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).

SureCall said its machine-to-machine signal booster is the first M2M device to be certified under revised FCC signal booster rules. Use of M2M boosters “is rapidly expanding into new industries,” said CEO Hongtao Zhan. “Being the first to receive approval for an M2M booster is certainly a great advantage for our company, but more importantly it’s beneficial for all M2M customers whose machines rely on boosters to consistently communicate data.” The device supports 2G and 3G frequencies offered by all major carriers and provides a maximum gain of 15dB, SureCall said in a news release Thursday.

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.

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 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.

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).

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."

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.

The FCC is the most likely roadblock to Sprint’s potential buy of T-Mobile, but a merger remains possible, even given concerns raised by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, said BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk Tuesday in a blog post. “Chairman Wheeler has voiced his skepticism about the potential for a Sprint/T-Mobile deal but we believe he is well suited to evaluate the transaction on its merits,” Piecyk wrote. “The wireless industry not only faces new competition from more Wi-Fi buildouts but can also offer new competition to the wired broadband industry. Competition is not just about lower prices but also about investment in the network, a reality that is likely to be recognized in several European markets that are evaluating the benefits of consolidation.” Piecyk said T-Mobile and Sprint together are investing less in their networks than either AT&T or Verizon individually. “Even today, Sprint offers the slowest LTE speeds in the industry as a result of its under-investment and its narrow use of spectrum,” he said. “Meanwhile, T-Mobile recently paid $2.03/MHz/POP for the worst of available 700 MHz spectrum because they did not have the capital to adequately compete in the original 700 MHz auction.”

The Rural Wireless Association warned the FCC that many carriers won’t be able to make a target date of Dec. 31 for being able to route emergency texts to public safety answering points (PSAPs) (CD April 8 p10). For carriers now deploying LTE-only networks, texting can’t be provided until IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) software is integrated into the LTE core, “which is dependent on the release of IMS software by major equipment and software vendors,” RWA said (http://bit.ly/1eeVkAV). “Such software has not been made available for use by small wireless carriers, and realistically it cannot be expected to be made available for national use until the nation’s two largest wireless carriers have demanded the release of IMS” from vendors, said RWA. “Implementation of data roaming on a national basis at commercially reasonable rates is necessary to justify” a carrier’s investment in IMS, it said. T-Mobile said a “primary remaining potential impediment” is that the major text control center (TCC) providers are not yet fully interconnected. “Until that happens, T-Mobile will not be able to reach PSAPs that are not served by T-Mobile’s TCC vendor,” the carrier said (http://bit.ly/1ittfCB). “The absence of full interconnection and interoperability between TCCs has the potential to affect PSAPs who wish to implement the service, as lack of interconnection and interoperability may hinder their access to all carriers. To ensure all PSAPs can benefit from the voluntary commitment, the Commission’s near-term focus should be on solidifying these interconnection arrangements.”