Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai jointly questioned how FCC rules could let Dish Network buy $13.3 billion worth of AWS-3 licenses for $10 billion using bidding credits (see 1502020039). “While most bidders put their own money on the line, some of the largest companies in the auction were using billions of taxpayer dollars. How is that possible?” they asked in an op-ed piece in Thursday's Wall Street Journal. They warned that despite Dish’s alleged manipulation of the designated entity program, the FCC may further loosen DE rules. “What is astonishing about the manipulation of the bidding process is how cavalier the parties are,” they wrote. "The two Dish-related companies -- Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless -- didn’t exist until a few months before the auction, and each reported to the FCC that it was a ‘very small business’ as neither had any gross revenues. Yet together the two companies magically managed to place bids more than seven times those of spectrum-hungry T-Mobile.” The FCC had no comment.

The Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Text-to-911 Readiness and Certification Registry is now available, the FCC Public Safety Bureau said in a public notice Wednesday. The Text-to-911 Registry "lists each PSAP by FCC PSAP ID and name, the county of operation, the primary point of contact for coordinating text-to-911 service, the method by which the PSAP will accept texts, and the state or local governing entity authorizing the PSAP to accept texts,” the bureau said.

Security vulnerabilities in hotel Wi-Fi networks are being exploited by hackers to steal people’s passwords and other sensitive information, Carol Kando-Pineda, counsel for the FTC's Consumer & Business Education Division, wrote in a blog post Wednesday. If using a public network is necessary, Kando-Pineda recommended taking precautions such as ensuring personal information or login information is used only on websites that are fully encrypted, using a different password on different websites, logging out once leaving a website, paying attention to Web browser alerts and keeping browser and security software up to date. “If you regularly need to access online accounts through public Wi-Fi networks, you may want to use a virtual private network,” she wrote.

The FCC gave “significant weight” to the road map by APCO, the National Emergency Number Association and four major carriers in approving rules for wireless indoor location accuracy, the FCC said in the order, posted on its website. “No single technological approach will solve the challenge of indoor location, and no solution can be implemented overnight,” the order said. “The requirements we adopt are technically feasible and technologically neutral, so that providers can choose the most effective solutions from a range of options.” The commissioners approved the order at their monthly meeting last week (see 1501290066).

Sprint has wrapped up the 800 MHz rebanding in 40 of 55 National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) regions, the carrier said in an FCC filing in docket 02-55. The NPSPAC regions that remain incomplete are mostly along the Canadian or Mexican border, Sprint said. Only three individual licensees remain to complete 800 MHz band reconfiguration in the non-border U.S., it said. “Progress on the nationwide 800 MHz band reconfiguration continues to make strong progress.”

The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association asked the FCC to delay a vote on net neutrality rules, citing the negative economic impact on small ISPs, in a filing in docket 14-28. The FCC is expected to vote on the order at its Feb. 26 meeting, and Wednesday Chairman Tom Wheeler revealed some details (see 1502040055). “WISPA remains concerned that the significant economic impact of any new open Internet regulations has not been given full, fair and appropriate consideration by the Commission,” the group said. “In the absence of any assessment of the impact new rules would have on small businesses, WISPA respectfully asks the Commission to defer action on the Open Internet item.” WISPA said the light touch rules in the FCC’s 2010 order “have stimulated tremendous innovation and growth of broadband adoption and edge services.”

The FCC “left a staggering $22.5 billion on the table” in its recently concluded AWS-3 auction, the Phoenix Center said Wednesday in a report. The FCC raised almost $45 billion for the 65 MHz of AWS-3 spectrum, setting a new record for a U.S. spectrum auction (see 1501290059). FCC adoption of a hybrid block-sized approach likely reduced auction revenue by $1.5 billion, while the commission’s decision not to pair the 1695-1710 MHz band with complementary spectrum likely reduced auction revenue by up to $21 billion, the center said. “The AWS-3 auction signals the industry's low confidence with the government's willingness and ability to increase the supply of spectrum for commercial purposes,” said center Chief Economist George Ford in a news release.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, an advocate of more designated entity (DE) participation in FCC auctions, views the AWS-3 auction as a success, MMTC said in a written statement Tuesday. “The auction netted over $41 billion that will be used to fund the first nationwide public safety network and contribute to significant reduction of the national debt,” the group said. “The auction also increased diversity of spectrum ownership and competition in the wireless industry -- two important policy goals that MMTC has long championed.” MMTC said it would have more to say after a review of the record. Monday, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai criticized the commission for allowing Dish Network to get DE bidding credits (see 1502020039).

The Enforcement Bureau imposed a $25,000 penalty against Message Communications for allegedly making robocalls to consumers’ cellphones in contravention of FCC rules. The bureau said it issued a notice of apparent liability against the company in July, and Message Communications never responded to agency inquiries or produced requested documents. “We will not tolerate attempts by Message Communications or any other company to evade or ignore our lawful inquiries -- particularly questions related to compliance with laws that protect consumers from harm,” the bureau said Tuesday. The bureau also handed down a $25,000 fine against Calling Post Communications for similar violations of robocall rules. The companies couldn't be reached for comment.

Mobile Future congratulated the FCC, NTIA, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies for a successful AWS-3 auction, in a letter Monday to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “The numbers certainly lay to rest any questions raised by the National Association of Broadcasters and others as to whether there really is a spectrum crunch,” the group said. But Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter said the auction also demonstrates the FCC shouldn't impose unnecessary restrictions on future auctions. The FCC last year approved rules for the TV incentive auction that would effectively limit bidding by AT&T and Verizon. “Restrictive and preferential participation rules harm consumers and the wireless marketplace,” the letter said. “In those instances where the FCC has placed its hand on the scale in spectrum auctions, the intended goals have not been achieved, service was delayed to consumers, and valuable spectrum remained unused for several years.”