AT&T sought an FCC waiver to use a power spectral density (PSD) model instead of per-channel methods to measure effective radiated power for base stations "to more quickly and efficiently deploy high-speed wireless broadband services over Cellular spectrum" in areas of Kentucky and Tennessee. An NPRM has proposed just that, the carrier noted in a petition posted Wednesday. Using PSD will let AT&T deploy LTE with more spectral efficiency, the company said. It seeks to operate at PSD levels of 250 watts per megahertz in nonrural areas and 500 watts in rural areas. Alternative limits using PSD "would update Cellular rules that currently favor narrowband emission systems and penalize wideband emission systems," the 2014 NPRM said. Current limits are for 500 watts a channel in nonrural and 1,000 in rural areas, a company spokesman said. In 2012, AT&T petitioned for a rule change for PSD, and since the rulemaking remains open the company now seeks license-specific waivers, it said.

Such 5G-enabled applications as the "tactile Internet" -- meaning expanded human-to-machine and machine-to-machine interactions -- "will spawn a myriad of applications in every field of human endeavor," said CableLabs Principal Architect Don Clarke in a blog post Wednesday. "The enabling technologies exist today" for tactile Internet, Clarke said. "They just need to be brought together in the right way with standards that facilitate open innovation." Defining 5G itself is somewhat difficult because it's "a far richer vision than simply an increase in wireless bandwidth or a 5G icon appearing on a smartphone handset," he said. With the existing cable network being "an ideal foundation for 5G" because of its ubiquity and that it already includes millions of Wi-Fi nodes, CableLabs has research and development program underway looking at some of the key enabling technologies for 5G, Clarke said. They include developing end-to-end architectures based on network-function virtualization and software-defined networks, studying the coexistence of wireless technologies, and partnering with such groups as NYU Wireless to evaluate combining millimeter wave region spectrum with cable networks.

Sprint said it and 800 MHz band incumbents had signed all the frequency agreements needed to complete reconfiguration of the band across the U.S., including along the borders. The 2,400 agreements are with both public-safety and nonpublic-safety operators, Sprint said in a report posted Wednesday in FCC docket 02-55. Actual reconfiguration of the band continues to advance, said the company, saying work had been completed by all 800 MHz licensees needing retuning in 42 of 55 National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee regions. In the seven nonborder regions of the remaining 13, only two individual licensees needed to complete the reconfiguration work, Sprint said. “These accomplishments demonstrate that, by any measure, the multi-year, multi-billion dollar 800 MHz band reconfiguration project is reaching its final stages,” it said in the 56-page filing.

The Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration support the FCC NPRM that would allow railroad police officers to use public safety interoperability and mutual aid channels to communicate with other public safety officials, the agencies said in a filing in commission docket 15-199. Railroad police officers need to be able to communicate with first responders quickly to fix any problems and respond to emergencies, the filing said. Changing the definition of a railroad police officer to be defined more broadly will also help to improve passenger safety and the security of the rail network as a whole, it said.

Dish Network, Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless should suffer "meaningful consequences" for gaming the AWS-3 auction or the auction process integrity "will continue to be undermined," T-Mobile said in an FCC petition for reconsideration posted Tuesday in docket 12-268. Dish, Northstar and SNR also should be required to make a 50 percent higher upfront payment for participating in March's incentive auction and be labeled "former defaulters," T-Mobile said. If the agency's former defaulter rule doesn't apply, it should rethink its application procedures for the upcoming incentive auction, T-Mobile said. The Dish designated entities' actions in the AWS-3 auction "falsely drove up prices and forced other carriers to overpay for needed spectrum," T-Mobile said. It said the DEs not taking the licenses for which they were highest bidders once they were no longer eligible for designated entity discounts is evidence the three "have continued to game the Commission's post-auction licensing process." Dish, Northstar and SNR didn't comment. The filing is the latest by T-Mobile seeking further FCC penalties against Dish and the DEs (see 1511180024).

AT&T is implementing a "small" price increase on unlimited smartphone plans, said its website. Consumers with a grandfathered unlimited smartphone data plan will receive notifications of a $5 per month rate hike for the plan. AT&T said the price increase is to "help ensure we continue to provide the best service for all of our customers. The increase won't impact current unlimited data speeds, said the carrier, and customers have the option to change plans at any time. If customers decide to cancel their existing wireless service with AT&T, the company will waive the early termination fees for the lines impacted by the price increase as long as the cancellation is made within 60 days of the price increase appearing on their monthly bill, AT&T said. The rate increase will take effect starting with the customer's February 2016 service, said the carrier. AT&T had no immediate further comment.

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee meets Wednesday 1-4 p.m. NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling will make opening remarks, and Paige Atkins, associate administrator of the NTIA Office of Spectrum Management, will deliver a spectrum update, said an agenda. The administration advisory panel will also hear reports from subcommittees, including on federal access to non-federal bands (bidirectional sharing), government and industry collaboration, measurement and sensing in the 5 GHz band, 5G wireless, and a Spectrum Access System spectrum data base international extension. The meeting is being webcast at an NTIA Web page.

The FCC should ensure wireless carriers can identify handsets complying with rules on hearing aid compatibility, said Commissioner Michael O’Rielly in a blog post following up on a vow he made Nov. 19 to seek a fix (see 1511190032). He said there is no definitive list of HAC-compliant handsets, causing confusion and “unnecessary and time-consuming enforcement actions against wireless providers, which, oftentimes through no fault of their own, procured” handsets that don't meet the agency’s standards. “In fact, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been paid in FCC penalties just because available data regarding hearing aid compatibility compliance turned out to be inaccurate,” he said. O’Rielly said compiling such a list “can be done post haste” because industry participants already submit necessary information on Form 655. O’Rielly said he is pleased commissioners agreed to seek comment on the issue in the FCC’s recent Further NPRM aimed at expanding its HAC rules: “Without prejudging the comments to be received, the answers to the questions should provide a sufficient platform to address a flaw in our hearing aid compatibility requirements.”

Several cellular carriers filed a petition for reconsideration against the incentive auction application procedure public notice because of its limitations on which applicants are eligible for Rural Service Provider Bidding Credits, said a document posted online in docket 14-252 Tuesday. The credits, designed to make auction participation easier for rural companies, are limited to “providers of commercial communications services,” excluding carriers wholly owned by rural service providers, said Bulloch Cellular, Pineland Cellular and Planters Rural Cellular, member companies of PBP Group, which is also listed as a petitioner. “Limiting Rural Service Provider Bidding Credit eligibility in this manner could have a chilling effect on the use of innovative business relationships between rural service providers and dampen Incentive Auction competition,” said the petition. The PN “prevents an LLC comprised of rural service providers” from being eligible for a Rural Service Provider Bidding Credit, “on its face,” the petition said. The FCC should change the rules so that an entity wholly owned by rural service providers could receive the credit, the petition said.

The FirstNet board will have two open meetings in Houston, Dec. 8 and 9, said a notice in Monday's Federal Register. A joint meeting of FirstNet's four board committees will be held 8-10 a.m. CST Dec. 8,: Governance and Personnel; Finance; Technology; and Consultation and Outreach. The committees will then go into a closed session 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., the notice said. The full FirstNet board plans an open public meeting 8-10:30 a.m. Dec. 9. The agenda for the meetings wasn't posted.