The Wireless Infrastructure Association supported a T-Mobile request that it be allowed to use stage 2 mobile support through a program providing emergency relief to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to pay for the deployment of distributed antenna systems (see 2204180025). “DAS-based deployments are a critical element of reliable, resilient networks because they facilitate high quality connections indoors,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-143: “Granting this simple clarification will ensure service providers on the Islands are able to use every tool available to meet the Stage 2 goals of increasing network resiliency and reliability.”

An AT&T spokesperson confirmed reports that the carrier is raising monthly charges for some wireless subscribers by as much as $6 a month for single-line customers and up to $12 a month for families. “We are adjusting prices on some of our older wireless plans, which have not seen an increase in three years,” a spokesperson emailed Tuesday: “We are encouraging our customers to explore our newer plans which offer many additional features, more flexibility for each line on their account and, in many cases, a lower monthly cost.” Bloomberg reported the development Tuesday, citing information sent to staff in multiple AT&T stores.

Representatives of Intel, Meta Platforms and Qualcomm met virtually with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology staff to offer their take on revised rules for radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2110180062). “Even in the most conservative test configuration, three communications links can operate in three adjacent channels within the 57-64 GHz band with minor impact on latency performance,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 21-264. Operations under standard 802.11 ad/ay “have several attributes, like channelization and channel sensing, that radar operations lack that allow for successful co-existence of multiple communications links operating at the same time,” the companies said: “Higher power radar operations, as proposed in the NPRM, may occupy the entire 57-64 GHz band without any sharing mechanism.”

Microsoft urged the FCC to retain its current rules for narrowband TV white spaces devices (WSD), which allow for “a once daily database recheck interval and allows a narrowband WSD device that is temporarily unable to contact the database to continue operations until 11:59 PM the following day.” That requirement has been in place for six years “without any reported incidents of harmful interference,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 14-165: Compared with other devices, “the risk of harmful interference from narrowband WSDs is even more remote. These low power devices can only operate in areas with three contiguous White Spaces channels, limiting their operations to less populated areas where multiple channels are necessarily available for other operations.”

The FCC Wireless Bureau will immediately start accepting applications for the certification of contraband interdiction systems and to be a designated correctional facility official (DCFO) as part of the agency’s ongoing work to prevent contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities. Tuesday's notice follows a July order on disabling devices once detected (see 2107130029). The DCFO will “ensure that parties making disabling requests have the necessary authority and accountability to safeguard the integrity of the contraband device identification and disabling process,” the bureau said.

Dish Network will use products from Samsung Electronics throughout its 5G open radio access network, the companies said Tuesday. “Per the multi-year agreement, the companies will collaborate to deploy Samsung's 5G O-RAN-compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) solutions and radio units in markets across the U.S., supporting DISH's 5G commercial services,” they said. Samsung will supply “vRAN software and a variety of O-RAN compliant radio units, including Massive MIMO radios,” which “can operate on any commercial off-the-shelf server, while still delivering performance on par with traditional hardware-based equipment,” said a news release.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s warnings last week on continuing C-band deployment questions (see 2204280064) likely won’t pose problems on Wall Street for Verizon and AT&T, New Street’s Blair Levin told investors in a weekend update. “While the Secretary’s comments create some uncertainty, it is not the kind of uncertainty that will affect the economic performance of the companies now offering 5G services in the C-Band,” Levin wrote: “We still don't know the ultimate power levels, sizes of the areas with constraints, timetable, or exact details of other operating requirements, but the opportunities and challenges of the companies in benefitting from their 5G offerings are unlikely to be affected.”

The Telecommunications Industry Association is updating its TIA-222 standard for towers and antenna supporting structures. The revision will look at standardizing the use of drones to inspect towers and structures, said a Monday release. “Drones are increasingly being used to reduce the number of climbs required by an engineer or technician and to provide near real-time information about the structure to tower owners, operators, and the maintenance work force, helping to save both time and money,” TIA said.

The information collection requirements in a July FCC order requiring disabling of contraband wireless devices detected in correctional facilities (see 2107130029) are effective Tuesday, after approval by the Office of Management and Budget, said a notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register. The Wireless Bureau will use the information “to determine whether to certify a system and ensure that the systems are designed to support operational readiness and minimize the risk of disabling a non-contraband device, and ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that only devices that are in fact contraband will be identified for disabling,” the notice said: “Bureau certification will also enable targeted industry review of solutions by allowing interested stakeholders to provide feedback on the application for certification, including the proposed test plan.”

CTIA and member companies updated the FCC Wireline Bureau on the latest on SIM swap and port-out fraud, the topic of a rulemaking last year (see 2112150018). “CTIA and its members take consumer fraud seriously and continue to work to stay ahead of bad actors with innovative security approaches,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-341: “While over 99% of SIM swap and port-out requests are legitimate, CTIA’s members remain committed to combatting and deterring fraud attempts that do occur.” AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and UScellular participated in the call.