Garmin representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel urging that rules for field disturbance sensors in the 57-71 GHz range accommodate products it offers for bicyclists. “The discussion focused primarily on Garmin’s interest in ensuring that the scope of eligible use cases, following adoption of final rules, will include bicycle-related field disturbance sensor products,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 21-264. Commissioners approved a Further NPRM on the range last year (see 2107130066).

Representatives of the Detection Innovation Group (DI-Group) urged FCC action on the company's expedited petition for rulemaking filed in July on its iLink system for detecting contraband cellphones in prisons using ankle bracelets. Representatives spoke with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “The FCC has consistently sought to identify new technologies to legally address the urgent need to stop inmate phone calls from contraband devices in prison,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 13-111: “DI Group seeks an expedited determination of the iLink system currently being tested and set for future trial in correctional institutions in the United States.”

Aviation industry representatives urged the FCC to consider tweaks to its rules to protect radio altimeters from C-band interference. The representatives, led by Aviation Spectrum Resources, met with staff from the Office of Engineering and Technology, Office of General Counsel and Wireless Bureau. The aviation industry cited "the extensive steps the industry has taken, and continues to take, to harden radar altimeter hardware in thousands of aircraft to ensure more robust performance when faced with adjacent C-Band wireless operations,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-122. “While solutions are still at an early stage, the aviation industry representatives discussed several examples of modest adjustments to Part 27 of the Commission’s rules that should be further investigated in conjunction with the FCC, the FAA, NTIA, and the wireless industry,” the filing said: “These concepts, such as preventing antennas pointing 90 degrees above the horizon and maintaining the wireless spurious emissions in the 4200-4400 MHz band consistent with current mitigations, would appear to not compromise wireless operators’ actual use cases while further assuring aviation safety and providing a workable RF environment against which future radio altimeters can be designed and built.” Participating in the meeting were the Aerospace Industries Association, Airlines for America, the Air Line Pilots Association, American Airlines, Collins Aerospace, the Regional Airline Association, Garmin International, the National Air Carrier Association and Thales.

The FCC Wireless Bureau said Wednesday it started issuing maritime mobile service identities (MMSI) for VHF handheld radios. “The Bureau already assigns MMSIs through its licensing process for ship and coast station radios, and now expands the process as a result of recently changed” ITU “assignment policies," the bureau said: "ITU has expanded the authorized assignment of MMSIs to include VHF handheld radios used exclusively for maritime communications."

The National Safety Council urged the FCC to quickly grant waivers allowing immediate use of the 5.9 GHz band for cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology. “Investment in and deployment of C-V2X safety services, within the existing Intelligent Transportation System allocation in the upper 5.9 GHz band, could prevent or mitigate crashes and save lives,” the council said, in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-138. The waivers have gotten broad support and some believe there could be action soon by the FCC (see 2209010047).

Representatives of the Wi-Fi Alliance met virtually this week with aides to all four FCC commissioners, asking for action on further changes to 6 GHz rules, proposed by the commission in 2020. Final comments have been in since July 2020 (see 2007280033). “We urged the Commission to act on the Further Notice … and rely on its expertise to make a public interest judgment based on the robust record supporting the adoption of final rules for the 6 GHz band,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. “Action on the Further Notice will allow the Commission to continue to demonstrate international leadership on the use of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed operations and promote use of the band to close the homework gap and bridge the digital divide,” the alliance said.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the FCC should launch a rulemaking on higher power levels for the citizens broadband radio service band, saying that could be helpful to wireless ISPs, in a prerecorded interview with new WISP Association President David Zumwalt. The interview was aired Wednesday at a WISPA meeting in Las Vegas. “It’s worth asking the question, teeing it up,” Carr said. “There are certainly some use cases, particularly in rural communities where upping the power … might allow you from your existing tower site to reach one more home, one more business,” he said of CBRS changes: “At the end of the day, WISPs are so connected to their communities. … WISPs are scrappy. WISPs are getting the job done.” The FCC didn't comment. Carr said the FCC needs to get moving on other spectrum initiative as well, including on client-to-client devices in 6 GHz and the UNII2c band. WISPs are “looking for ways to have some stability in the ability to plan on what kind of spectrum they need to be prepared for, whether it’s licensed or unlicensed, and over what period of time they can roll that out,” Zumwalt said. His members are paying close attention to all the spectrum decisions being made at the FCC, he said. The FCC wants to offer licenses covering smaller geographic areas where possible, Carr said. “Maybe every single auction we might not get right ... but hopefully, over a course of years, we are doing some small geographies, some large geographies, and people are seeing a healthy mix,” he said. WISPA members have continuing concerns about NTIA’s broadband, equity, access and deployment program notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and appreciate the questions that have been raised by Carr (see 2207210064), Zumwalt said: “It should have been more technology neutral and inclusive.” Carr said it looked to him like NTIA made “a lot of the right cuts” in the NOFO but “there was some political turning of the dials at the last minute.” Carr agreed about the need to refocus the NOFO. “We love fiber, we want tons of fiber,” he said. “But we need to be open-minded … for last-mile technologies, including fixed wireless,” he said. “We love fiber too,” Zumwalt responded: “But we love fiber in the right place, in the right circumstance.” Carr said insisting on a fiber-only approach means telling people “you need to wait on the wrong side of the digital divide years longer than necessary.” The FCC faces challenges delivering on a broadband map, expected in November, Carr said. “I don’t know that we have to hit a bulls-eye” with the initial map “but we have to at least get it in the strike zone,” he said. Carr said he hopes the FCC doesn’t revisit reclassifying broadband as a Communications Act Title II service. “That’s just a backward looking debate,” he said. Title II and possible price controls, “really that’s a 2005 debate,” he said.

T-Mobile asked the FCC to ask additional questions and require more transparency before renewing FirstNet’s band 14 license, which is now before the commission (see 2209230045). T-Mobile competitor AT&T is building the network. “FirstNet appears to permit AT&T to use the sometimes disparate regulatory treatment of FirstNet to AT&T’s marketing advantage,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-94. T-Mobile said it doesn’t oppose license renewal, per se. “The Commission must first (i) seek additional information from FirstNet in order to determine whether FirstNet has met its performance obligations; (ii) require FirstNet’s relationships and practices to be fully transparent; (iii) impose conditions on FirstNet to ensure that it conforms to the expectations that Congress established when it directed FirstNet’s creation; and (iv) establish mechanisms to provide appropriate oversight over FirstNet going forward,” the provider said.

SpaceX's analysis showing harmful interference threats from 5G use of the 12 GHz band (see 2206220042) might have been too conservative, the company said Tuesday in docket 20-443, citing a review of the analysis by satellite consultancy Savid. DirecTV also commissioned a Savid study (see 2207180026). SpaceX said the Savid review showed the analysis significantly erred on the side of 5G in its power assumptions, underestimating the interference impact into Starlink terminals. SpaceX said the technical record in the proceeding "is indisputable that giving [5G advocates] new rights in the band will cause ongoing service degradation and outages to Americans everywhere."

Dish Network told the FCC it’s continuing to build out its 5G network since certifying in June that it’s now offering 5G broadband service to more than 20% of U.S. POPs (see 2206150044). “Since meeting its 2022 milestone, DISH has continued to build out its cloud-native, standalone 5G wireless network and looks forward to bringing additional competition to American consumers and enhancing U.S. technology leadership through its deployment,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 22-212. Parts of the update, including Dish 5G sites, were redacted. Dish said it’s utilizing its AWS-4, AWS H block and 700 MHz E block licenses and “radios deployed on all of the DISH 5G Sites were transmitting using all of these bands.” Dish is offering 5G voice over new radio (VoNR) on the Motorola Edge+ in the Las Vegas market, it said. “DISH was the first provider to launch VoNR in the U.S. in May 2022, and we plan to expand VoNR functionality and the sale of VoNR devices to additional markets in the coming months as we optimize the VoNR experience,” the filing said.