The FCC won't extend the comments deadline on Bosch's petition (see 1906190032) for review of part 15, subpart F regulations on ultra-wideband devices and systems. GPS Innovation Alliance sought the extension. In an order Wednesday on RM-11844, the Office of Engineering and Technology said nothing in the petition warrants deviation from standard deadlines. Comments are due Aug. 19, replies Sept. 3.

More than 600 million smartphones and other devices with contact-based wireless charging shipped worldwide last year, but nearly 70 percent of consumers don’t own contact charging pads, wireless charging company Wi-Charge and Zogby Analytics reported Tuesday. Half of U.S. consumers who own Qi wireless chargers have concerns about “sub-par reliability, speed and the need to leave their phone on the pad." A third said their mobile devices die “multiple times every week,” even when fully charged overnight. A quarter would pay a premium for devices that could charge themselves without user intervention through long-range wireless charging, and 25 percent with smart home devices would spend 10 percent more for a smart home device with long-range wireless power if that meant making the device more mobile and easier to maintain. Wi-Charge's Chief Marketing Officer Yuval Boger told us last week that wireless charging is “more topical than ever” because of the extra burden 5G technology is expected to put on smartphone batteries.

The Wireless Infrastructure Association met with aides to FCC commissioners, except Geoffrey Starks, to discuss the draft program comment on twilight towers, proposed realignment of the 900 MHz band and “its members’ commitment to facilitating broadband deployment to Multi-Tenant Environments.” A filing was posted Monday in docket 17-200.

AT&T said nearly 9,000 public safety agencies and organizations have subscribed to FirstNet, with more than 750,000 connections. The Monday update came at APCO’s annual meeting in Baltimore.

The Millimeter Wave Coalition asked the FCC to launch a rulemaking on one technical issue raised by the recent spectrum horizons order, approved 5-0 in March (see 1903150054), on the effect of footnote US246 to the U.S. table of allocations. The footnote is designed to protect passive services (see 1903130057). The scientific services protected are important, the coalition said. "The Coalition does not doubt the need to continue to protect these scientific services,” said a petition in docket 18-21. “For the special case of spectrum above 95 GHz, is there an alternative way to both protect the key passive services and also enable new terrestrial uses of spectrum under a strict framework that encourages privately funded research and development and commercialization of the spectrum above 95 GHz.”

Arguments by Sprint and several localities against FCC rules restricting the requirements localities can impose on small-cell deployments “offer no basis to disturb the Commission’s reasonable exercise of its delegated authority,” the FCC said in a responding brief (in Pacer) filed Thursday in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (see 1906100021). The agency’s rules don’t conflict with preservation of local zoning authority, the FCC said. “Localities retain the right to deny particular siting requests for any reason," as long those reasons don’t transgress “specific limits,” the agency said. The FCC record shows local practices such as high application fees have the effect of prohibiting the buildout of wireless service, which allows the FCC to intervene, the filing said. It’s also reasonable for the FCC’s rules on small-cell deployment to apply to rights-of way and property owned by localities, the filing said. “Streets and sidewalks are held in trust for the public, to supply services for the public good,” the FCC said. The rules don’t run into any constitutional concerns since they don’t require any particular applications to be approved, the agency said. Small cells are “relatively unobtrusive,” and “do not meaningfully interfere with other uses of the rights-of-way,” the FCC said.

The FCC issued a $39,278 fine against Ocean Hinson of Surry County, North Carolina, for allegedly impersonating first responders in unauthorized radio communications on Surry County’s licensed public safety frequency. The FCC proposed the fine in 2018 for a 2017 incident (see 1810120056). County officials responding to a fire alarm sent a request for assistance to the Westfield Volunteer Fire Department, said the Thursday order approved by commissioners. Hinson, allegedly posing as “Westfield VFD Unit 7331,” responded by radio, saying he was on the way. About four minutes later, Hinson allegedly contacted the dispatcher by radio and canceled the call. No first responder checked out what turned out to be a false alarm, the FCC said.

TracFone outside counsel Geoffrey Why met Monday with Nicholas Degani, senior counsel to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, to repeat the importance of incorporating into the Lifeline national verifier program application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow two-way communication between the national verifier online registry and Lifeline service providers (see 1907080009), said an ex parte letter posted Thursday in docket 11-42. The parties also discussed Lifeline minimum service standards (see 1907310074) and a TracFone petition to expand its eligible telecommunications carrier designation to include tribal lands (see 1904040071).

S&P Global Ratings raised its credit rating on Keysight Technologies to BBB from BBB-minus Wednesday. The upgrade reflects Keysight’s “growing importance in 5G-related test, research and development and other emerging applications as evidenced by the company's strong revenue growth in recent quarters, steady market share gains, and product adoption among its broad customer base,” S&P said: “We expect the company's exposure to worldwide 5G wireless technology test and simulation projects, solutions to serve emerging automotive applications beyond the communications market, and data center network investments to continue supporting solid growth prospects in the near to medium term.”

A Dynetics representative discussed with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai the company’s request that the FCC lift or waive the temporary freeze on nonfederal applications for new or expanded Part 90 operations in the 3100-3550 MHz band (see 1905290011). Dynetics discussed “the ongoing impact to the critical infrastructure community during this period of review by the Commission, and the general status of the Commission's review of these pleadings,” said a filing Tuesday in docket 19-39.