Representatives of the Hearing Aid Compatibility Task Force met with FCC staffers to update them on the group's work, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 15-285. One working group is “researching currently available and emerging technologies that can enable those with hearing loss to connect to their wireless devices,” the group said: A second “has conducted two surveys regarding existing and emerging HAC technologies and features … focused on understanding the behavior and experiences of: (1) consumers who use hearing devices; and (2) hearing health care professionals.” A third group is looking at standards and how handsets perform under the 2019 version of the standard. Task force members met with staff from the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs and Wireless bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology, the filing said. The group started work in 2020 (see 2002070027).

Dell’Oro Group sees limited opportunities for moving 5G workloads to the public cloud and projected cumulative revenue of $4.6 billion over the five-year forecast period of 2022-2026, said a Wednesday report. “The report finds that the vast majority of 5G [stand-alone] networks will be in the Telco Cloud, limiting the short-term opportunity for the Public Cloud to host 5G workloads,” Dell’Oro said. Dave Bolan, research director, said the opportunity for hyperscale cloud providers “to penetrate the Telco Cloud market is very limited in the short-term, with the momentum already established by Mobile Network Operators committing to the Telco Cloud”: Dell’Oro said 27 5G stand-alone networks have been commercially deployed, and only one is running 5G workloads in the public cloud.

While the FCC reallocated the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use two years ago, GSMA said Wednesday the better use would be licensed spectrum for 5G. The group urged countries worldwide to allocate 700-1,200 MHz in the band for carriers. The report “warns that allocating the full 6 GHz band to unlicensed use risks countries losing out on the full benefits of scarce spectrum resource, and damaging their ability to maximise the societal impact of governments’ and operators’ investments in 5G networks.” The band is “crucial for 5G expansion in many countries,” said Luciana Camargos, GSMA head-spectrum: “Without it, operators will often struggle to meet the predicted average of 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum needed for 5G, impacting service quality. Countries may, in consequence, lose out on the full societal and economic benefits of investment in modern 5G networks.”

Aeronet urged simultaneous FCC action approving petitions by the company to use 70/80 GHz for aviation and maritime communications. “A number of foreign regulators” are “looking to the United States to take the lead in authorizing Aeronet’s innovative technology while others might be hoping to seize this leadership opportunity from the United States and promote high-speed broadband service on ships and planes in foreign markets,” the company said in a virtual meeting with Wireless Bureau staff. Aeronet in cited “technical details of its proposed maritime and aviation systems and reiterated its view that both systems could readily co-exist with federal and commercial users of the 70/80 GHz bands," said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-133. Aeronet filed both petitions in 2019.

The FCC’s 2.5 GHz auction crept up to $135.2 million after two additional bidding rounds Wednesday. That’s up from $128.9 million Tuesday (see 2208020078).

Wireless ISP Association representatives want more clarity from the FCC on automated frequency coordination systems in the 6 GHz band. WISPA updated an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on work of the 6 GHz multistakeholder group (MSG) and reports from the standards development organizations, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. “Among other things, they are developing standards, best practices, and testing approaches … that will govern standard power outdoor use of the 6 GHz band,” WISPA said. A report the MSG submitted last month “demonstrated broad consensus among stakeholders and explained that there is a path forward to commercial launch in the not-too-distant future given the range of areas being covered,” WISPA said: “It would help the process for stakeholders if the Commission released its Public Notice providing guidance on AFC test and certification so that the process can begin as early as practicable.”

Rather than approximating real-world conditions, OneWeb and DirecTV in their 12 GHz technical reports (see 2207120058 and 2207180026) use "extreme hypotheticals [that] obviously bear no resemblance to reality and ... are both trivial and useless for predicting nationwide outcomes or setting national policy," RS Access said Tuesday in docket 20-443. In both cases, the satellite operators' modeling "merely tightly surrounded a 5G cell tower with a dense, evenly spaced grid of satellite receivers," it said. Neither study modeled realistic deployment or accounted for OneWeb's startup service and DirecTV's direct broadcast satellite customer base disbursement creating a natural geographic separation between where a 5G base station would be and DBS or non-geostationary orbit users. OneWeb and DirecTV didn't comment.

Gogo Business Aviation asked the FCC to reject a petition for reconsideration sought by APCO of a waiver of effective radiated power limits for air-to-ground operations in the 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz bands (see 2206210068). APCO said it had been working with FCC staff on seeking recon, but not all its concerns had been addressed (see 2207220039). APCO wants the Wireless Bureau to “revisit arguments that both Gogo BA and the Bureau already addressed,” Gogo said in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-282. “While Gogo BA opposes this petition, it also reiterates that it will continue to engage with all stakeholders in this proceeding, particularly public safety, to address and allay any concerns over the deployment of Gogo BA’s next-generation air-to-ground system,” the company said.

The FCC’s 2.5 GHz auction hit $128.9 million after two more bidding rounds Tuesday. That’s up from $115.3 million Monday (see 2208010058).

The FCC handed down a $685,338 fine against Sound Around for allegedly marketing 32 models of wireless mics that failed to comply with the agency’s equipment marketing rules. “That the company marketed noncompliant wireless devices -- in some cases the same exact models -- for more than a decade and repeatedly ignored warnings and failed to respond or fully respond to investigative inquiries led to a significantly higher fine,” the agency said Monday. The FCC imposed a base fine of $7,000 per model, said the forfeiture order. “The Commission upwardly adjusted the base forfeiture for the marketing violations because Sound Around apparently had marketed noncompliant devices since at least 2009,” the commission said: “This long history of repeated and continuous marketing of non-compliant wireless microphones warranted a significant upward adjustment.” Two models were “an egregious threat to public safety," the agency said. The New York City-based company didn’t comment.