The FCC certified Red Technologies to join the ranks of spectrum access system administrators in the citizens broadband radio service band for a five-year period. The Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology also approved Red to support spectrum manager leasing for priority access licenses and to use Key Bridge’s environmental sensing capability to protect federal operations in the 3.55-3.65 GHz portion of the band. The approval was made in consultation with NTIA and DOD, the Friday notice said.

DirecTV slammed Dish Network’s advocacy of revised rules for the lower 12 GHz band (see 2309110061), saying the risk of harmful interference to its direct broadcast satellite system were never addressed. “Any good-faith technical analysis would show massive interference to DBS customers across the country if high-power terrestrial services are authorized,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-443. “Rather than submit an analysis that will doom its attempt to radically expand its [multichannel video distribution and data service] licenses for free, DISH instead baldly asserts that ‘Sharing Between Fixed and DBS Services Will Be Simple to Manage,’” DirecTV said: “DISH bases this on its ‘ability to avoid interference from its own base stations into its own DBS customers,’ though it holds licenses for only 82 of the nation’s 214 MVDDS Markets.”

Nick Weaver, CEO of eero, which builds home Wi-Fi systems, and Amazon representatives met with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on how eero “is leveraging the latest developments in wifi technology to improve customers’ home network experience while also keeping those customers’ networks safe and secure,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. Weaver also “expressed support for the pending 6 GHz proceeding that will allow for further innovative uses of unlicensed spectrum,” Amazon said. Wi-Fi advocates expect a vote in coming months on part of the changes proposed by the FCC in a 2020 Further NPRM on 6 GHz rules (see 2309180050).

The 4.9 GHz Coalition told the FCC it continues to develop its proposal that the commission designate the four agency-certified public safety frequency advisory committees as the national band manager for the spectrum (see 2304140040). Since making the recommendation, the coalition “has continued to collaborate in developing the organization that would undertake national band manager responsibilities,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 07-100. “The framework for that entity has been drafted by the 4.9 GHz Coalition and could be implemented in short order,” the coalition said: “Three of the public safety coordinators have already worked together to develop a set of coordination protocols for 4.9 GHz. They are ready to begin coordinating 4.9 GHz if that is the decision of the FCC.” The filing was signed by the American Petroleum Institute, Enterprise Wireless Alliance, Forestry Conservation Communications Association, International Municipal Signal Association, National Sheriffs’ Association and Utilities Technology Council.

NTIA and DOD announced Thursday they awarded $3 million to the winning team of the final stage of 2023 5G Challenge, Lions-NewEdge-Mavenir-Radisys. It won a tie-breaker with a second team, Capgemini-JMA Wireless-QCT/Benetel, which also received a $3 million prize, NTIA said. “America needs to lead the way to a diverse, resilient, and competitive global telecommunications supply chain,” said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson: “This year’s 5G Challenge winners, through their groundbreaking interoperability and mobility demonstrations, have provided a glimpse of that future.” The challenge offered $7 million in prizes.

TerreStar said Thursday it changed its name to MidWave Wireless to “more accurately reflect its status as one of the largest independent mid-band spectrum holders” in the U.S. The company noted it holds mid-band spectrum assets covering more than 3.3 billion aggregate MHz-POPs. “It is clear that a broad range of industry innovations from IoT to private broadband to satellite-to-terrestrial networks require access to exclusive, flexible, mid-band spectrum,” said CEO John Kneuer: “MidWave Wireless is excited to explore how it can use its spectrum to advance these next-generation networks or in 5G networks currently being deployed.” MidWave said it has 8 MHz of “flexible-use, high-power spectrum” in the 1.4 GHz band and an indirect interest in 18 AWS-3 licenses, covering 19% of the U.S., including 10 of the 30 largest markets.

NTIA told the FCC it has a “temporary arrangement” with the Navy that will allow use of the citizens broadband radio service in the 3550-3650 MHz band before environmental sensing capability sensors are locally deployed. “Under this arrangement, the Navy will retain continuous access to three 10-megahertz channels in the 3550-3650 MHz band in and around Hawaii, leaving seven-10 megahertz channels available for CBRS use,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-319. The Navy “will retain priority rights to the remainder of the 3550-3650 MHz band on an ‘as needed’ basis,” NTIA said.

Midland Radio asked the FCC to launch an NPRM on allowing general mobile radio service devices to operate “with improved range, reliability, and safety for end users.” Midland said a July order (see 2307240048) granting the company a waiver directed it to file the petition “so that the waivers granted to Midland will be available to all GMRS users through amendments to the Commission’s rules.”

Total by Verizon, the carrier’s new prepaid wireless brand, is having rapid growth and will hit 50 locations in Greater Los Angeles by the end of the month, Verizon said Wednesday. “Total by Verizon celebrates one year since it first launched to consumers, bringing no-contract wireless on the Verizon network to value-conscious consumers,” Verizon said. The brand “has launched in more than 50,000 national retail locations and has opened hundreds of Total by Verizon exclusive stores throughout the country, with hundreds more planned for the remainder of the year," the company said.

Cadence Design Systems said Wednesday it’s buying Intrinsix, a provider of design engineering solutions focused on the U.S. aerospace and defense industry, from CEVA. “The purchase will bring Cadence a highly skilled engineering team that has expertise in advanced nodes, radio frequency, mixed-signal and security algorithms,” said a news release. Terms weren’t announced.