Wireless charging is in the news at CES in various form factors and applications. A six-in-one, MFi-certified, Qi-based nightstand charger and device organizer from Pita incorporates a convertible lightning USB-C tablet charger, standard USB type-A and USB-C side ports and a storage drawer. The Air Omni supports charging for up to six iOS and Android devices including smartphones, a smartwatch, wireless earbuds, tablet and other devices, it said. Price wasn’t given. Energous’ WattUp technology is being shown in personal sound amplification devices from SK Telesys, NewSound and Serene Innovations. Energous and ZPower are showcasing their micro-battery wireless reference design aimed at small electronic devices such as hearing aids. All five sensors in The Gokhale Method’s SpineTracker are charged by WattUp from a single charging service, Energous said. New York-based startup Yank Technologies is showing a center console wireless charger for the automotive market based on three-dimensional antenna arrays and new amplifier designs, it said. Yank is demonstrating the technology in Eureka Park with output power of approximately 20 watts, capable of charging multiple devices simultaneously, it said. The company is also showcasing its MotherBox, calling it the “first true wireless charger with no contact required.”

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Monday Apple’s unopposed request to seal confidential information in a case about 5G-related intellectual property, FTC v. Qualcomm (see 2001030045).

Idaho tower company Teton Communications agreed to a $20,000 settlement with the FCC Enforcement Bureau for failing to complete environmental and historic preservation reviews before beginning construction on a new tower in 2018, said an order and consent decree Monday. The FCC learned of the violation from a tribal historic preservation office, and Teton admitted the violations after receiving an agency letter of inquiry. Teton “failed to obtain a concurrence of no adverse effect from the State Historic Preservation Office, and failed to resolve concerns raised by the Tribal Historic Preservation Office prior to breaking ground on the wireless facility,” the order and consent decree said. Teton must implement a compliance process and submit compliance reports for three years.

Rebanding 800 MHz licensees that completed physical reconfiguration must notify the FCC about any disputes or provide completion certifications by Jan. 15, reminded the Public Safety Bureu Monday in docket 02-55. Commissioners unanimously OK’d streamlined rules and procedures for the final stage of rebanding in October (see 1910280016).

NTIA’s Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meets Jan. 28, says Monday's Federal Register. The meeting is the first under acting Administrator Doug Kinkoph and is at Morgan Lewis, Suite 201, 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, at 1 p.m. NTIA said it will publish a detailed agenda before the meeting.

The Public Safety Bureau said Friday the FCC will process assignment of 42 microwave licenses from Eagle-Net to Zayo, referring the matter to the Enforcement Bureau. In 2011, Eagle-Net received NTIA funding to build a broadband network to serve rural Colorado communities, the bureau said. “Eagle-Net could not sustain its broadband network financially ... NTIA therefore requested Zayo -- one of Eagle-Net’s partners in the broadband network -- to assume management.” Zayo has been operating on the licenses since May 2018 but hasn't been able to locate an Eagle-Net official to execute the assignment applications, the order said. “It has not been the Commission’s practice, generally, to deny or dismiss otherwise conforming untimely assignment applications,” the bureau said. “The Commission typically has granted such applications but reserved its right to initiate enforcement action. We believe that to be the appropriate approach here.” Zayo didn't comment.

Just in time for CES, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi 6E Friday, to identify Wi-Fi 6 products able to operate in the 6 GHz band. “Unlicensed spectrum stands out as one of the FCC’s most successful policy experiments,” the alliance said: “By allowing permissionless innovation in a band of spectrum, we’ve seen billions of dollars of economic value created, millions of people and devices connected and terabytes of critical data sent via technology like Wi-Fi.” Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said the agency should move forward on the 6 GHz proceeding. “Must conclude @FCC proceeding ASAP, including parameters to protect incumbents, getting multiple unlicensed layers … into innovators' hands," he tweeted. "Unlicensed in 6 GHz will be transformative!”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau granted waiver for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to test the wireless emergency alert system at Los Angeles International Airport Jan. 15, with a backup date of Jan. 29, both at 10 a.m. PST. “In light of the public safety incidents that have occurred at LAX, LAWA has demonstrated a real need to understand how alerts are transmitted and received by the transient and international populations LAX serves,” the bureau said Thursday in docket 15-91. “Such consumers would have had an insufficient opportunity to learn about and choose to receive State/Local WEA Tests -- a new WEA test message category that became available for use last month and that requires consumers to affirmatively opt in to receive test messages.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved Ford's application to test cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology in the 5.9 GHz band. Ford is allowed to run tests for two years along a road in the Detroit area. Commissioners approved 5-0 in December an NPRM seeking to reallocate the 5.9 GHz band for Wi-Fi and C-V2X, while potentially preserving a sliver for dedicated short-range communications (see 1912120058).

The Land Mobile Communications Council filed a petition for correction asking the FCC to “recognize and correct” the record on multiple release dates for the same Sprint-vacated 800 MHz spectrum. The LMCC has identified 197 Sprint-vacated channels canceled correctly by Sprint, but for which the FCC issued multiple release dates. “Multiple release dates for the same channels incorrectly trigger an additional five-year period of eligibility limitations,” the council said Tuesday, regarding its filing in docket 02-55. “This inadvertent extension denies access to these channels for critical infrastructure industry and non-public safety eligible applicants for 3 to 5 additional years.”