The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology and Wireless Bureau extended comment deadlines on a petition by the 5G Automotive Association to deploy cellular vehicle-to-everything technology in the upper 20 MHz of the 5.9 GHz band. Comments were due Jan. 11, replies Jan. 28. Now, it's Jan. 18 and Feb. 5, said a Monday order in docket 18-357. Automaker groups asked for extension last week (see 1812260045).

Microsoft raised concerns about Sennheiser's petition for an NPRM on innovation and development of new wireless mic technologies such as wireless multichannel audio systems (WMAS) technology (see 1812280053). Don't allow use of WMAS technology on an unlicensed basis without complying with other Part 15 rules, Microsoft asked in RM-11821. “Licensed Part 74 wireless microphone operations, including WMAS, should continue to be prohibited in the 6 megahertz unlicensed channel within the 600 MHz band duplex gap,” Microsoft sought. “Continue to prohibit unlicensed WMAS operations throughout the broadcast television bands and the duplex gap, if such operations are inconsistent with other existing Part 15 technical rules.”

Results so far in the 28 GHz auction could have implications for future auctions, Robert McDowell of Cooley told us (see 1812280030). The auction had $690 million in provisionally winning bids when it closed for the holidays. It reopens Thursday and continues even during the partial FCC shutdown (see 1901020048). “The markets have spoken and have said that, at this point in the history of RF valuations, at least some high-band frequencies are not as valuable as most mid-band and low-band channels,” McDowell said. “Congress will make a note of that when scoring future auctions for federal budgeting purposes. But all of this could be upended by new RF technologies that we cannot foresee today, because we are at the dawn of a golden age in wireless where yesterday’s junk frequencies have the potential to become tomorrow’s gold.”

The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved a waiver for Google's Project Soli 3D sensor technology to enable touchless control of device functions. The company sought leeway to operate at higher power levels consistent with what's allowed in Europe, and OET sought comment last spring (see 1803120031). “Soli sensors, when operating under the waiver conditions … pose minimal potential of causing harmful interference to other spectrum users and uses of the 57-64 GHz frequency band, including for the earth exploration satellite service (EESS) and the radio astronomy service (RAS),” said Monday's order. “Grant of the waiver will serve the public interest by providing for innovative device control features using touchless hand gesture technology.”

Cities “have not come close to satisfying the stringent requirements for a stay pending review” of the FCC’s September wireless infrastructure order, the agency said Wednesday at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. San Jose and other cities sought stay last month, fearing irreversible harms (see 1812180052). The FCC disagreed, saying longstanding case law recognizes that Communications Act "Sections 253 and 332(c)(7) preempt state laws that materially inhibit wireless services.” The order “does not itself require localities to do anything, nor does it compel approval of any particular siting request; it simply articulates standards for courts to apply if and when they are confronted with any future siting disputes,” it said. “Even if localities were unable to recover compliance or other costs, monetary losses are not irreparable.” CTIA opposed cities’ motion in a Tuesday response (in Pacer). Cities haven't shown the order exceeded FCC authority, so they are unlikely to succeed on merits, the wireless association said. They fail to show irreparable harm, or that "the balance of equities tips in their favor,” since keeping the status quo would harm others, CTIA said. "One carrier has been forced to pause or decrease deployments in jurisdictions across the country due to excessive right-of way use or access fees, including fees in eight jurisdictions across four different states involving some combination of annual recurring charges of $1,000-$5,000 per node or pole; one-time fees of $10,000 plus $1,800 per permit, or $20,000; and annual recurring fees of $6,000, $25,000, or 5% of the provider’s gross revenues,” said CTIA, citing an Aug. 6 letter to the FCC from AT&T in docket 17-79. DOJ takes no position on the motion for stay, it said (in Pacer) Monday. Commissioner Brendan Carr, who spearheaded work on the FCC order, tweeted Tuesday that he wished “a full and speedy recovery” to one of the order’s chief critics, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo (D). The mayor suffered minor fractures Tuesday when a vehicle struck his bicycle, said his office.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology sought a limited waiver of FCC Part 15 rules on ultra-wideband indoor devices for its WiTrack monitoring system. The system provides non-invasive health and safety monitoring of patients and senior adults but requires waivers for the definition of “UWB transmitter," measurement standards for swept-frequency equipment and UWB measurement procedures, MIT said. “By supporting remote health monitoring, the ultra-wideband technology employed in the WiTrack system facilitates fall detection and physiological measurements such as gait, breathing, heart rate, and sleep,” said an undocketed petition posted Friday by the FCC. “Approval of the limited waivers … will improve in-home safety and health care for senior adults and people with disabilities thereby encouraging independence and aging in place,” MIT said. “Grant of the waivers will also give medical researchers a valuable new tool for collecting research data heretofore largely obtainable only in laboratory settings, or not obtainable at all.”

Shure said it supports a Sennheiser petition seeking an NPRM on innovation and development of new wireless microphone technologies such as wireless multi-channel audio systems (WMAS) technology. “As a threshold matter, the Commission should solicit studies of the compatibility of proposed WMAS technology with other systems such as DTV (in the 470-608 MHz band), mobile phones (in the guard bands), and narrowband analog and digital wireless microphones in all bands,” Shure said. “Such studies should confirm or inform the development of appropriate technical parameters that should be adopted to support harmonious coexistence of WMAS technology with existing services.” Technology company Alteros, an Audio-Technica company, said more is possible with new technology. “In the past, it has been suggested that efficient use of microphone spectrum is a minimum of 18 channels in a 6 MHz band,” Alteros commented. “In actual use, many professional wireless coordinators are managing to operate 18-20 channels of high quality wireless microphones in a single 6 MHz TV channel. Alteros believes that the effort of making a rule change should carry a valuable return. With 18 channels being the quantity that was expected as efficient with the currently-existing technology, we request that any new rule change require a minimum of 24 channels of high-quality simultaneous operation of wireless microphones in a given channel.” The filings were posted Friday in docket RM-11821.

The Land Mobile Communications Council sought reconsideration of parts of the revised rules for public land mobile radio use of the 800 MHz band, approved 4-0 by commissioners in October (see 1810220050). LMCC urged the FCC to “reconsider the definition of the interference contour to be used in coordinating an 800 MHz Mid-Band (809-817/854-862 MHz) application and the derating factors to be applied in that contour analysis,” said a petition posted Friday in docket 15-32. “The derating factors, which were developed for use with an F(50,50) curve, are not appropriate when applied to a more conservative F(50,10) curve.” The rules will mean “more adjacent channel protection than needed while simultaneously reducing the spectrum utilization that otherwise could be derived from introducing interstitial channels into the 800 MHz band,” LMCC said. The Monitoring Association, meanwhile, sought reconsideration of the rules for low-power pool group D frequencies. The group said it demonstrated in the record “that this small handful of channels are dedicated to sending safety of life and property messages, in direct cooperation with public safety; … are heavily used, and demand is growing due to the retirement of the copper phone network and rapid changes in cellular formats; that the licensing of non-central station operations, especially those allowing voice communications, can disrupt the timely delivery of alarm signals reporting fires, home invasions, medical alerts and other emergency situations; and that there was no demand demonstrated in the record for non-central station use of these channels.” No one “refuted these showings,” the association said.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security School Wireless E-Rate Consortium asked the FCC to overturn a decision by the Universal Service Administrative Co. that an Excel spreadsheet isn’t considered a valid vendor quote. As a result of that determination, USAC denied E-rate funding for the Wachusett Regional High School, the consortium said in a filing posted Friday. The consortium said it was surprised by the decision. “We disagree with USAC’s analysis and conclusion,” the group said in docket 02-6. “We contend that the Excel spreadsheet quote is valid documentation from the service provider and the information was sufficient to determine the eligibility of the products and services."

Mobile Communications agreed to pay a $93,600 fine and implement a compliance plan to resolve an FCC Enforcement Bureau investigation of various license transfers allegedly completed outside of FCC rules. The company also admitted it failed to obtain the necessary commission approvals, said a consent decree in Thursday’s Daily Digest. A bureau investigation showed Mobile Communications “completed seven substantial and two pro forma transfers of control, concerning more than 50 separate licenses without first obtaining prior Commission consent,” the bureau said. “These transactions comprised two initial stock acquisitions and further transactions involving additional wireless businesses acquired by Mobile Communications or its subsidiaries, and for which the Company thereafter filed applications and associated waiver requests” seeking retroactive approval. The company didn’t comment.