Dedicated short range communications is poised for broad deployment after years of development and testing, and the FCC should move with care on the 5.9 GHz band, DSRC advocates said in a meeting with Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson and others at the agency. General Motors will deploy DSRC devices based on existing DSRC rules, “including the existing DSRC channelization requirement, in the Model Year 2017 Cadillac CTS,” the advocates said. “Such vehicles will be equipped with FCC-compliant DSRC radios and available for purchase during calendar year 2016 -- well in advance of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s anticipated mandate that all new light duty vehicles include DSRC devices.” DSRC “needs interference-free access to all 75 megahertz of the licensed 5.9 GHz DSRC spectrum,” said a filing in docket 13-49. Representatives of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Association of Global Automakers, Cisco, Denso and Intelligent Transportation Society of America attended the meeting. The FCC is looking at rules that would allow use of the band for Wi-Fi.

The FCC fined a Chinese company $34.9 million for allegedly marketing 285 models of signal jamming devices to U.S. consumers. C.T.S. Technology marketed the devices through its Aiswa.com website, the FCC said. “These devices, which were advertised for sale to U.S. consumers, were designed to disrupt a variety of communications systems, including all major cellphone networks, Wi-Fi systems, and even Global Positioning System channels," said the forfeiture order approved by commissioners. “Some of the more dangerous devices were advertised as having the capacity to jam communications for a distance of over one-half mile.” The FCC said the company sold some of the devices to FCC investigators posing as consumers and shipped the equipment to the U.S. C.T.S. Technology didn't comment. When the fine was proposed, the FCC said it was the biggest in its history (see 1406200044).

The FCC fined a Florida man $48,000 for allegedly using an illegal cellphone jammer in his car during his daily commute from Seffner to Tampa, Florida. Jason Humphreys was featured in a 2014 article in Slate. He got fed up with seeing drivers using their cellphones contrary to Florida law and took matters into his own hands, creating a no-call zone around his vehicle, the publication reported. The FCC said it handed down a proposed fine in April 2014 and Humphreys never responded. “Mr. Humphreys’ illegal operation of the jamming device continued for up to two years, caused actual interference to cellular service along a significant portion of Interstate 4, and disrupted police and other emergency communications,” the FCC said in a notice. "Staff spoke to Mr. Humphreys once but was disconnected, and he did not answer staff’s call to him immediately thereafter," a footnote to the order said.

T-Mobile is buying 700 MHz spectrum from AT&T's Leap Licenseco covering 10.9 million people in the Chicago metro area, T-Mobile said Wednesday. The FCC must approve the deal. "T-Mobile will have 700MHz A-block spectrum that covers all of the top 10 US markets and is capable of covering 269 million Americans -- or 83 percent of the US population -- with Extended Range LTE,” T-Mobile said in a news release. T-Mobile said it has executed 23 different agreements to add A-block spectrum since it bought its first 700 MHz A-block spectrum form Verizon two years ago. “We already cover 309 million people with our blazing-fast LTE network, and now, T-Mobile Extended Range LTE will be in the 10 biggest markets in the country,” said CEO John Legere. “We won’t stop there.” BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk said the deal shows the intrinsic value of low-band spectrum. "Despite the threat of the incentive auction looming in the coming months and T-Mobile effectively being the ONLY real buyer for this spectrum, the seller was able to hold out for $420 million ($3.21/MHz/POP), which was more than twice the value paid for this license back in 2011," Piecyk wrote investors. "This underscores the intrinsic value of spectrum and why operators pay up to gain access to needed network coverage and capacity even when simply negotiating with a counter-party spectrum owner who does not intend to build [out] their license."

The IEEE 802.19TM Wireless Coexistence Working Group established a study group on “Wireless Automotive Coexistence,” IEEE said Tuesday. “The IEEE 802.19 working group has been developing standards for coexistence between wireless standards of unlicensed devices,” said Alaa Mourad, chairman of the Wireless Coexistence study group in a news release. “However, with an uprise in connected cars, we’re seeing the need to develop standards focused on wireless automotive coexistence.” The group will examine the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, interference between IEEE 802.11 devices and interference between 802.11 and 802.15/Bluetooth devices, IEEE said.

The FCC should refrain from imposing traditional buildout requirements in the 28 GHz, 39 GHz and 37 GHz bands, CTIA said in a filing at the FCC in docket 14-177. The bands are being studied for mobile broadband as part of the FCC’s spectrum frontiers rulemaking. CTIA said it strongly supports reallocation of the bands. “CTIA anticipates that millimeter wave spectrum will be used primarily for adding capacity and high-speed data, as opposed to traditional ‘macro’ mobile broadband networks characterized by seamless buildout and broad coverage,” CTIA said. “While a population or geographic area coverage benchmark is logical for ‘coverage bands’ such as the 700 MHz band, the millimeter wave bands will have uses more in line with those bands that carry substantial service performance requirements.” Imposing a substantial service performance requirement with safe harbors “is reflective of the technical characteristics of, nascent nature of the technology contemplated for, and proposed usage of, these spectrum bands,” CTIA said.

Protesting the length and complexity of mobile app terms and conditions, Norway's consumer protection agency will have politicians, data protection officials, international students and others reading aloud policies of Angry Birds, Facebook, Netflix, Skype, Snapchat, Tinder, Twitter and two dozen more companies -- all told 250,000 words that will take 24 hours to utter during a live stream Friday. "The current state of terms and conditions for digital services is bordering on the absurd," said Digital Policy Director Finn Myrstad at the Norwegian Consumer Council, or Forbrukerrådet. The agency said the collective length of app terms and conditions found on an "average" mobile phone is longer than the New Testament. "Their scope, length and complexity mean it is virtually impossible to make good and informed decisions." He said consumers are at a disadvantage since companies can "unilaterally" amend policies to track, store and sell user content. Advocates want standards for how terms, conditions and privacy statements are written and presented, he said. Haida Tajik, chair of the Norwegian Parliament's justice committee, and Norwegian Data Protection Commissioner Bjørn Erik Thon will be among the numerous speakers during the Web stream.

The Rainbow Push Coalition welcomed T-Mobile’s announcement last week (see 1605170021) that the carrier is further expanding the number of providers offered on its zero-rated Binge On program. Subscribers can watch video without its counting against their monthly data allowance. “Binge On now has 80 eligible streaming services, which represent both mainstream and culturally-specific content, that do not count against their customers’ data caps,” Rainbow Push said in a Monday news release. “Last week’s announcement of additional video providers includes Univision and Univision Noticias, stations geared toward Hispanic consumers, and TIDAL, a streaming network owned by entrepreneur Jay Z, where T-Mobile consumers will have unlimited exposure and streaming access to their music and video libraries.”

The FCC would be ill-advised to impose any rules to shore up 5G security as it opens high-frequency bands for commercial use as part of its spectrum frontiers rulemaking, CTIA said in a filing Monday. The FCC has long supported industry leadership and working groups like the Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council to address technical issues “affecting the entire global ecosystem,” the wireless association said. “CTIA urges the Commission to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the wireless industry on important and complex 5G security issues and encourage actions that can be taken in standards groups and by CSRIC,” CTIA said in the filing submitted to dockets including 14-177. Carriers are committed to ensuring that 5G is secure, the group said. Nokia is doing research on security for 5G networks and Ericsson has been working on 5G issues, CTIA said. Any move by the FCC while 5G is still nascent “would depart from that history and undermine ongoing global collaboration,” CTIA said. “Given the complex technical issues involved, FCC regulation also would be nearly impossible to execute and could have serious unintended consequences. The Commission should instead continue to rely on industry actions that can be taken in standards groups and by CSRIC to bring together the wireless ecosystem to continue work on emerging 5G architecture.”

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee will next meet June 8, said a notice Friday in the Federal Register. A detailed agenda will be released before the meeting, which starts at 1 p.m. EDT at the offices of law firm Wilkinson Barker, 1800 M St. NW, Suite 800N, in Washington.