APCO told the FCC an order last month granting Gogo Business Aviation a waiver of effective radiated power limits for air-to-ground operations in the 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz bands (see 2206210068) doesn’t fully address the group’s concerns. The agency “should bolster the conditions of the waiver concerning Gogo BA’s responsibility to detect, identify, and resolve interference to public safety operations,” said a filing Tuesday in docket 21-282. “APCO had proposed that Gogo BA contact licensees via email and telephonically, and notify the relevant 800 MHz regional planning committee and all FCC-certified public safety frequency coordinators, clearly describing operations, timing, and appropriate contact information,” APCO said: The order instead requires notification by email and certified mail, or by phone and doesn’t require contacting the regional planning committee and public safety coordinators. APCO questioned whether the FCC did an adequate analysis of the interference potential of Gogo’s operations. A rulemaking would have been more appropriate than granting a waiver, the group said. Gogo didn’t comment.

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology created docket 22-248 Tuesday on an April waiver request by Schlage for an ultra-wideband device it hopes to sell for security use to be mounted on building entryways. FCC rules require that such devices be handheld and prohibit the use of antennas mounted on outdoor infrastructure. “Granting Schlage this request, a waiver request similar to others the Commission has granted in recent years, would not undermine the underlying purpose of these rules, which are to prevent interference to authorized users by large-scale UWB communications systems,” Schlage said in seeking a waiver.

Policymakers should “reject the spectrum nihilism” that says there’s no spectrum left that could be cleared for licensed use, said a Tuesday paper by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. “Advances in compression technologies have enabled the clearing of bands that have now become valuable tent poles of the wireless marketplace,” the paper said: “Both private and government spectrum users should therefore invest in compression technologies. This can be incentivized by making clear that licensees that manage to clear a currently encumbered band would be able to reap the profits of selling or using its capacity.” Federal networks should be examined to see if they could operate more efficiently using commercial spectrum, ITIF said: “Current efforts to evaluate DOD uses of the lower 3 GHz band should not simply find ways to squeeze in 5G networks around current DOD services. The department should also try to migrate services onto those 5G networks that can provide the same reliability and security while internalizing interference externalities that would otherwise cause clashing protocols to diminish the overall capacity and efficiency of the band.” Joe Kane, director-broadband and spectrum policy, wrote the paper.

Priority service rules approved by commissioners 4-0 in May (see 2205190057) take effect Aug. 4, said a notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register. The revised rules “reflect today’s marketplace and governance framework” and “explicitly authorize the prioritization of IP-based technologies,” the notice said.

Carriers worldwide will need an average of 2 GHz of mid-band and 5 GHz of high-band spectrum for 5G by 2030, GSMA said in reports released Thursday. In low bands “spectrum needs for 5G are higher than the amount of capacity that naturally exists below 1 GHz,” but “ensuring the availability of the 600 MHz band will raise rural broadband speeds by 30-50%,” GSMA said. “The speed and availability of 5G services depend on mobile network operators having access to spectrum in low, mid- and high bands to build out cost-effective networks,” the group said: “Robust licensing and timely availability of spectrum is also central to the success of 5G deployment.” GSMA called sub-1 GHz spectrum "the cornerstone of digital equality and a driver of broad and affordable connectivity."

On Thursday, the day NTIA’s reconstituted Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee was scheduled to have its initial meeting, NTIA announced in the Federal Register a "correct meeting date" of July 15. Members of CSMAC had earlier been informed of the change, members confirmed. The meeting was originally expected May 26. CSMAC grew out of a 2004 presidential memorandum on Spectrum Management for the 21st Century but in recent years has been hampered by a lack of political leadership at NTIA (see 2201190062). The committee held its last meeting in April 2021 (see 2104080060). The meeting starts at 1 p.m. EDT and the public can call in.

The FCC Wireless Bureau asked for comments by July 11, replies July 18, on an NFL request for a waiver of rules for the citizens broadband radio service allowing the league to continue operating a coach-to-coach communications systems in the event of a localized internet outage in stadiums during games. The NFL had a previous waiver that expired in February (see 2203140031) and asked for it to be extended through the 2025 Super Bowl, the bureau said in docket 21-111.

FCC commissioners voted 4-0 to approve a draft order circulated by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel (see 2206150070) requiring wireless carriers to participate in the previously voluntary wireless network resiliency cooperative framework, and work out roaming arrangements before disasters, agency officials confirmed. The FCC hasn't released the order, a process that can take time after an electronic vote, especially if commissioners have statements. The order builds on a proposal made in May by Commissioner Brendan Carr (see 2205160067).

Southern Linc representatives raised concerns about an order circulated by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel two weeks ago aimed at making wireless networks more resilient during disasters, in a call with an aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. The Southern Linc representatives said they hadn't seen the order. "Any rules that may be adopted should not be overly prescriptive and should include sufficient flexibility for smaller, non-nationwide carriers with more limited resources," said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-346. "Any requirements regarding roaming during disasters must take into account the fact that smaller regional and rural carriers generally do not have the spectrum or network capacity to support a surge of incoming roaming traffic from a much larger nationwide carrier," the company said: "Even when a roaming agreement is already in place activating in-market roaming for an emergency event is not as simple as 'flipping a switch' but instead requires several hours of dedicated time to implement any necessary network changes to enable roaming in the specific areas where it is needed."

The Rural Wireless Association notified the FCC it launched an open radio access network resource guide. The guide “provides background on Open RAN, a list of technical resources and a list of industry organizations helping accelerate the Open RAN ecosystem,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 21-63.