Theodora Scarato, director of the wireless radiation and electromagnetic fields program at Environmental Health Sciences, said the Trump administration is right to renew focus on the health effects of 5G (see 2601160039). Hundreds of scientists and medical doctors “are calling for stronger safeguards to protect children, based on an ever growing body of evidence showing biological harm, particularly to the nervous system, reproductive organs, and immune system,” Scarato said last week in an emailed statement. Current U.S. exposure limits “date back to 1996 and consider only short-term heating effects, not the long-term, cumulative exposures children experience today.”
The RAIN Alliance submitted an additional technical study to the FCC on alleged interference from NextNav’s proposal that the commission reconfigure the 902-928 MHz band to enable a “terrestrial complement” to GPS for positioning, navigation and timing services. The study, conducted by LS telcom, “as well as studies submitted by other commenters, demonstrate that NextNav’s petition and follow-up technical submissions are flawed and disingenuous,” the alliance said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 24-240.
The fourth meeting of the FCC's World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee will be held Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room, the agency announced Friday. The group last met in April in its preparation for next year’s conference (see 2504150032).
An FCC order that ends funding for Wi-Fi hot spots and the associated wireless internet services off school and library premises will take effect Feb. 20, said a notice for Wednesday’s Federal Register. The order was approved 2-1 in September, with Commissioner Anna Gomez dissenting (see 2509300051). The order found “that the FCC lacked legal authority for this expansion and that the agency failed to properly justify its decision.”
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Friday on Piper Networks' request for a waiver of rules allowing wider use of its enhanced transit location system. The waiver would let Piper obtain equipment authorization for its ultra-wideband train positioning system as fixed-wireless infrastructure in the Greater New York City and Boston areas and in Harris County, Texas. The system already operates under the FCC’s handheld UWB device rules. Piper requests that its system be allowed to operate in the 3.248-4.990 GHz band in the same areas where it’s already authorized to operate. Comments are due Feb. 16, replies March 2, in docket 19-246.
NextNav is challenging the findings of a technical study that Neology filed last month (see 2512160017) on the risks posed to band incumbents if the FCC approves NextNav's proposal to use the 900 MHz band for a “terrestrial complement” to GPS. In a filing posted Friday in docket 25-110, NextNav said it stands by its earlier analysis that found minimal interference risks.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Friday on a waiver request by Vivint for doorbells that contain ultra-wideband transmitters operating in the 6-10 GHz band. The technology allows users to unlock a paired smart lock, “similar to other devices for which the Commission has previously granted waiver,” OET said. It uses a camera and facial recognition software “to confirm the identity of the person approaching before unlocking the door.” Comments are due Feb. 16, replies March 2, in docket 26-11.
Representatives of Cisco Systems and Hewlett Packard Enterprise met with the FCC last week to urge the agency to make a tweak to its draft 6 GHz order and further NPRM, which is set for a vote Jan. 29 (see 2601080066). According to a filing Friday in docket 18-295, the companies told an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that they're pleased with the item in general but want the commission to seek comment on “other updates to the FCC’s rules reflecting technological and business developments since the 6 GHz rules were adopted in 2020.” Some Wi-Fi use cases “may not have been considered specifically when the Commission adopted” those rules.
Groups representing local governments filed FCC comments accusing the wireless industry of distorting the record on the real issues that carriers face in wireless siting. Reply comments were due Thursday (docket 25-276) in response to the FCC’s wireless infrastructure NPRM, which commissioners approved in September (see 2511250075). RF safety advocates continued to flood the record with objections as well.
A Verizon representative apologized to subscribers Thursday after an outage cut service to tens of thousands of its wireless customers across the country Wednesday (see 2601140050). It's also offering a $20 credit to customers who lost service. In an email Wednesday night, a spokesperson said the outage had been resolved and customers still having problems should restart their devices to reconnect to the network.