The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security is issuing a general license temporarily allowing certain transactions with Huawei and 68 of its affiliates without new licensing requirements set by their recent addition (see 1905160081) to the entity list. The general license authorizes exports, re-exports and in-country transfers under pre-listing conditions if they are related to continued operation of existing networks and equipment; support for existing Huawei handsets; cybersecurity research and vulnerability disclosure; or engagement necessary for the development of 5G standards by a recognized standards body. The general license is set for Federal Register publication Wednesday and remains in effect until Aug. 19. "The Temporary General License grants operators time to make other arrangements and the Department space to determine the appropriate long term measures for Americans and foreign telecommunications providers that currently rely on Huawei equipment for critical services,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Monday. “This license will allow operations to continue for existing Huawei mobile phone users and rural broadband networks.” The steps the U.S. government is taking are “long overdue,” blogged Roslyn Layton, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, on Tuesday. “The actions follow two decades of intelligence gathering and experience documenting the risk of the products and services of firms associated with the Chinese government and military, repeated trade violations, and cyberattacks, including the one on the Office of Personnel Management.”

The Enforcement Bureau Monday proposed a fine of $20,000 against Caribbean Network Solutions for allegedly operating two U-NII devices in the 5.6 GHz band, against FCC rules, causing interference to an FAA doppler weather radar station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The fines comes following a visit to the site by bureau staff last September. Officials “observed that two Ubiquiti Rocket” devices “were operating on the same wireless network using a center frequency of 5.620 GHz,” the order said. “Bureau personnel also observed that the Ubiquiti Devices were configured to operate using the Argentina country code, rather than the United States country code, and that Dynamic Frequency Selection was not enabled.” The company didn’t comment. The bureau noted it could have been fined as much as $151,005 “for a single act or failure to act.”

Alongside the C band and 6 GHz band, making 40 MHz of licensed L band available for 5G "would add meaningful points on the scoreboard for Team USA," Ligado CEO Doug Smith and Competitive Carriers Association CEO Steven Berry wrote Monday in Morning Consult. They said the limbo that Ligado's FCC proposal for using the spectrum for broadband terrestrial low-power service waits in stands in contrast to the drumbeat for more mid-band for 5G.

Intel seeks "expeditious completion of rules to enable licensed terrestrial mobile use" in the C band and "unlicensed shared use of the 5.925-7.125 GHz band." Senior Vice President, Network Platforms Group Sandra Rivera, Vice President-Next Generation and Standards Group Asha Keddy and other executives discussed that and the importance of mid-band spectrum for 5G on Wednesday with Commissioner Rosenworcel. That's according to a filing posted Monday in docket 18-295. Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Saturday that he would be OK with freeing up 200 MHz in the C band initially (see 1905200006).

Five utility groups want the FCC to take additional steps to protect their microwave communications from interference in the 6 GHz band if it's opened to unlicensed use. Hundreds of critical infrastructure industries' licensees are in that band, associations representing nearly all U.S. electric utilities and many water and wastewater utilities wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, in a letter posted Monday in docket 18-295. The agency's proposed automated frequency coordination system (AFC) "remains untested and unproven," said group leaders, mostly their CEOs, of the American Public Power Association, American Water Works Association, Edison Electric Institute, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Utilities Technology Council. NTIA has concerns about a similar technology in the 5.8 GHz band, the groups said. They sought to have AFC required for indoor and outdoor unlicensed operations, mandate AFC cybersecurity, and test the system to prevent interference to microwave systems before any 6 GHz unlicensed operations.

The Wi-Fi Alliance challenged a May 3 claim by the Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition that 2008's American Radio Relay League v. FCC by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit means any FCC 6 GHz rules must protect fixed wireless incumbents. The FWCC said the court was clear that the commission "can overlook the licensing requirement, and thereby authorize unlicensed devices, only where it has determined the devices will not cause harmful interference to licensed services.” The decision “does not say that,” the alliance fired back, in docket 18-295. “The ruling says nearly the opposite, affirming longstanding precedent that the Commission may permit the use of unlicensed devices when it finds there is not a ‘significant potential’ for harmful interference to licensed operations. That is precisely what the record demonstrates in this proceeding, meaning the Commission has the authority to permit unlicensed devices to access the entire 6 GHz band.” The FWCC didn't comment. Also Monday, the docket posted filings by utilities (see 1905200048) and by Intel (see 1905200047).

APCO told the FCC it should drop plans to adopt a vertical location (z-axis) accuracy metric for calls to 911 and refocus on locating callers through dispatchable location. In March, commissioners approved a Further NPRM proposing a vertical location accuracy metric of plus or minus 3 meters for 80 percent of indoor wireless calls to 911. Public safety officials raised concerns that the level of accuracy of the metric isn’t good enough and Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel dissented (see 1903150067). APCO now said the metric wouldn't help first responders. “Adopting the proposed z-axis metric would be a bad outcome for public safety professionals and the communities they serve. Consistent with the path laid out by the 2015 Order, the Commission should forgo adoption of a metric and thereby require carriers to rely on dispatchable location solutions to comply with the vertical location rules,” APCO said in a filing posted Monday. “Should the Commission proceed with adopting a z-axis metric, it should at a minimum be delivered with a floor number.” Comments were due Monday in docket 07-114.

The U.S. installed base of iPhones “continues to plateau,” reported Consumer Intelligence Research Partners analyst Josh Lowitz. CIRP estimated Thursday the U.S. installed base of iPhones reached 193 million at the end of Q1, up from 173 million in the year-ago quarter and 189 million at the end of the holiday quarter.

ZTE said Friday it launched its first cybersecurity lab in Nanjing, China. “ZTE is devoted to deploying multiple cybersecurity labs across the globe” with others to come in Italy and Belgium “in the near future,” the Chinese equipment maker said: “With the vision of ‘Security in DNA, Trust through Transparency,’ ZTE is committed to providing customers with end-to-end security products and services, and integrating security considerations and controls into every aspect of the product's life cycle.” The development comes as the Trump administration launches a clampdown on Chinese equipment makers, especially Huawei (see 1905150066).

FCC members rejected an appeal of a Public Safety Bureau order denying License Acquisitions’ attempts to rescind its election under the 800 MHz rebanding program to relocate to the enhanced specialized mobile radio portion of the band. The bureau rejected a petition for reconsideration outright because it was filed via email, which is forbidden by rules. The agency said there were other reasons to reject it as well. “License Acquisitions failed to request permission to rescind this election for an unreasonably long period of time after the election was made -- it waited until 2017 before attempting to rescind the 12-year-old ESMR election made and reaffirmed by its predecessor in 2005 and 2006,” said an order Friday in docket 02-55. “On multiple occasions after acquiring the licenses in 2010 and prior to its 2017 rescission request, License Acquisitions represented to the Commission that it was fully prepared to construct an ESMR system and that it had acquired all non-frequency dependent equipment, tower leases, and property necessary to do so.”