The FCC Public Safety Bureau dismissed Sprint’s opposition to a request by Maricopa County, Ariz., for more time to file a cost estimate to the 800 MHz Transition Administrator on its 800 MHz rebanding costs. The county filed its request for a time extension March 10 and oppositions were due 10 days later, but Sprint didn’t object until April 4, the bureau said in an order Thursday (http://bit.ly/1gcCLZb). Sprint said its opposition should be accepted because it provided the bureau “with relevant information that Maricopa did not provide in support of its Further Request for Extension,” the bureau said. “We do not find this argument persuasive. Sprint fails to explain why it could not have filed sooner, and its assertion that this represents a unique circumstance is insufficient to overcome ’the policy of the Commission that extensions of time shall not be routinely granted.'"

Verizon asked the FCC to “remove as moot” an agency-imposed condition that Verizon’s voting rights in three wireless partnerships be held in trust. As part of a 2009 merger, Verizon acquired Alltel’s interests in three partnerships holding wireless licenses: Illinois Valley Cellular RSA #2-II Partnership, Northwest Missouri Cellular Limited Partnership and Pittsfield Cellular, Verizon said (http://bit.ly/1jwJqRC). “The condition requiring the voting trust was expressly premised on the fact that a single foreign entity, Vodafone, would hold a 45 percent ownership interest in Verizon Wireless and, through ALLTEL, in the three partnerships,” Verizon said. But in February, Verizon completed its $150 billion deal to buy Vodafone’s 45 percent of Verizon Wireless, the carrier noted. “Verizon Wireless is now owned 100 percent by Verizon,” Verizon said. “In addition, the stock of Verizon is held by a widely dispersed body of shareholders, and no single foreign shareholder owns more than five percent of its stock. As a result, the basis for the voting trust no longer exists.”

Wiley Rein said a group within the law firm will provide advice to companies deploying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, for commercial use. “These systems promise to revolutionize global commerce as diverse businesses and Internet retailers race to launch UAS as a newsgathering tool for media outlets, a high-speed delivery option for consumer products, and a vital device in search and rescue operations, among other uses,” the firm said (http://bit.ly/1lNms9V). “The Wiley Rein Team is identifying, anticipating, and monitoring the full range of legal, regulatory, technological, and legislative issues that will determine how and when UAS -- also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) -- are deployed in the U.S. and around the world.” Mike Senkowski, head of the firm’s telecom practice, is heading the UAS group. CEA and the Aerospace Industries Association last month jointly wrote the Federal Aviation Administration urging “expedited” action on a long-delayed rulemaking regulating safe UAS use in U.S. airspace (CD March 28 p16).

Global smartphone applications processor revenue is forecast to reach $30 billion by 2018 on a 10.8 percent compound annual growth rate, Strategy Analytics said Wednesday in a report. The market will receive a boost from LTE-Advanced, 64-bit, multi-core and semiconductor process technologies, the firm said. Meanwhile, stand-alone applications processors’ share of the market is forecast to decrease to 28 percent by 2018 from 38 percent in 2012, Strategy Analytics said. That drop is due to increased pressure from integrated vendors like Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek, Qualcomm and Spreadtrum, Strategy Analytics said (http://bit.ly/1sBx9jP).

Many U.S. consumers will use smartphones or tablets for their Easter shopping this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Easter Spending Survey, NRF said Wednesday. Of those who own smartphones, 23.4 percent of consumers will use their device to research products or compare prices, it said. Only 12.2 percent will make their purchases with smartphones, it said. And 19.2 percent of tablet owners will make a purchase on their device, but most will just research holiday gifts, apparel and other items (30.2 percent), it said. The survey was done for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics March 4-11. The average American celebrating the holiday will spend $137.46 this year, compared to $145.13 spent last year, said NRF. Total spending on the holiday is expected to reach $15.9 billion in the U.S., it said. Just under 6,400 consumers were polled for the survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points, said NRF.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a $10,000 fine for Acumen Communications for allegedly operating its land mobile radio station on two unauthorized frequencies. Unauthorized operations undermine the FCC’s radio licensing system and could cause interference to licensed communications, the bureau said in a notice of apparent liability (http://bit.ly/1mYg6Y3). Acumen acknowledged the unauthorized operation of WQHT586 Los Angeles on 152.405 MHz and 157.665 MHz, and, “given Acumen’s history as a repeat offender, this violation warrants stringent enforcement action,” the bureau said.

TracFone representatives urged the FCC to make two changes to rules for its Lifeline program, during a meeting with Wireline Bureau officials. TracFone pressed for action on its May 2012 petition asking the FCC to require that Lifeline providers retain and make available, for audit eligibility, documentation which applicants are required to produce, said an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/1krvITP). The company also asked the agency to address its May proposal that the commission prohibit in-person distribution of handsets associated with Lifeline-supported service. “Such a prohibition will eliminate the widely-criticized practice engaged in by some providers of handing out phones on street corners, out of car trunks, at parks and fairs, and other locations,” the carrier said. “Such practices have been ... subject to numerous videos and other news reports and have besmirched the entire Lifeline industry and those who regulate it.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau denied a waiver sought by the Port Authority of New York, which asked for additional time to build a land mobile radio station. The bureau said the authority was issued a license for the station in June 2012, requiring construction to be complete within 12 months, and a subsequent extension through Feb. 13. On March 10, the authority submitted a new waiver and extension request. “The licensee is solely responsible for complying with its construction requirements,” the bureau said (http://bit.ly/1mZSK1q). “Inattention to Commission rules due to oversight is not a compelling basis for a waiver. Furthermore, we note that the Commission has emphasized that requiring licensees to file extension requests on a timely basis serves important policy objectives and has upheld the dismissal of untimely requests for extension."

Nearly 50 percent of tablet and smartphone users “don’t take basic precautions such as using passwords, having security software or backing up files on their mobile devices,” said a summary (http://bit.ly/1k035dO) of the Symantec-commissioned Norton Report on cybersecurity released Tuesday. The report surveyed 13,022 adult Internet users in 24 countries in 2013, said the summary. The “total global direct cost of cybercrime” was $113 billion, up from $110 billion in 2012, it said. Victims of cybercrime suffered an average loss of $298 per crime, compared with $197 per crime in 2012, it said. “We're living in the era of the ‘Mega Breach’ -- with a 62 percent increase in breaches in 2013 -- and attacks are getting bigger and more vicious,” said Kevin Haley, Symantec security response director, by email. “Mega Data Breaches went from 1 in 2012 to 8 in 2013 -- this marks a shift in cybercrimincal behavior from years past,” he said. “Today’s cybercriminals are using more sophisticated attacks, such as ransomware and spear-phishing, which yield them more money per attack than ever before,” said Symantec Chief Technology Officer Stephen Trilling in a news release (http://bit.ly/1hYkfI0). “If this was a test, mobile consumers would be failing,” said Marian Merritt, Symantec Internet safety advocate, in the release. “While consumers are protecting their computers, there is a general lack of awareness to safeguard their smartphones and tablets,” she said.

Wilson Electronics’ full line of cellular signal boosters has completed FCC certification, the company said in a Tuesday news release. Wilson said it has 12 boosters certified under the new standard (http://bit.ly/PYNnEj). “This is the culmination of more than a year of hard work by our entire team in order to ensure existing products and newly developed models comply with recently adopted FCC technical standards,” said CEO Bob Van Buskirk.