Emilio Ferrara, a postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University’s Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research, is using cellphone calling data to help police fight crime, said a news release from the university. The technology has already helped police in Italy solve a number of crimes, the release said (http://bit.ly/1hKvwMr). “We're learning new insights about individuals by taking very specific physical events, let’s say like a string of robberies, and identifying huge spikes of activity during that same period of time,” Ferrara said. “We can then create what we call a dynamic spring layout -- a series of nodes that represent possible members of criminal networks -- and analyze how those members interact and shape their interconnections over time.” Even a very short phone call or hang-up can provide useful information in solving crimes like theft, Ferrara said. “You have these spikes of phone activity during the times of these robberies, and those might well be the lower rung of the network, but the system also can identify what would be non-intuitive calls of interest, maybe very short, that are extremely hard to capture,” he said. “But we capture these into the network as well."

A second request for an extension by California’s Coachella Valley Water District to provide a cost estimate for the reconfiguration of its 800 MHz communications system to Sprint and the 800 MHz Transition Administrator was denied Wednesday by the FCC’s Public Safety Bureau. Coachella already had received an extension until March 31 and then wanted a second extension until Aug. 31, said Michael Wilhelm, deputy chief, Policy and Rules Division, in the order (http://bit.ly/1l3k8hZ). Coachella had said it needed more time because it had not signed its Planning Funding Agreement with Motorola Solutions until recently, the order said. Wilhelm wrote that the PFA was received in January and there was no reason why Coachella needs until August to comply.

The Competitive Carriers Association asked the FCC to pause the phase-down of legacy USF support for wireless carriers until Phase II of the Mobility Fund is operational. The request came in a filing at the FCC Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1md24z2). “We are very concerned that the FCC’s draft Report and Order on USF will be detrimental to wireless carriers and the consumers they serve, especially those in rural areas where USF support is absolutely necessary,” CCA President Steve Berry said in a statement. “To avoid furthering the dominance of the legacy twin Bells, the FCC must act immediately to put USF reform efforts back on track to promote competition and benefit consumers who are choosing wireless services more and more each day.” Berry also urged the FCC to eliminate the right of first refusal for incumbent price-cap carriers. “Price-cap carriers already have been given the opportunity to accept support, and giving them another ‘first opportunity’ would allow them to take advantage of the process to maximize their own revenues, to the detriment of consumers,” he said. “The FCC has the opportunity to put USF reform on the right track again. Wireless carriers got the short end of the stick the first go-round -- with a 60 percent reduction of funding despite contributing more than half of the high-cost support funding -- and it’s time the FCC focused on restoring competition rather than further skewing USF support in favor of wireline carriers."

Members of two groups that illegally distributed copies of copyrighted Android mobile applications pleaded guilty to engaging in separate efforts to distribute more than 1 million app copies, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night. Thomas Pace, of Oregon City, Ore., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. He’s to be sentenced July 9. DOJ claimed Pace and fellow members of the Appbucket Group illegally reproduced and distributed more than 1 million copies of Android apps, worth more than $700,000, between August 2010 and August 2012. Thomas Nye and Appbucket Group leader Nicholas Narbone pleaded guilty to the same charge in March, DOJ said. Kody Jon Peterson, of Clermont, Fla., pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. His sentencing date hasn’t been set. DOJ claimed Peterson and other members of the SnappzMarket Group illegally reproduced and distributed more than one million copies of Android apps, with a retail value of more than $1.7 million, between May 2011 and August 2012 (http://1.usa.gov/1eSiSWR). U.S. law enforcement authorities seized websites belonging to Appbucket and SnappzMarket, along with a third website, applanet.net, in August 2012.

Smartphone anti-theft steps announced by the wireless industry late Tuesday were criticized by local officials as “inadequate” and as “an incremental yet inadequate step to address the epidemic of smartphone theft.” CTIA and participating wireless companies announced (http://bit.ly/1mcQOmq) the “Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment,” in which new models of smartphones manufactured after July 2015 will have a preloaded or downloadable tool that would wipe out the authorized user’s personal data, render the smartphone inoperable to unauthorized users and prevent reactivation without the user’s permission if the device is reported lost or stolen. The “'opt-in’ proposal misses the mark if the ultimate goal is to combat street crime and violent thefts involving smartphones and tablets,” said a statement from California Sen. Mark Leno (D), sponsor of California Senate Bill 962, which would require smartphones and tablets to be disabled if reported lost or stolen (CD April 2 p14). “For stolen phones to have no resale value on the black market, the vast majority of consumers must have the theft-deterrent feature pre-enabled on their phones, using an ‘opt-out’ solution. Inexplicably, the mobile industry refuses to take this approach, which will simply prolong the epidemic of thefts we're seeing in California and the rest of the country.” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón said in a joint statement (http://bit.ly/1mcVKrw) that the commitment “falls short of what is needed to effectively end the epidemic of smartphone theft. We strongly urge CTIA and its members to make their anti-theft features enabled by default on all devices, rather than relying on consumers to opt-in. The industry also has a responsibility to protect its consumers now and not wait until next year. Every week that passes means more people are victimized in street crimes that often turn violent, and more families will have to endure the needless loss of a loved one.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who introduced legislation requiring the so-called kill switches, called the commitment “another important milestone in the fight against cell phone theft. ... We need to ensure that manufacturers and providers not only make good on this commitment but continue to take steps to make sure that all consumers have access to the most advanced technologies to protect their smartphones and personal information” (http://1.usa.gov/1m7BVUP). The CTIA press release said the commitment “will continue to protect consumers while recognizing the companies’ need to retain flexibility so they may constantly innovate.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau rejected a request by booster maker ClearRF that it find its signal booster Model Number WRE2710 provides “equivalent protection” to the commission’s Network Protection Standard. “We note at the outset that the ClearRF Request lacks technical specificity regarding the proposed product,” the bureau said in a Wednesday order (http://bit.ly/1paIsAk). “For example, there is no indication of the bands of operation, air interface(s) supported, or types of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices which can be connected to the ClearRF booster. Likewise, ClearRF provides no technical analysis or test data to support its Request."

More spectrum sharing may be necessary in the future for some bands that can’t be cleared, but steps need to be taken to make sharing work better, Mobile Future said in a paper released Tuesday, written by Rysavy Research (http://bit.ly/1hIGGlT). Among its conclusions is that the government “needs to use realistic and real world interference assumptions,” industry and the government need to agree on “realistic propagation models” and should take advantage of the recently established trusted-agent process.

The Rural Wireless Association said the FCC should “immediately halt” the phase-down of USF support for high-cost wireless carriers because the Mobility Fund Phase II won’t be “operational” or “implemented” by June 30. “It is highly unlikely for Phase II to be ‘operational’ or ‘implemented’ by June 30, 2014, given the time it has taken the FCC to disburse Phase I funding,” RWA said in a filing at the commission (http://bit.ly/1jIfJNz). “In addition, carriers are now in the second quarter of 2014. There is not enough time between now and June 30, 2014 for the Commission to adopt final Phase II rules, have them published in the Federal Register, hold an auction, authorize payments, and disburse funds before the next scheduled phase-down of legacy support.” RWA said carriers need “predictability to formulate their business decisions, and currently there is no predictability with regard to the continued availability of USF funding ... as of July 1.” U.S. Cellular told the FCC it should be concerned about keeping funding flowing and the FCC should “fully implement Mobility Fund II at the earliest possible date,” in meetings with staff for the FCC commissioners, said an ex parte filing. Both mobility fund auctions to date demonstrated the need for funding, the carrier said (http://bit.ly/1eFA3R7). “In each case, demand for support far exceeded available funding,” it said. “In Mobility Fund II, when the standard will be areas that lack 4G service, many additional areas will be eligible and the resulting demand will be even higher."

More than 50 percent of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners want tech support services that would protect against loss, theft or viruses, even though fewer than 10 percent of owners will experience those issues, Parks Associates said Tuesday in a report. It said about 55 percent are interested in virus and identity theft protection, while 50 percent want services that will repair or replace a damaged device. The most common issues device owners encountered were short battery life, lack of wireless Internet connectivity and issues with app functionality, Parks Associates said. About 40 percent of U.S. broadband households said they're likely to buy a smoke or fire detector that can be remotely monitored, while 25 percent said they're interested in connected sensors and thermostats, the firm said (http://bit.ly/RmJdYf).

U.S. Cellular told the FCC it should be concerned about keeping funding flowing and it should “fully implement Mobility Fund II at the earliest possible date,” in meetings with staff for the FCC commissioners, said an ex parte filing. Both mobility fund auctions to date demonstrated the need for funding, the carrier said (http://bit.ly/1eFA3R7). “In each case, demand for support far exceeded available funding,” it said. “In Mobility Fund II, when the standard will be areas that lack 4G service, many additional areas will be eligible and the resulting demand will be even higher.”