The FCC’s NPRM on more precisely routing wireless 911 calls and texts to public safety answering points through location-based routing (LBR), approved 4-0 Wednesday (see 2212210047), was largely the same as the draft. The NPRM was posted Thursday. One change of note is that several questions were tweaked to seek information on covered text providers, in addition to commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers. “Should we require CMRS and covered text providers to report information on misrouted 911 calls and texts?” the NPRM asks: “We also seek information on planned or expended costs by CMRS providers and covered text providers that have voluntarily implemented or plan to implement location-based routing to any extent on their networks.” Among other tweaks, the NPRM now notes that conclusions on cost estimates, based on data from T-Mobile, are only tentative. “T-Mobile states that it deployed location-based routing to some PSAPs and not others, so we rely on this statement in tentatively concluding that CMRS providers implement location-based routing at the PSAP level and CMRS providers incur material costs on a per-PSAP basis,” the NPRM says. “We seek comment on this tentative conclusion.” Only Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks had written statements. Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publication, replies 30 days after that.

Executives with Encina Communications supported the company’s proposal to use Part 101 frequency coordination procedures as an alternative to automated frequency coordination (AFC) in the 6 GHz band (see 2208150040), in a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “In contrast to the lack of consensus and the timing uncertainty surrounding the development of an AFC system, there is unanimous agreement by fixed services operators that Rule 101.103(d) can successfully frequency coordinate outdoor standard power … networks, as the interference level requirement is the same as Rule 15.407(L)(2)(i). Rule 101.103(d), which was first adopted by the FCC in 1971, is generally viewed as the gold standard for coordination and is grounded in decades of practical experience,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 10-153.

The FCC Wireless Bureau reminded part 90, subpart Z wireless broadband licensees in the 3650-3700 MHz band they must leave the band by Jan. 8. In a 2015 order, “the Commission included the 3650-3700 MHz band in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service,” the bureau said Wednesday: “The Commission recognized the investment of the over 2,000 part 90 incumbent licensees using the band on a non-exclusive basis and thus also provided for a transition period for these licensees.” Grandfathered wireless broadband licensees had at least five years to “transition operations from part 90 to part 96, or to discontinue operations,” the notice said.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology sought comment Wednesday on a waiver request by Geophysical Survey Systems of FCC rules for ultrawide-band ground penetrating radar (GPR) devices to allow the certification and marketing of a new device it's developing. The company says "its new device is a stepped-frequency, continuous-wave-modulated GPR transmitter that closely resembles its previously approved GPR handheld analyzer device,” OET said: The company also claims the “technical characteristics are identical” to a Proceq device that received a similar waiver (see 2211040068). Comments are due Jan. 20, replies Feb. 6, in docket 22-458.

The FCC approved a waiver Verizon sought asking to be exempted from filing data on its 3G network through Dec. 31 (see 2211220071), as part of a broadband data collection information filing due at the FCC in March. Verizon noted it plans to shutter the 3G network just three days later, on Jan. 3. “We find that special circumstances warrant deviation from the Commission’s rule requiring Verizon to submit broadband availability and quality of service data for its 3G network and that granting the waiver is in the public interest,” said an order by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics in docket 19-195.

An FCC Wireless Bureau order establishing a search committee to oversee a clearinghouse handling the reimbursement of relocation expenses for secondary, nonfederal licensees in the 3.45 GHz band takes effect Jan. 23, said a notice for Thursday’s Federal Register. The four are NBCUniversal, Nexstar Broadcasting, CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association.

IEEE Sensing asked the FCC for clarification that it can use a waiver it received for 60 GHz rules to permit equipment certification of its VitaSense sensor to allow its use on school buses. “Such a clarification or modification would well serve the public interest by preventing children from being inadvertently left on school buses and thereby avoiding trauma and saving lives,” IEEE Sensing said in a filing posted Monday.

Amazon submitted data on recent drone test flights to the FCC as part of its advocacy for allowing unmanned aerial vehicle radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2210200058). The company also met with staff from the Office of Engineering and Technology, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264. “Amazon discussed why unlicensed spectrum in the 60 GHz band is the only spectrum band with the necessary bandwidth to detect targets with challenging cross sections that otherwise are difficult to detect using other sensor modalities,” the company said: “The 60-64 GHz spectrum range provides sufficient bandwidth and range resolution to detect objects such as power lines, cables, and trees with challenging profiles. Amazon reiterated how we evaluated a number of alternate sensor modalities, including lidar and sonar, before selecting 60 GHz radar as the optimal solution for this application.”

The Blooston Group of rural carriers filed to support a CTIA/Competitive Carriers Association petition seeking a list of potential facilities-based providers to which the FCC’s new mandatory disaster response initiative (MDRI) may apply and asking for time to comply (see 2211010056). Filings were due Monday in docket 21-346. “Small mobile wireless carriers have limited personnel and financial resources and will need at least eighteen (18) months to negotiate and enter into bilateral Roaming Under Disaster (RuD) and mutual-aid arrangements with all foreseeable wireless providers, and to perform testing of their roaming capabilities,” the law firm said: “The process of negotiating RuD terms and mutual-aid arrangements with multiple service providers is likely to take longer than the 200 hour estimate contained in the Resilient Networks [order] for carriers that do not already have intercarrier arrangements in place.” Blooston was the only party to file.

Rural Wireless Association staff and members raised concerns on the FCC’s broadband data collection maps and challenge process with staff at the FCC Wireless Bureau, Office of Economics and Analytics and Broadband Data Task Force, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-195. “RWA members expressed frustration with the maps of reported 5/1 Mbps 4G coverage (based on both in vehicle and outdoor measurements) as coverage seems to be overstated by nationwide carriers in many rural areas, similar to the overstated coverage submitted by these same carriers in the Mobility Fund Phase II maps,” RWA said: “Nationwide carriers continue to overstate their coverage because they do not want to expose themselves to a Federal Trade Commission investigation for false advertising by admitting via their BDC maps filed with the FCC that they have less coverage than they have historically claimed in their consumer marketing maps.” The big carriers “serve mostly along highways and in county seats, and utilize far fewer cell sites than rural carriers in the same area,” the group said. Companies involved included Nsight, NTCH Cleartalk, PTCI, Widelity and Strata Networks.