Hiring a 5G and telecommunications specialist “quickly” for the Office of Science and Technology Policy should be a top White House priority (see 2203280051), emailed Brent Skorup of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. “Kelsey Guyselman filled that role in the Trump White House for a couple years,” he said. “The person in that position at OSTP helps keep the relevant staff at NTIA, FCC, and Congress moving in the same direction for 5G matters by finding consensus among the competing interests at each of these institutions,” Skorup said: “This mediating role is especially important today with NTIA and FCC both having to make imminent, possibly conflicting, decisions about spectrum allocation and rural infrastructure subsidies.”

Appellants asked a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to rehear a February decision upholding the FCC's 2021 changes to over-the-air reception devices (OTARD) rules in a case brought by Children’s Health Defense. A lawyer for the RF safety advocates said then the group would consider seeking rehearing (see 2202110059). “This case has the type of exceptional importance contemplated by Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 35(a)(2) and (b)(1)(B),” said a Monday petition in docket 21-1075. The order “wreaks havoc with the licensing regime contemplated by the Communications Act and is antagonistic to Congress’ prescribed regulatory requirements and policy,” the petition said: “The amended rule cannot be reconciled with the licensing and provider/user regime intended by Congress. More important, the amended rule’s operation is ruining lives and driving people from their homes -- the most constitutionally-protected place on Earth.”

Midland Radio officials spoke with FCC staff on the company’s request for waiver of FCC rules for general mobile radio service devices in the 462 MHz band (see 2110120061). “Our goal is to develop a cell phone application to improve safety for GMRS users who engage in Off Roading, Rock Climbing, & Overlanding Activities,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-388. “We will do this by connecting their cell phones to our GMRS Mobile Radios and transmitting their GPS data to other drivers that they are in a ‘Group’ with.”

The 12 GHz band will likely be the subject of the “next big spectrum decision” by the FCC (see 2203210056), New Street’s Blair Levin said in a weekend note to investors. Interference questions are likely to be resolved through an Office of Engineering and Technology analysis of proposals by the 5G for 12 GHz Coalition, he said. “While that Office is sophisticated in keeping to its engineering lane and not trying to make policy, this is the kind of issue on which it is very persuasive with the Commissioners,” he said: “The coalition did submit two engineering studies, one about terrestrial/Direct Broadcast Satellite sharing and the other about terrestrial/non-geostationary Fixed-Satellite Service sharing. Starlink has criticized the studies … but has not offered an engineering study of its own.” Levin said questions remain about the timing of the 2.5 GHz auction, set to start in July (see 2203220066), before the Sept. 30 expiration of FCC auction authority. “The FCC itself has raised questions about whether, after that date, it has authority to issue licenses for an auction, even if the auction commenced before that date,” Levin said: “We think the issue will be resolved to allow the auction and subsequent licensing to proceed but will continue to monitor the situation. A failure for Congress to act could be negative for T-Mobile but positive for its direct competitors.”

Aviation Spectrum Resources representatives discussed “frequency coordination in the lower 136 MHz band and operations on 136.750 MHz” with FCC Wireless Bureau staff, as the company implements frequency assignments as part of the FAA’s DataComm communications program. DataComm is being used at 62 airports for ground operations with the start of deployments “for aircraft in the air in certain regions,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 19-140. Among the advantages are that “faster dissemination of information reduces delays” and there are “more timely updates for advanced aircraft routing,” the filing said: “Information can be directly input into aircraft once approved by the pilot. Written text eliminates audio readback errors.”

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) asked the FCC to ignore objections by Haystack Observatory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to its proposed use of 92-95.5 GHz spectrum for enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) on aircraft. “EFVS with 95 GHz radar will provide great public benefits in assisting pilots with landing aircraft during degraded visual situations where aircraft otherwise may be unable to land,” SNC said in a filing posted Friday in docket 19-140. Haystack raised objections twice, most recently in a filing dated June 2019. “It has come to our attention that the proposed use of airborne radars at 92-95.5 GHz as laid out in the Docket is likely to cause harmful interference to radio astronomy observations at our facility,” the observatory said. “Haystack’s statement is highly overblown, and it would be draconian to deny authority for EFVS radar everywhere in the U.S. solely to protect one site,” SNC said.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NARO) raised concerns about Aeronet’s push for expanded use of the 70/80/90 GHz bands for uses including fixed wireless and 5G backhaul. In a filing last week, Aeronet noted “interactions with various federal agencies and outlined potential approaches to coordination with such agencies that would eliminate chances of harmful interference while being viable as an operational matter for Aeronet and similarly situated providers.” NARO said it “notes with concern the recent ex parte communication,” per a filing posted Friday in docket 20-133. There's “a strong potential for harmful interference from SDDL [scheduled dynamic data link] operations aboard aircraft at large distances whose antennas were not pointed toward radio observatories,” the observatory said: “At small distances, radio astronomy receivers were shown to be at risk of burnout from SDDL in-band emissions.”

Altice USA and T-Mobile extended their mobile virtual network operator agreement and T-Mobile will remain the nationwide network for Altice’s Optimum Mobile service, Altice said Thursday. Optimum offers three data plans -- 1 GB, 3 GB and unlimited.

T-Mobile unveiled DevEdge, a developer platform Wednesday, and said it will launch a Tech Experience 5G Hub, “a new state-of-the-art innovation center.” The carrier also unveiled 5G partnerships with Disney StudioLAB and Red Bull. The developments are part of T-Mobile’s new 5G Forward initiative. “5G is a game changer,” but “5G hype has been out of control,” the company said: “5G developer innovation has been disappointing. 5G will never reach its full potential if the Carriers don’t get out of the way.”

Boingo will bring wireless connectivity to the Las Vegas Monorail’s Convention Center Station, where it will open a new “innovation hub” in 2022's second half, said the carrier Wednesday. The hub will be a “launch pad” to test and demonstrate 5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7 and IoT pilot programs, plus “use cases like instant sports betting at live events,” it said.