The FCC Public Safety Bureau granted a waiver allowing wireless carriers to forego enhanced geotargeting for earthquake early warnings (EEWs) by the U.S. Geological Survey. “USGS has identified the need for this waiver to allow their EEWs to reach the public as quickly as possible, and to ensure that related Public Safety Messages are distributed to the same geographic area as the initial EEW,” the bureau said in docket 15-91: “Given the characteristics and impacts of earthquakes, we are persuaded that the time saved by best approximating the target area would deliver significant public interest benefits of the kind contemplated by the Commission’s rules.”
Midco representatives discussed the company’s plans to deploy fixed wireless broadband in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The company discussed “our fixed wireless engineering, and test results from our 3.5 GHz experimental license” in Thompson, North Dakota, said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-120. “We also discussed the difference that access to the 2.5 GHz band would have on our network using our Thompson … testing site.” Midco shared “initial testing results on our experimental C Band license” in Mitchell, South Dakota, the filing said: “We discussed our support for repurposing the band to accommodate both cable operators and fixed wireless operators.”
The FCC upheld the Wireless Bureau's rejecting NBVDS Investment’s waiver of a deadline to file a short-form application in the 28 GHz auction, which concluded in January. “NBVDS predicates its Application for Review on the assertion that the Division’s Order conflicts with statute, regulation, precedent, or established Commission policy,” said the order on docket 17-79. “NBVDS has neither demonstrated that any such conflict in fact exists nor identified any other ground for overturning the Division Order.” The FCC emphasized the importance of uniform auction deadlines, which “provide applicants with certainty and give the Commission time for orderly application review and auction preparation.” The company didn’t comment Friday.
Ericsson will build a 300,000-square-foot fully automated smart factory in Lewisville, Texas, producing 5G and advanced antenna system radios. The factory will begin operations early 2020 and be “powered by Ericsson 5G solutions tailored for the industrial environment,” the company said Thursday: “Fast and secure 5G connectivity will enable agile operations and flexible production.”
The world got 250 million new LTE connections in Q2, to almost 5 billion, 5G Americas said Thursday. The group said there are 34 3rd Generation Partnership Project standardized 5G networks globally, with 77 expected by the end of 2019. It projected 156 million 5G connections by the end of 2021, with 32 million in North America. “We’re coming out of the gate with the excitement of 5G networks,” said President Chris Pearson: “However, network operators in many regions of the world are continuing to build out 4G LTE infrastructure at a rapid clip.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Wednesday on Pivotal Commware’s request for a waiver of Section 20.21(f) of rules on required industrial signal booster labeling disclosures. The company seeks an alternate label and placement of the labeling disclosures, the bureau said. Comments are due Sept. 30, replies Oct. 7 in docket 19-272.
Plaintiff John Salcedo wants to reopen a class-action complaint against senders of unsolicited text-message advertisements and asked for a rehearing en banc, in a petition filed for docket 17-14077 Salcedo v. Hanna (in Pacer) Wednesday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Last month, the 11th Circuit reversed on standing a lower court's decision in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act complaint (see 1908280046). The petition argues the prior decision "is at odds with precedent on the sufficiency of small harms to support standing." If left uncorrected, it said, "the opinion could leave consumers inundated with more unwanted calls and texts that, combined, are far from isolated and inconsequential."
Huawei filed at the FCC documents it said show many top U.S. telecom players have ties to China. Commissioners approved a supply chain NPRM 5-0 in April 2018 (see 1804170038). Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said Tuesday the FCC should wrap up work on rules (see 1909170044). "Numerous telecommunications companies have connections with China that are equally or, in many cases, more significant than those of Huawei,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 18-89. “This information highlights the irrationality and arbitrariness of premising any exclusion of Huawei from the USF program on Huawei’s supposed connections with China.”
The Aerospace Industries Association briefed FCC Wireless Bureau staff on the group’s push for on NPRM on technical and operational rules for using the 5030-5091 MHz band for unmanned aircraft systems controls (see 1909120073). They covered "industry discussions, views of manufacturers that are developing systems or currently operating in this spectrum band, and why this matter is ripe to move forward,” said a filing posted Thursday in RM-11798.
The FCC created its first two innovation zones, in New York and Salt Lake City. They're city-scale test beds for advanced wireless communications and network research, including 5G networks, it said Wednesday. The beds extend the geographic areas where licensed experimental program licensees can do tests, allowing “flexibility to conduct multiple non-related experiments under a single authorization within a defined geographic area” while “protecting incumbent services against harmful interference,” it said. Experimental program license holders licensed to operate elsewhere may use the zones, it said. An Office of Engineering and Technology public notice Wednesday provides details, on docket 19-257.