AT&T said it wrapped buying cybersecurity company AlienVault. With the acquisition (see 1807100006), the new AT&T cybersecurity business division will be led by AlienVault CEO Barmak Meftah, AT&T said Wednesday. “AT&T’s new standalone … business division will focus on making AT&T’s extensive cybersecurity capabilities and technologies accessible to businesses of all sizes around the globe.”

Wells Fargo Wednesday downgraded AT&T to market perform, citing questions about the Time Warner takeover. “While we agree in the longer term story of [AT&T’s] strategic perspective, we believe the stock will be range-bound over the near-to-medium term,” wrote analyst Jennifer Fritzsche. The cut from outperform is driven by “pressure on entertainment margins and enterprise stability not yet seen,” the many “new balls to juggle (and invest in)" and that “achieving delevering targets might push other priorities down,” she said.

Sckipio Technologies and Siklu said they jointly launched fast broadband service for low-income apartments under the Cleveland Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. They said they're deploying the “first commercial solution to use Gfast and wireless millimeter technology to connect fiber from the street to a low-income, multi-dwelling units. Gfast is a digital subscriber line protocol standard for local loops shorter than 500 meters. “This installation proves that Gfast is helping to solve the urban digital divide by bringing the Internet to those who had no access or very slow speeds,” said David Baum, CEO of Sckipio, which makes Gfast chipsets. “In this installation, Siklu’s millimeter wave solution was used to bring ultrafast speeds to the building -- avoiding the disruption and pollution from digging up streets and installing fiber,” the companies said.

Comments are due Sept. 17, replies Oct. 8 on FCC spectrum proposals to modify the 37, 39 and 47 GHz band plans in preparation for an auction, said a proposed rule, for Monday's Federal Register, from a Further NPRM approved Aug. 2 (see 1808020025). A 3.7-4.2 GHz band order and certification requirements adopted July 12 (see 1807120037) takes effect Monday with a rule in the FR, but satellite earth-station and space-station reporting duties must await approval by the Office of Management and Budget. Two other rules (here and here) for Monday's FR take effect Sept. 19: a July 6 order to establish a framework for measuring the broadband speed and latency performance of Connect America Fund support recipients (see 1807060031), and a July 13 order eliminating long-distance dialing-parity and database query requirements, aimed at helping pave the way for eventual nationwide number portability (see 1807130053).

The FCC cleared Global Connection's amended wireline and wireless Lifeline compliance plan as part of its proposed transfer of control to Odin Mobile, which is buying 75 percent of the company. Global Connection provides resold wireline Lifeline service in 26 states and wireless Lifeline service in 26 states and territories, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 11-42 and Thursday's Daily Digest.

AT&T closed its buy of digital advertising company AppNexus (see 1806250036), which it's folding into AT&T Advertising and Analytics led by CEO Brian Lesser, the buyer said. “AT&T will continue to invest in and build on AppNexus’ technology globally as it integrates with AT&T’s first-party data, premium video content and distribution."

Representatives of the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments told the FCC the group is making progress on registering hearing aid compatible-compliant equipment in ACTA's database. “ACTA has made significant progress in modifying its procedures,” the group said. It “will request the same information and use the same processes for the registration of HAC-compliant” equipment as it has in place for other equipment, ATIS filed in docket 13-46.

Video relay service providers urged expedited FCC approval of their waiver petition to serve new users or those ported from other providers while verification is pending through a telecom relay service user registration database. "Such rapid action is particularly justified in this proceeding given the unanimous views of the VRS Providers [petition] and the Consumer Groups [here], as well as the absence of any opposition," replied ASL Services (Global VRS), Convo Communications, Purple Communications, Sorenson Communications and CSDVRS (ZVRS), posted Monday in docket 03-123. Enterprise Users criticized AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink arguments backing an ITTA petition seeking a ruling that confirms carriers can recover TRS Fund contributions in line-item charges to customers. The telcos ask the FCC "to rewrite history -- to retroactively reverse the Commission's long standing prohibition against the use of line items to recover TRS Fund contributions -- in order to insulate them from the consequences of their current and past unlawful actions," said 3M, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Office Depot, Sears and a dozen others. They recognized the FCC has the authority to change the rule prospectively.

Comments are due Sept. 24, replies Oct. 8 on how to help voice service providers block unlawful robocalls, as robocalls reportedly edged down in July. The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau noted a March 2017 NPRM and notice of inquiry into provider-initiated call blocking (see 1703230035), and a November order and Further NPRM authorizing providers to block categories of calls deemed highly likely to be illegal and seeking comment on ways to unblock erroneously blocked calls (see Notebook at end of 1711160054). CGB sought to refresh the record from the "Call Blocking NPRM and NOI on additional criteria voice providers could use to identify and block illegal calls," said a public notice in docket 17-59 and Monday's Daily Digest. It said the goal is "to identify specific, enforceable criteria for targeting illegal calls that cannot be abused while ensuring providers have sufficient flexibility available to adapt to dynamic calling patterns." U.S. robocalls totaled an estimated 3.99 billion in July, a 3 percent drop from June, the first such decline since February, but a 54 percent increase over July 2017, YouMail reported Monday. It said the first seven months of this year had 24.3 billion robocalls, a 41 percent increase over the same period last year.

The FCC gave Sprint and Hamilton Relay an extension of previously granted waivers of mandatory minimum standards for certain telecom relay services offered under state TRS programs. "The waived standards require providers of traditional TRS, speech-to-speech relay service (STS), and non-Internet Protocol (IP) forms of captioned telephone service (CTS) to offer consumers (1) their choice of long distance carrier (equal access rule) and (2) multiple billing options for long distance calls," said the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123. The waivers now extend "until the earlier of August 24, 2019, or the effective date of a Commission decision" on the continuing application of the related standards.