Seven aerial photo and video production companies sought regulatory exemptions that would let the film and TV industries use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for the first time, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday. If the exemptions are granted, “there could be tangible economic benefits as the agency begins to address the demand for commercial UAS operations,” the FAA said in a news release (http://1.usa.gov/1l1hNlx). But all “associated safety issues” also must be “carefully considered,” the FAA said. It said companies from the precision agriculture, power line and pipeline inspection and oil and gas flare stack inspection industries have filed similar petitions. The petitions seek exemptions from regulations covering “general flight rules, pilot certificate requirements, manuals, maintenance and equipment mandates,” the agency said

After years of trying, AT&T has caught up with Verizon Wireless and both now each have about 34 percent of the U.S. wireless market, said Chetan Sharma Consulting in a report released this weekend. Verizon had been on top since it bought Alltel in 2008/2009, but AT&T was able to catch up with its recent acquisition of Leap, the report said (http://bit.ly/1m2gwr7). It said T-Mobile “continued to impress” with a 66 percent share of all U.S. carrier Q1 net adds. U.S. mobile data service revenue was also up sharply in Q1, with carriers seeing a collective $25.9 billion, up 23 percent from the year-ago period and four percent from the previous quarter, the firm said. It predicted the U.S. this year will be the first nation to cross the $100 billion mark in mobile data services revenue.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe asked FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to consider setting aside TV spectrum in Indian Country for tribes to use. Rules for the incentive TV auction are “great for small carriers,” but the FCC could do even more good by designating some of the 600 MHz spectrum for the use of the tribes, wrote Dave Archambault, chairman of the Fort Yates, North Dakota-based tribe (http://bit.ly/1jBoMNn). “Best evidence” suggests that broadband deployment in tribal areas is under 20 percent, he said, and the 600 MHz spectrum is ideal for “comprehensive wireless service.”

At least one “brave” wireless carrier is on its own volition deactivating cellphones found in a prison, CellAntenna attorney Marjorie Conner said in a call with an official from the FCC Wireless Bureau, said an ex parte filing posted Friday. Conner said other carriers are unwilling to take that step. The meeting was in part to update the FCC on CellAntenna meetings with carriers, and much of the information in the filing was redacted (http://bit.ly/1kdLrUo). Conner did not reveal the identity of the carrier that’s deactivating phones. “Each carrier has responded differently to CellAntenna’s entreaties to cooperate,” said the filing in docket 13-111. CellAntenna’s product line includes devices designed to help prison officials detect contraband cellphones (http://bit.ly/1hjH3Eo). Last year, the FCC released an NPRM asking a battery of questions about combating contraband cellphones in correctional facilities (CD May 1/13 p1).

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council petitioned the FCC for a modification of Part 90 rules to enable railroad police to use frequencies reserved for public safety interoperability. NPSTC reminded the FCC that eligibility already extends beyond law enforcement, fire and emergency medical operations to include school buses, beach patrols and others. “Railroad Police have an increasing need for effective and expeditious communications interoperability with members of local and state law enforcement, fire and emergency medical organizations who do meet the Commission’s eligibility requirements,” NPSTC said (http://bit.ly/1rpas4k). NPSTC said train traffic in the U.S. is increasing, saying U.S. Class I railroads moved 233,819 carloads of crude petroleum in 2012, up from 65,751 in 2011 and 29,605 in 2010. All forms of transportation are subject to “the potential threat of terrorism” and “the safety of the public demands the best communications possible,” NPSTC said. The FCC posted the petition Friday as part of proceeding PRM14PS.

CTIA asked the FCC to delay by 30 days the June 11 deadline for reply comments on proposed changes to the commission’s wireless location accuracy rules. Under rules proposed in February (CD Feb 21 p1) carriers for the first time would have to meet standards for wireless calls made indoors. In initial comments, carriers asked the FCC to wait for voluntary agreements rather than impose new rules (CD May 14 p10). CTIA noted that more than 300 commenters filed in the initial round. “More than 40 of these comments were substantive in nature and many raised complex issues regarding the technical feasibility of the rules and discussed various location technologies,” CTIA said in a filing posted by the FCC Friday in docket 07-114 (http://bit.ly/1kdE8MH). Providing additional time would give everyone a chance to “evaluate the record regarding various technologies and the proposed rules and to prepare submissions enabling the Commission to make a decision based on a fully developed record,” CTIA said.

Samsung’s quality assurance lab asked the FCC Wednesday for 180 days of confidentiality through Nov. 24 on an equipment authorization grant for a mobile device with the model designation SM-T2558, filings at the commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology show (http://bit.ly/1tTOPXu). The few details available for public view at the OET site depict the SM-T2558 as a mobile phone. Chinese authorities in April certified the SM-T2558 for sale in China through China Mobile (http://bit.ly/1mv8mJe), and reports there described the SM-T2558 as a tablet sporting a seven-inch high-resolution screen. Documents filed at the FCC described the SM-T2558 as both a “portable handset” and “portable tablet” with WCDMA, WLAN, Bluetooth and RFID functionality as well as “ANT+” interoperability support. Samsung declined comment on specs or U.S. marketing plans for the SM-T2558.

A text message spammer was ordered by the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to pay $148,309 and found in violation of a 2011 FTC consent decree, said a Thursday FTC release (http://1.usa.gov/1powfXO). It said Phil Flora sent over 29 million text messages promising “free” $1,000 gift cards to Walmart and Best Buy. The original FTC settlement alleged consumers were paying unwanted fees for receiving Flora’s text messages and that he was selling information collected through responses to the text messages. In March 2013, the FTC cited Flora as a defendant in a new enforcement action, it said. The U.S. District Court in L.A. eventually reached a decision against Flora (http://1.usa.gov/1nHsZVy) and held him in civil contempt for violating the FTC settlement (http://1.usa.gov/1jxAloy), the agency said. Neither Flora nor his representatives could not be reached for comment.

Roughly half of U.S. and British Internet users know smart devices can collect information about personal activities, according to two studies released Thursday. Web-privacy certifier TRUSTe commissioned Ipsos MORI to do the study, which surveyed 2,005 British and 2,000 U.S. Internet-using adults, said two news releases (http://prn.to/1oz0fjB; http://on.mktw.net/1pBDwAY). While 59 percent of U.S. Internet users surveyed said they were aware of smart device’s capability to collect information about personal activities, only 47 percent of British respondents were aware, TRUSTe said.

Deutsche Telekom agreed to a SoftBank plan to buy a majority of T-Mobile US, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported Thursday. Spokesmen for both companies declined to comment. A SoftBank/T-Mobile deal is expected to face an uphill climb, with both FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the Department of Justice signaling concerns about it (CD Feb 6 p1), though last week FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel indicated she was open minded (CD May 23 p1). The Kyodo report cited unnamed industry sources.