Comment deadlines are now set on a Nov. 21 public notice asking for “updated information” to help the FCC assess whether the agency’s hearing aid compatibility rules for wireless handsets effectively meet the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing, said a Tuesday public notice. Comments are due Jan. 22, replies Feb. 6.
Smart watch company Burg announced an all-stainless steel smart watch that can make and receive phone calls and texts without connecting to a smartphone. The watch comes with its own SIM card or can pair with an Android phone or with non-Android phones via Bluetooth, the company said Tuesday. It includes a Media Tek chip; voice activation; fitness apps to track steps, calories, sleep and sports schedule; GPS; Wi-Fi; an MP3/MP4 player; FM radio; voice recorder; 2 megapixel camera; contact list, calendar; calculator; alarm clock; 8 GB memory (upgradable to 16 GB with microSD) card; and a charging microSD port. The BURG 27, due in March, will debut at CES where pricing will be announced. Also at CES, the company will launch a Swarovski crystal Burg smartwatch/bracelet and a Wearables Franchise Shop, it said.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere offered a bit of uncheer to his competitors Monday, on behalf of the un-carrier. A YouTube video shows Legere seated in front of a roaring fire reading a "The Night Before Christmas" parody from a big book titled Un-carrier Holidays. The poem has a special call out to AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson: “While Randall is nestled all snug in his bed, I’m up responding to tweets removing pain points instead. ... While AT&T and Verizon cling to contracts and red tape, we’ll gladly take their customers who Sprint to escape.”
Comments are due Jan. 21, replies Feb. 20, in response to a Nov. 10 rulemaking notice asking further questions about changes to rules governing the 800 MHz cellular service, the FCC said Monday. In rules adopted by the FCC at the same time, the agency changed how the cellular service was regulated, from a site-based to a geographically based regime (see 1411120015). The NPRM sought comment on adoption of a power spectral density model for the service and related technical rule changes, to facilitate the deployment of next-generation networks using advanced technologies like LTE.
The FCC ignores the overall competitiveness of the U.S. wireless industry in its latest wireless competition report, published by the agency Thursday (see 1412180058), Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter said Friday in a blog post. Since 2010 and the first wireless competition report of the Obama presidency, the FCC has repeatedly declined to find that the wireless industry is effectively competitive. “Unfortunately, in the past few years, the Commission has not seemed mindful of this competitive reality, including in its most recent wireless competition report published yesterday,” Spalter said. “This is a shame, for by ignoring this reality -- and the underlying facts and data supporting it -- the Commission risks calling into question the even-handedness and validity of the its evaluative process.” Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry said the report confirms “continued consolidation in the wireless marketplace by the two dominant carriers,” AT&T and Verizon.
The AWS-3 auction hit $44.4 billion in provisionally winning bids at the end of bidding Friday, after 123 rounds. Licenses in the three largest U.S. cities -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- are going for an estimated price of $4.29 per MHz/POP, or 94 percent above the average price for the auction, Wells Fargo said Friday in a note to investors. “We note the bidding in these key markets has slowed in terms of activity,” Wells Fargo said. “For example, in NYC, there has been no bidding since round number 64.” The company predicted the auction will close in late January.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau said it's dropping a Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL) for Forfeiture against Sandhill Communications for allegedly violating FCC hearing aid-compatible handset rules. The bureau had proposed a $15,000 fine against the company for failing to offer the requisite number of handsets in 2009. “Based on our review of the record, including Sandhill’s NAL Response, we find that Sandhill apparently complied with the hearing aid-compatible handset deployment requirements during the 2009 reporting period,” the bureau said Thursday, following an investigation. “Thus, we find that no forfeiture penalty should be imposed.”
The FCC is seeking comment on draft recommendations approved for the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15). It also is seeking comment on the draft proposals provided to the FCC by the NTIA, and on the International Bureau’s initial conclusions regarding the WRC-15 Advisory Committee draft recommendations, the bureau said Thursday in a public notice. Comments are due Jan. 16, it said. The bureau said it concluded that it can generally support most of the draft recommendations.
Starting Friday, the FCC plans eight bidding rounds per day in the AWS-3 auction, up from six, the agency said in a Thursday announcement. The FCC speeds up auctions as they continue. On the opening day, Nov. 13, the FCC had only three bidding rounds. The FCC also said bidders will get a holiday break. Bidding in the auction will be suspended after the last round of the day on Tuesday and won’t restart until Jan. 5. The auction took a four-day break over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The FCC is fully committed to “closing the gap” in wireless indoor location accuracy, FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson said in a blog post. The issue is “one of the highest-priority” items at the FCC, he said. Simpson said the agency is looking closely at the industry road map, agreed to by the four major carriers, APCO and the National Emergency Number Association. “The commitments made in the Roadmap reflect hard work by all the parties to improve public safety outcomes and establish a timeline for implementation,” Simpson said. But some in the public safety community are critical of the plan, he said: “They have concerns regarding the pace of achievement, measures of effectiveness, and accountability for results. These parties have urged the Commission to reject the Roadmap and adopt its original proposal.” The road map has been controversial, with numerous public safety groups objecting (see 1412150061). A divided FCC approved an NPRM proposing a different set of rules in February (see 1402210038).