Amazon urged the FCC to allow the use of drones in the 60 GHz band (see 2209140060). “Amazon has demonstrated through real-life data enabled by the experimental license the Commission granted Amazon that drone radar operations in the 60-64 GHz band can coexist and will not cause harmful interference to adjacent Earth Exploration Satellite Service operations,” the company said in a filing Monday in docket 21-264: “Amazon has also provided the Commission with significant analysis demonstrating that drone radar operations can occur in this band without causing harmful interference to other services.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Tuesday on a waiver sought by the Wi-Fi Alliance of rules for the predictive propagation models that an automated frequency coordination system must employ in the 6 GHz band. Comments are due April 5, replies April 20, in docket 23-107. In conditionally approving AFC operators, OET recognized that “building entry loss (BEL) could be an input to any predictive propagation model to determine permitted power levels for 6 GHz standard-power devices,” the notice said: “OET took no position on whether to permit AFC systems to account for BEL in their calculations. In its Waiver Request, Wi-Fi Alliance seeks flexibility for its AFC system to incorporate BEL attenuation losses when assessing allowable channel availability and power constraints for composite devices that are authorized to operate in both [low-power indoor] and standard power mode.”

Tech companies urged the FCC to ignore an AT&T filing last month to condition approval of 6 GHz automated frequency coordination system applications on compliance with requirements similar to those recently imposed by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) in Canada. “AT&T improperly asks the Commission to reconsider decisions already made in the 6 GHz Order,” the tech companies said: “The Commission should reject AT&T’s inappropriate and untimely effort to seek that relief. AT&T’s new requested ‘conditions’ have no relevance to open issues from [Office Engineering and Technology’s] AFC Conditional Approval Public Notice or the pending testing process. AT&T simply prefers how ISED decided certain issues.” The filing by Apple, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Qualcomm was posted Monday in docket 18-295.

Mobile subscribers will lose $58 billion to fraudulent robocalls globally this year, up from $53 billion last year, said a Monday Juniper Research report. Higher losses will be due to the rise in various types of scam calls designed to deceive end users -- such as unauthorized call forwarding or caller ID spoofing -- and to profit from them. Despite the development of robocall mitigation frameworks, such as Stir/Shaken in the U.S., fraudsters’ ability to innovate schemes will drive losses to $70 billion globally by 2027, the report said. There are various judicial and legislative efforts in the U.S. to curb robocalling. Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Marketing Support Systems’ petition for review (see 2303160078) of an FCC order saying the company violated the Truth in Caller ID Act by engaging in a “large-scale” robocalling campaign. The appeals court said the district court had exclusive jurisdiction over the petition because owner Kenneth Moser sought to avoid enforcement of a forfeiture order. Meanwhile, Arizona Senate majority and minority caucuses supported an anti-robocalls bill last week on the unanimous consent agenda. The House unanimously passed bill HB-2498 last month, meant to fight automated calls and texts.

The Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT) supported a request by energy associations, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance and other groups asking the FCC to extend by 60 days deadlines to file comments on the details of implementing a new leasing model for the 4.9 GHz band (see 2303020042). Comments are due March 30, replies May 1, in docket 07-100, in response to a Further NPRM commissioners approved in January (see 2301180062). ICERT noted in a Friday filing in docket 07-100 it hasn’t been active in the proceeding.

IPLOOK Technologies joined the Competitive Carriers Association as an associate member, the group said Friday. IPLOOK provides end-to-end, cloud-based mobile network solutions.

Ericsson petitioned the FCC for a waiver that would allow manufacturing and marketing of “more energy efficient, climate friendly, smaller and easier to deploy multiband base station radios” operating on the citizens broadband radio service band and C band. Ericsson, which already received one waiver for a multiband radio, said its request parallels that of Samsung Electronics America's, on which the FCC is seeking comment (see 2303100019). “Like Ericsson, Samsung recognizes the significant benefits of multiband base station radios,” said a filing posted Friday: “Ericsson supports grant of the Samsung waiver petition and its underlying rationale and urges swift Commission action there.”

Comcast plans to appeal a Better Business Division National Advertising Division recommendation that it modify advertising claims about Xfinity Mobile speeds, reliability and ranking, NAD said last week. AT&T challenged the ad claims. NAD said Comcast indicated it believes its advertising "conveys truthful messages about the unique benefits of the Xfinity Mobile service," and NAD's decision was inconsistent with previous cases on similar claims.

Verizon Wireless reached a settlement with Seattle-based retail worker Jesse Mason after terminating him last year, Communications Workers of America said Thursday. “The settlement includes Mason’s reinstatement at his Seattle and Shoreline stores as well as compensation for back pay and damages,” CWA said. The union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board last year. “Mason’s return to work marks another major victory for Verizon Wireless workers, who have been organizing at stores across the country to secure living wages, better working conditions and staffing levels,” CWA said, saying Verizon retail workers first organized at three stores in Brooklyn, New York, in 2014 and “have since been gaining momentum, organizing and forming unions in Washington, Oregon and Illinois.”

Officials from the Open Technology Institute at New America and Public Knowledge asked about the status of two unlicensed bands, in calls with aides to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-295. On 5.9 GHz, “we encouraged the Commission to move rapidly to authorize outdoor use at full Part 15 power levels just as soon as NTIA reports that it has resolved any remaining federal agency coordination issues,” the groups said: On 6 GHz “we encouraged rapid resolution of the critical issues in the [Further] NPRM, of which the authorization of Very Low Power devices and higher power for indoor-only use are particularly crucial for consumers and U.S. leadership in innovative next generation Wi-Fi.”