Wi-Fi advocates offered a compromise on 5.9 GHz unlicensed, proposing a more-conservative out-of-band emissions limit at the edge. They suggest -9 dBm/MHz at the 5925 MHz band edge for indoor and outdoor unlicensed operations, with -7 dBm/MHz in the remainder. “This limit will advance the Commission’s goal of ‘optimiz[ing]' the use of spectrum resources in the 5.9 GHz band by enabling valuable additions and enhancements to the unlicensed ecosystem,’” said Broadcom, CableLabs, Facebook and NCTA in a filing posted Monday in docket 19-138. Automakers discussed the band with acting Chief Ronald Repasi and others from the Office of Engineering and Technology, urging protections for vehicle-to-everything technologies. Representatives of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Volkswagen were among those on the call.

Groups urged the FCC to reject requests for a waiver of the June 30 deadline to offer real-time text instead of traditional text technology filed by the Competitive Carriers Association, U.S. Cellular and East Kentucky Network (see 2007010045). Comments were due Friday in docket 16-145. Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, National Association of the Deaf, Hearing Loss Association of America and others filed joint comments, posted Monday. “When the Commission issued the RTT Order in 2016, it may have anticipated some deviation from the estimated transition timeline, and we acknowledge that the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional complexity,” they said: “But the Commission did not condone, and should not now permit, a poorly executed transition that risks Americans losing access to 9-1-1 services for an indefinite period of time.” As carriers retire TTY “without RTT access to 9-1-1, people will die,” they said. The groups filed the only comment.

CTIA disagreed with Berkeley, California, on legal standards for deferring to an FCC statement of interest (SOI) and for preempting localities, in filings Thursday at U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Judge Edward Chen asked at oral argument last week for legal citations on those subjects in the case about a Berkeley RF disclosure law (see 2007240063). CTIA said (in Pacer) the court should apply Auer deference to the FCC statement “because it sets forth the agency’s interpretation of its own regulations” including the December 2019 RF safety order. Auer says that interpretation is controlling unless plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the rule. Berkeley said (in Pacer) the SOI “is owed no more than Skidmore deference” because the statement “does not interpret a regulation -- that is a substantive legislative rule, the most basic predicate of Auer deference.” To overcome courts’ presumption against preemption of local police powers, the court “must find that the Agency has acted with ‘clear and manifest purpose’ to preempt state and local law,” said Berkeley. CTIA argued for a less strict standard.

The FCC is acting in response to a GAO report on wireless emergency alerts and other alerting issues, Chairman Ajit Pai said in a letter to Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., posted Friday in docket 20-14. “I share GAO's view on the importance of gathering and assessing specific performance information about the effectiveness of these systems' enhanced capabilities -- many of which have only recently become available,” Pai said: “The Commission has a pending rulemaking proceeding that specifically seeks comment on whether the Commission should adopt performance metrics, such as benchmarks regarding the extent to which these alerts have been received.” The Public Safety Bureau had been working with local jurisdictions to do end-to-end WEA tests of geotargeting effectiveness, but that was suspended due to COVID-19, Pai said. Once the agency has a better understanding of system performance, it will be able to make “better-informed” decisions on improving it, future tests, and resolving the pending rulemaking on WEA performance metrics, Pai said.

Verizon launched new LTE Home Internet service in Savannah; Springfield, Missouri; and the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky. It's adding the offering to customers “outside the Fios and 5G Home footprints, expanding home connectivity options to rural areas,” the carrier said Thursday: “They’ll get unlimited data, and experience download speeds of 25 Mbps with peak Internet speeds of 50 Mbps.”

The citizens broadband radio service auction will likely close at between the $2 billion raised in the 24 GHz auction and the $4.5 billion from the 37, 39 and 47 GHz band sale, New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin told investors. Wednesday's prices indicate an average of 4 cents MHz/POP, Chaplin said. “There is still lots of excess demand, suggesting that prices have a ways to run before we have a clear sense of where they will land.” The two previous auctions “saw prices start to stabilize around the 20th round,” he said: “We would expect the same here.” The FCC is now running three rounds a day and round 20 will come Tuesday, he noted. The auction hit $831.8 million Thursday after 13 rounds as bidding heated up. That's a jump from $775.2 million in the previous round.

Comments are due Aug. 31, replies Sept. 29 on an FCC NPRM to “take the next statutorily required step to implement” the 2012 spectrum law's mandate for public safety to move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021 (see 2005150053), says Friday's Federal Register. “The Commission seeks comment on transition mechanisms and costs for relocating public safety eligibles from the T-Band, including whether to transition these licensees only where auction revenues exceed anticipated transition costs,” the notice says: “The Commission also proposes an auction framework and licensing, operating, and technical rules for the reallocated spectrum that would preserve the current environment for incumbents remaining.”

T-Mobile doesn’t oppose a 90-day extension of Monday’s 2.5 GHz rural tribal priority application window, but the FCC should remember it's already actively deploying services in the band, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-120. “It is important that grant of the pending requests not delay action necessary to auction the remaining 2.5 GHz spectrum for commercial use,” the carrier said: “While T-Mobile has begun to deploy 2.5 GHz spectrum for 5G services, currently unlicensed spectrum should be available to provide broadband services and not continue to lie fallow.” Some support a six-month extension (see 2007230040).

The importance of 5G is underscored by how 4G “powered remarkable economic growth and transformed the way Americans live and work,” Recon Analytics and CTIA reported Wednesday. “Nearly 10% of the GDP increase of the entire U.S. economy from 2011 to 2019 was due to the growth of the U.S. wireless industry.”

The Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Coalition asked the Department of Transportation and FAA to extend the integration pilot program for drones established in a 2017 presidential memorandum. The memo expires Oct. 25, the coalition said Wednesday: It can be extended by the transportation secretary but “we have been informed that the Department has decided not to seek an extension.” Coalition members participating “have gained valuable experience,” the group said. Drone companies used the program to explore delivery of medical supplies (see 2006150056).