Carriers should remove equipment from Huawei and ZTE from their networks -- after they have federal funds to do so, the Rural Wireless Association said. Finalizing designations of the two Chinese suppliers as covered companies first under the FCC’s November supply chair order “would leave rural carriers in jeopardy of not being able to maintain their critical networks for their customers, who are currently relying on that broadband connectivity during this global pandemic,” RWA said in comments posted Friday in docket 18-89. The order bars equipment from two vendors from networks funded by the USF and establishes rules that could block other providers (see 1911220033). RWA said in deciding “when and how to finalize the designations of Huawei and ZTE, the Commission should solely rely on the Secure Networks Act” enacted in March (see 2003120061).

CTIA and major carriers said the FCC should allow a mobile operating system-based approach on vertical location requirements. CTIA, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile representatives spoke with aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks, said a filing Thursday in docket 07-114: “Adopting a nationwide approach that recognizes the current capabilities of mobile OS-based solutions can yield 40% of 9-1-1 calls producing ± 3 meter z-axis location information by April 2021, while network-dependent solutions in contrast will likely yield only 2%.”

Dedicating the lower 45 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band to Wi-Fi would be the “best course” for the spectrum, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told a Broadband India Forum webinar Friday, per prepared remarks. Commissioner Mike O’Rielly predicts summer action (see 2004300032). In response to the pandemic, the FCC approved special temporary authority for more than 150 broadband providers to use the band, Pai said: They report “it has enabled faster speeds, increased coverage, and expanded network bandwidth. Collectively, they show the promise of the 5.9 GHz band for unlicensed use.” Pai highlighted the 6 GHz Further NPRM, which looks at use of very-low-power devices (see 2004230059): “We don’t really know what this would lead to. And that’s kind of the point with unlicensed innovation.”

Several areas require more discussion and clarity as the FAA tackles unmanned aerial system traffic management (UTM), the agency's Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) was told Friday in a virtual meeting. “As UTM is rolled out, we recognize that there are many instances that could require airspace to be limited for a period,” said Max Fenkell, Aerospace Industries Association director-unmanned and emerging aviation technologies, who presented a report on UTM. One question that “came up constantly” was would UAS volume reservations “be available only to public safety or would a similar ... tool be available to commercial entities,” he said. Another question is whether manned aircraft operators would be required to participate in UTM, Fenkell said. Rules make participation optional and a “more robust discussion” is needed, he said. The DAC agreed to forward the report to the agency. DAC member Robie Roy, Lockheed Martin vice president-technology, said spectrum for drones remains a big issue. “All of this interconnectivity is not going to be effective unless we pay attention to spectrum allocation, usage, etc.,” Roy said. He noted the Commerce (Department's) Spectrum Management Advisory Committee is looking at spectrum for drones (see 2004220059). The FAA should work with CSMAC, said David Silver, AIA vice president-civil aviation: “We’re aware of the effort, and we think it’s very important.” Spectrum is “the lifeblood” of the drone industry, Fenkell said: “We need to look at all possible options including … aviation spectrum.”

The few comments filed were mixed on a proposal by IEE Sensing for a waiver allowing VitaSense, “a system that detects children left in vehicles and provides this information to the vehicle’s warning systems” to operate in the 76-81 GHz band (see 2005060054). Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said the technology is needed to address the overheating of children “who have unknowingly been left in or entered vehicles without adult supervision.” Deny the petition, said ADC Automotive Distance Control Systems. The band is used for advanced driver assistance technologies, providing a 360-degree view of a vehicle’s surroundings, the company said. These radars “must operate seamlessly, continuously and in an RF environment that mitigates interference risks to the greatest extent possible,” ADC said. “A full notice-and-comment rulemaking proceeding would be necessary to address the myriad of questions about compatibility of in-cabin sensors with external vehicular radars that are posed but not answered by the IEE Sensing Petition,” said engineering company Robert Bosch. Comments were posted Thursday in FCC docket 20-144.

The FCC Wireless Bureau denied applications by the Lower Colorado River Authority to modify its 900 MHz licenses by adding three sites. The bureau also denied a request for waiver of the 900 MHz application freeze, in a Wednesday order. “The requested new sites are, respectively, 75, 102, and 110 miles from the nearest existing LCRA site in its 900 MHz network,” the bureau said: “We reject the argument that a freeze waiver generally is warranted where the applications seeking to expand geographically seeks new capacity in rural areas, particularly where the expansion is substantial and will result in further encumbrances, potentially delaying or preventing a transition to broadband.”

Sensormatic, a supplier of security solutions for retailers, said the FCC should drop a proposal to adopt International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in RF rules. The comments respond to a December NPRM (see 1912040036). Adopting the ICNIRP 2010 dose limits for the 3 kHz to 10 MHz frequency range “would be imposing significant and unwarranted regulation and costs,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-226. “Insofar as Sensormatic’s own industry is concerned, the Commission would be imposing undesirable and unnecessary equipment performance degradation -- all without any apparent health or safety benefit.” GuRu Wireless asked the FCC to classify wireless power transfer at a distance equipment as Part 18 devices. “These systems do work rather than transmit communications,” it said: “They also operate in a way comparable to consumer-grade microwave ovens and industrial heating equipment (albeit at much lower power levels), which have long been allowed under Part 18.”

The Competitive Carriers Association asked the FCC to waive the June 30 deadline to offer real-time text (RTT) instead of traditional text technology (TTY). Commissioners approved an order on a common standard for the transition in December 2016 (see 1612150048). CCA members are committed to accessible communications, said a petition posted Wednesday in docket 16-145. “While CCA and the Commission expected RTT solutions to be readily available after being developed for Tier 1 providers, this has not been the case,” the group said. “The core network upgrades required to support RTT have proven to be substantially more complex than anticipated. Despite their diligent efforts in working with their existing network vendors and exploring third-party options, the Petitioning Members have not been successful in obtaining an RTT solution or have only recently done so and have not yet had time to implement and test the solution.” CCA sought delay until one year after a member executes an agreement with a network vendor for an RTT solution that can be implemented on its network. Executives from Viaero Wireless, Inland Cellular, Southern Linc, GCI, Nex-Tech Wireless and Cellcom supported the waiver.

The National Association of Tower Erectors workforce strategic plan released Tuesday includes identifying "workforce and program development needs" and mapping "the career pathways for the telecommunications sectors" by region.

Analysts said Tuesday reports that SoftBank will sell up to two-thirds of its stake in T-Mobile make sense as the Japanese company raises cash for other ventures. New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin said T-Mobile will likely buy at least 7% of the shares to take its stake above 50%, with the balance sold to the public. “This is not overly surprising news and has been speculated in the wake of SoftBank's deleveraging,” Wells Fargo’s Jennifer Fritzsche told investors. “This news is driven more by factors surrounding SoftBank's balance sheet than any underlying issues” at T-Mobile, she said. SoftBank bought a big stake in Sprint in 2012, its major foray into the U.S. wireless sector. SoftBank and T-Mobile didn’t comment.