FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is tacking contraband cellphones in correctional facilities, an area that has been quiet in recent years after it was an early focus of then-Chairman Ajit Pai. Rosenworcel last week circulated an order and second Further NPRM. It would establish “new requirements for wireless providers to disable identified contraband cellphones when requested by a designated correctional facility official,” an FCC spokesperson said Monday: “It would also, among other things, seek further comment on additional technological solutions to combat [such] contraband devices.” In April, CTIA said a process for disabling these devices should ensure systems used to identify contraband phones are “accurate, … the procedures used to direct the disabling of specific phones are reliable” and “disabling orders that direct wireless providers to stop service to devices are clear.” Carrier officials said they want to know more about the proposal before commenting. Rosenworcel also sought a vote on a stay request on 4.9 GHz rules, a spokesperson confirmed. The order permitted one statewide licensee per state “to lease some or all of its spectrum rights to third parties, including commercial, critical infrastructure, and other users, thus making up to 50 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available for more intensive use.” Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks dissented on the September order (see 2012300047). Both items are on the circulation list.

5G broadcast Release 16 moves technology forward and is a continuing Qualcomm focus, Lorenzo Casaccia, Qualcomm Europe vice president-technical standards, blogged Friday. “We envisioned 5G as a unified platform that can connect diverse devices, services, and deployments,” he said: “5G broadcast in Release 16 is defined to do so by supporting two distinct modes: 5G standalone broadcast and mixed-mode multicast.” The standard supports “a wide set of applications, from delivering linear TV services and new immersive experiences … to facilitating public safety communication, better automotive safety, and more,” he said.

Lockheed Martin sought OK for test facilities in Cazenovia and Liverpool, New York, that use the 3.1-3.55 GHz band, adjacent to the C-band spectrum sold in an FCC 5G auction. “This waiver seeks to create a dependable and predictable coexistence framework for Lockheed Martin and a small set of potentially affected 3.45 GHz Service licensees,” said a filing posted Friday: “Lockheed Martin and bidders in Auction 110 will benefit from greater certainty on the regulatory status of Lockheed Martin’s Liverpool and Cazenovia sites, which are encompassed within a single contour.”

The FCC granted 125 priority access licenses won in the citizens broadband radio service auction and approved 13 long-form applications. Among the licenses approved Friday were those won by AtLink Services, Cherokee Telephone, Nemont Communications and SkyPacket Networks. The auction ended in August.

NTIA reopened the application window Friday for nominations to the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee. The deadline was April 16; a new date will come in a Federal Register notice. “NTIA seeks to expand the pool of applicants and best ensure the composition of the committee reflects balanced points of view,” it said.

T-Mobile and Verizon saw broad agreement in initial comments (see 2104150054) on rules for the 3.45 GHz auction, per replies posted Friday in docket 21-62. Commenters “resoundingly agree” the FCC should work with NTIA and DOD to “make available additional information about federal encumbrances and transition plans and to conduct workshops as soon as possible,” T-Mobile said: They want “graduated minimum opening bids, upfront payments, and bidding units to more accurately reflect the spectrum and geographic landscape” and “bidding procedures that will minimize exposure risks and stranded investments.” Potential bidders “have made clear that to encourage participation in the auction and promote a robust auction, potential bidders require additional information about the auction products and clearing process as soon as possible,” Verizon said. UScellular urged certainty: “To the extent feasible,” assign contiguous frequencies to a bidder winning generic blocks in both bidding categories in the 72 multi-category markets for sale. Smaller carriers represented by the Blooston law firm want smaller license sizes. “The amount and complexity of information that is yet to be disclosed about the 3.45 GHz band sharing and interference protection criteria is daunting,” Blooston said.

Wireless Infrastructure Association President Jonathan Adelstein spoke with FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington on the importance of training programs for tower workers, said a Thursday posting in docket 20-445. “WIA highlighted its efforts ... through the Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program.”

Delta Air Lines will equip its more than 19,000 flight attendants with the 5G iPhone 12, AT&T said Wednesday: Attendants will use the phones' augmented reality capabilities to inventory in-cabin supplies and “perform critical tasks -- from safety checks to passenger assistance.”

Boeing representatives urged the FCC to issue an NPRM on enabling use of the 5030-5091 MHz band for unmanned aircraft systems, in a call with an aide to acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. There's "need for licensed spectrum to support the communications needs of the growing UAS industry,” said a filing posted Wednesday in RM-11798: “The parties discussed the extent to which adopting licensing and service rules for the C-band is a critical component of that overarching endeavor, which likely will include a variety of spectrum options to support UAS operations, including commercial wireless providers operating under flexible use licenses.”

Qualcomm representatives told FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff that the entire 600 MHz-wide lower 37 GHz band can safely be shared by licensed users. Under Qualcomm’s proposal, priority users would be licensed to use a 100 or 200 MHz channel “in a given area on which they have primary rights, and each priority licensee would have secondary rights to the other channels,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 14-177. Simulations “demonstrate that fully overlapping licenses in both frequency and location can perform very well in an extremely high density node deployment scenario,” Qualcomm said: “This unsurprising result is due to the highly directional nature of millimeter wave communications.”