIA said in a report Friday that tests at a federal prison in January show targeted micro-jammers can disrupt cell signals inside a prison cell but have no effect several feet away. Wireless carriers have opposed cell jamming, which they say violates the Communications Act. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), NTIA and the FCC cooperated on the tests, done at the Federal Correctional Institution at Cumberland, Maryland (see 1801180054). “These promising test results mark a step forward countering the security threat posed by contraband cellphones,” said Assistant Attorney General Beth Ann Williams for the Office of Legal Policy in a BOP news release. “The results indicate the potential for localized impact of this micro-jamming technology. That is an encouraging sign that brings us closer to a solution that will make our communities safer and help prevent the continuation of criminal activity from inside prison walls.” Prison officials “reported that while their cellphone signals were blocked inside the cell, their cellphones were operable when standing several feet from the cell’s window,” BOP said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has concerns about the danger of contraband devices (see 1604060058). Last week, CTIA hosted a two-day meeting on technical solutions (see 1806130090). The report said the results reflect the conditions at the Cumberland prison. “The measurement results of this study are idiosyncratic to this particular jammer installation at this particular facility,” the report said. “Variations in jammer designs and emission characteristics, structural and attenuation characteristics of buildings, and site-dependent propagation factors would be expected to produce different results for different jammer installations.” CTIA and the FCC didn't comment.
The T-Mobile board ratified the appointment of Mike Sievert as president, as previously announced (see 1804290001) as part of the company’s proposed buy of Sprint, T-Mobile said in a Thursday SEC filing. Sievert retains the title of chief operating officer and former President John Legere remains CEO.
Nearly half of all smartphone owners in U.S. broadband homes stream video on their devices, “creating more demand for high-speed mobile connections as the mobile service industry is preparing to shift to 5G network infrastructure,” said Parks Associates Thursday. Video streaming “is increasingly common among mobile consumers,” though social media access is still the most popular activity, with nearly 60 percent of smartphone owners using their devices for that purpose, said Parks. "The resurgence of unlimited data plans has been successful in getting consumers to upgrade." As the “race” to 5G intensifies, “network capabilities will also become increasingly important in the battle for consumers,” it said.
T-Mobile offered inducements for some AT&T customers to switch to its network Thursday. “Last week, AT&T hiked up rates on some of their unlimited ‘grandfathered’ customers, the third increase in just the last two years,” T-Mobile said. “Those poor AT&T customers are now paying 50 percent more than originally. Quick, someone get AT&T execs a dictionary -- that’s not how ‘grandfathering’ works.” T-Mobile bills this as its “Why the Hike” offer. T-Mobile CEO John Legere often refers to AT&T and Verizon as “Dumb and Dumber.” The price hike “seals it,” Legere said. “AT&T is ‘Dumber’ for sure.” The offer applies to some AT&T customers with data unlimited for iPhone plans. AT&T didn't comment.