Health concerns about the FCC-proposed update of rules for over-the-air reception devices, with an eye on 5G, were raised by Marshall Goldberg, a physician in Washington state. Local and state interests also raised concerns (see 1906050014). “This rule change would allow millimeter wave pulsed transmitting devices to be installed on private homes for the purpose of broadcasting signals out into local neighborhoods,” Goldberg filed, posted Monday in docket 19-36: “Adding such a clause to the 1996 Telecommunications Act is a threat to human health.” The Citizen League Encouraging Awareness of Radiation raised similar health concerns last week, as did others.

NextNav executives urged FCC Public Safety Bureau staff to act on a proposed rule requiring carriers meet a new vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for indoor wireless calls to 911. Commissioners approved a Further NPRM in March (see 1903150067). There was little consensus in comments last month (see 1905210061). NextNav executives "discussed some of the mechanics of implementing a 3 meter vertical location metric,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 07-114. “They expressed support for applying the requirement to all z-axis capable handsets, noting that barometric pressure sensors are already widely deployed in smartphones. Further, the software to calibrate these sensors can be uploaded to many smartphones as a part of an over-the-air update of the operating system.”

The 24 GHz band is important to 5G and the FCC should be sure it ends up in the hands of providers, said Joel Thayer, ACT|The App Association policy counsel, in an American Enterprise Institute interview by visiting fellow Shane Tews posted Monday. “The good news is that the 24 GHz auction is over, and there seems to be little appetite to undo it.” Thayer said the record is clear: “NTIA has found no interference issues for incumbent government users (including NASA and NOAA’s National Weather Service) with the concurrent use of commercial wireless services in its two-year long investigation. Even after the State Department, the main arbiter of interagency disputes, weighed in and sided with the FCC, these two agencies still disagree with their sister agencies and maintain their objections to the 24 GHz auction.”

PdvWireless, a big holder of licensed spectrum in the 900 MHz band, is now Anterix, the company said Friday. The company’s goal is “to deliver the dedicated broadband so desperately needed to modernize our nation's critical infrastructure,” said CEO Morgan O’Brien. “Enabling connectivity for the devices that can power and protect the crucial services we all rely on, we are poised and ready to transform the way utilities and enterprise operate through the use of broadband technology.” The FCC is seeking comment on a request by Anterix that the band be reconfigured, creating a paired 3/3 MHz broadband segment, and reserving two segments for continued narrowband operations. Responses have been mixed (see 1906050040).

T-Mobile officials pressed the FCC for transparency and certainty in the upcoming 37, 39 and 47 GHz auction that starts Dec. 10. It met with Wireless Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale, Office of Economics and Analytics Chief Giulia McHenry and others, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 14-177. “We urged the Commission to provide incumbent 39 GHz licensees with information during bidding about their incentive payment credits and to provide data file format specifications and sample data files at least 30 days before bidding commences,” the carrier said. “To reduce complexity during the auction, we suggested that bidders be presented only with feasible options during the assignment phase.”

Southern Co. supports Dynetics’ request the FCC lift or waive the temporary freeze on nonfederal applications for new or expanded Part 90 operations in the 3100-3550 MHz band. Two other commenters opposed a waiver (see 1906130001). “Several years ago Southern identified ground-based radar as a viable solution to enhancing physical security at its critical facilities,” the company said, posted Thursday in docket 19-39. “This technology proved to be effective in providing early detection, operator awareness, event logging and comprehensive defense against potential intruders. Georgia Power and Alabama Power spent over one year identifying and evaluating different radar systems that could be used at critical facilities before selecting the GroundAware technology developed by Dynetics.” Southern said it has a lot of territory to secure since a single generating plant can cover more than 350 acres.

Google filed a report card on lab certification testing done on its citizens broadband radio service spectrum access system by the Commerce Department’s Institute for Telecommunications Sciences. The filing posted Thursday in FCC docket 15-319 asked that all the data be treated as confidential. It "constitutes highly sensitive commercial information that falls within Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act," Google said: "Certain portions of the confidential information also implicate operational security concerns for the U.S. Navy."

Diverse players in the educational broadband service arena met with an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on EBS licensing. “We discussed our joint support for rationalizing the current circular Geographic Service Areas (GSAs) to county-based geographic boundaries,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 18-120. “These stakeholders agree rationalization is a key step to modernizing the 2.5 GHz band and promoting intensive use of both currently licensed EBS spectrum and new EBS spectrum licenses.” Sprint, Midco, the Wireless ISP Association, Wireless Communications Association, Catholic Technology Network, National EBS Association, Voqal, North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation and Mobile Beacon attended. Their recommendations included that the FCC “rationalize the outdated circular GSAs to the county boundary, where an existing licensee’s GSA covers a minimum threshold of 25 percent of the geography of a county” and that “rationalization should take place automatically” and “equally to all current GSAs and license holders that satisfy the 25 percent threshold.” Participants agree “no current licensed GSA should be reduced in size,” the filing said. Chairman Ajit Pai is expected to propose new 2.5 GHz rules at the July 10 commissioners’ meeting (see 1906120043).

Three groups filed an informal FCC complaint against the nation’s four largest wireless carriers for selling customers’ data to aggregators. The Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology, New America Open Technology Institute and Free Press asked for an investigation and potentially enforcement actions. The Communications Act requires providers “to observe heightened privacy obligations for location information,” said the complaint in docket 16-106. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint "broadly violated those obligations and their customers’ privacy expectations. The Carriers have disclosed customer location information to location aggregators, other location-based services companies, and unauthorized individuals without customer approval. That location information has in some circumstances found its way into the hands of bounty hunters and stalkers.” In May, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel sent letters to CEOs of the carriers asking what they're doing to make sure real-time location information they collect isn’t being sold to data aggregators (see 1905010167). Commissioner Geoffrey Starks also complained about the practice (see 1902080056). The four companies didn't comment Friday.

FirstNet's board and committees meet June 26 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., says a notice for Friday's Federal Register. The meeting is at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis.