The Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division found Wednesday that some Verizon advertising claims about its satellite coverage weren’t misleading, but the phrase “largest network” in other ads was “ambiguous.” NAD examined the ads at the urging of T-Mobile and concluded that Verizon “has provided a reasonable basis for the claims ‘VERIZON Satellite Powered’ and ‘Verizon is conquering dead zones with satellite.’” But NAD recommended that in the future, "Verizon ensures that any accompanying disclosures describing the availability of the satellite texting features be clear and conspicuous.”
The FCC administrative law judge will hear Anuvu's arguments concerning reimbursement for C-band relocation costs. The C-band relocation payment clearinghouse appeals procedure lets any party appeal a reimbursement dispute by petitioning for an evidentiary hearing before the ALJ, said acting Wireless Bureau Chief Joel Taubenblatt in a hearing designation order Wednesday (docket 21-333). Anuvu petitioned in April for a de novo review of the bureau upholding a rejection of some of the company's reimbursement claims (see 2504070044). Anuvu received $326,520 for its relocation expenses but was denied an additional $960,694 related to its Raisting, Germany, earth station site.
The FCC Wireless Bureau on Tuesday approved an order it proposed in December granting a request from GeoLinks that it surrender some local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) licenses in return for others from the commission’s inventory (see 2412120057). GeoLinks proposed using federal funding to serve some 47,000 locations across Arizona, California and Nevada that now lack high-speed broadband access. The bureau sought comment on the request last year (see 2405170028).
SpaceX is pushing back on concerns from GE Healthcare Technologies and the Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council (AFTRCC) regarding space launch use of the 2360-2395 MHz band. In a docket 13-115 opposition Tuesday to reconsideration petitions, SpaceX said launch operators need "robust and rapid access" to that upper S-band spectrum. There can be efficient coordination with wireless medical device facilities without reconsideration of the FCC's upper S-band rules, it said, and AFTRCC is proposing "unnecessary restrictions and complexity" on launch operations. The FCC in late December reallocated the 2360-2395 MHz band on a secondary basis for space launch operations (see 2412310029).
The launch of Trump Mobile as a mobile virtual network operator (see 2506160040) will likely have minimal effect on the wireless industry, New Street’s Blair Levin told investors Monday night. “The Trump Organization’s track record in various consumer product business lines does not suggest that facilities-based carriers or other MVNO’s should feel threatened,” Levin wrote. “We won’t go through all the Trump business enterprises, but its track in consumer offerings is a long record of enterprises that did not, shall we say, have a material impact on the markets they entered.”
Cisco Systems met with an aide to Commissioner Anna Gomez on the company’s proposal that the FCC end rules that prevent the use of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi on cruise ships. The 6 GHz Wi-Fi would enhance “cruise experience and critical ship operations,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 25-133. Cisco made the proposal in April as part of the FCC’s “Delete” proceeding (see 2504140046).
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the Deer District in Milwaukee, which challenged a lower court ruling that Verizon could legally install small cells on poles it had put up near the Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks. A lower court held for Verizon after the city denied the company's permits to install the small cells. Verizon won in the 7th Circuit in a procedural ruling handed down Friday (docket 24-1212).
Progeny updated the FCC on its progress in meeting the buildout requirements for parts of its 900 MHz multilateration location and monitoring service (M-LMS) licenses, urging the agency to act on a request by parent company NextNav to use the spectrum for terrestrial position, navigation and timing (see 2404160043). This was Progeny’s 22nd FCC progress report. It also mentioned the notice of inquiry that commissioners approved 4-0 in March on alternatives to GPS for PNT (see 2503270042).
Apple and Meta Platforms representatives met with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff on a proposed geofenced variable power (GVP) device class in the 6 GHz band (see 2408270034). They discussed GVP use cases, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. “GVP will help enable a class of body-worn devices that can operate at power levels higher than very low power device power levels within permissible zones,” the companies said. “These higher powers will help address significant body loss that body-worn devices will experience.” Body loss is a form of signal attenuation.
The FCC ordered Asian Touch Spa of West Palm Beach, Florida, to identify steps the company will take after it was found to be operating a Qiangyin Bluetooth speaker that was causing interference to AT&T FirstNet’s network. After FCC agents notified the company of the interference from a signal centered on 795 MHz, the speaker was shut down, said a notice in Friday’s Daily Digest. “You have ten (10) days from the date of this notice to respond concerning your operation of this part 15 device,” the notice said. “Your response should describe the steps you are taking to avoid operating on unauthorized frequencies and preventing future interference.”