Representatives of the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service Coalition told FCC officials that the use of TV white spaces devices in spectrum also used by medical devices would cause problems for members. The group “demonstrated that TV White Space devices will create interference to WMTS receivers at the proposed power and distance levels,” the coalition said in a filing in docket 14-165. “Interference incidents would badly disrupt patient care and hospital staffing.” The group met with Julius Knapp, chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, and Gary Epstein, chairman of the Incentive Auction Task Force, among others.

The Competitive Carriers Association and TracFone filed joint comments with the U.S. Copyright Office asking the agency to recommend that the Librarian of Congress ensure consumers can legally unlock their wireless devices. “The Parties’ proposed exemption is pro-consumer by properly enabling users to take control over the use of their wireless handsets, and permitting them the choice of which network they will be connected to, while assuaging TracFone’s concerns regarding loopholes that would potentially prevent carriers from offering subsidies or other discounts that make wireless handsets affordable and accessible to American consumers,” the filing said. “Consumers wanting to unlock their devices legally should be allowed to do so, and I strongly encourage the Librarian of Congress to adopt CCA’s proposed unlocking exemption and create presumptions that will give consumers certainty about their ongoing ability to legally unlock their devices,” said CCA President Steve Berry in a news release. “Unlocking is not only beneficial for consumers, but it is also important for smaller and regional carriers who may have trouble accessing the newest, most iconic devices.”

The FCC Public Safety Bureau rejected a petition for reconsideration filed by Arizona Public Service Co. of the bureau’s earlier order finding that APSC failed to meet its burden of proof to demonstrate that its estimate of the cost to reband its 800 MHz communications system met the FCC’s “well established Minimum Necessary Cost Standard.” APSC had sought $2.67 from Sprint as the cost of retuning its system under the FCC’s 800 MHz rebanding order. The bureau approved a $1.44 million reimbursement (see 1503100041). “Section 1.106 of the Commission’s rules precludes us from considering the Petition on the merits because reconsideration is appropriate only where the petitioner either shows a material error or omission in the original order or raises additional facts not known or existing until after the petitioner's last opportunity to present such matters,” the bureau said. The utility demonstrated “no material error or omission” in the order, the bureau said.

Based on a recommendation by NTIA, the government lifted the suspension of Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System’s (LA-RICS) use of Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for construction of a public safety LTE cell tower network in the city. The project is one of five early build initiatives FirstNet hopes will provide lessons for the eventual construction of a national network for first responders (see 1504030061). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NTIA’s contracting office, lifted the suspension Friday. “NTIA, in close consultation with FirstNet, determined that the revised LA-RICS project plan submitted on April 20 would deliver substantial benefits to the Los Angeles public safety community and could be completed by the statutory deadline of September 30,” an NTIA spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. NTIA and NOAA also require LA-RICS to follow a new corrective action plan, the spokeswoman said. “We appreciate the continued commitment of the LA-RICS staff and Los Angeles City and County officials to seeing this project to fruition, giving first responders in the Los Angeles region the most advanced communications tools to protect the public and save lives.” LA-RICS had used $31 million of the $154.6 million in BTOP funds it received for the network.

Sprint asked the FCC to extend an interim waiver of the requirement that IP relay service providers handle 911 calls initiated by callers who have been registered but not verified by an IP relay provider. The waiver expired Thursday. “A waiver remains in the public interest as it deters misuse of IP Relay to make fraudulent calls to 911 emergency services (a/k/a ‘swatting’),” Sprint said. “Allowing the waiver to expire would endanger the safety of the public as the problem of ‘swatting’ would inevitably resurface.” The filing is in docket 03-123.

Blackboard executives and school administrators asked the FCC to act on the company’s petition seeking clarification of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules on calls to wireless phones (see 1503230070). Blackboard, which offers a mass notification platform for schools, said in a series of meetings on the FCC's eighth floor last week that its clients should be able to send texts on emergency weather closures, threat situations, event scheduling or “other important education-related information” without worrying about violating the TCPA. “Unexcused absences are behind the majority of the calls placed and, in many instances, are required by law to be made to ensure parents or guardians are aware their student did not arrive at school or stay at school,” said an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 02-278. “Schools are charged with the health and safety of students while in their care and the telephone numbers expressly provided by guardians every year and updated throughout the year are the only vehicle for communications to address matters critical to student health and safety.”

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council urged the FCC not to give AT&T a waiver to use power spectral density (PSD) measurements in complying with the commission’s radiated power limits for 800 MHz cellular operations in parts of Missouri. NPSTC said the FCC should address changes to a cellular service power limit rules through a rulemaking proceeding, not by granting waiver requests. “Should the Commission decide to grant AT&T’s waiver request, NPSTC urges that the waiver include specific conditions requiring AT&T to resolve and report any interference that occurs to public safety operations and to compensate public safety entities for their time and expenses involved in investigating and resolving interference,” said the council in a filing posted Friday in docket 15-86. The Wireless Bureau sought comment last month on AT&T’s proposals, with comments due Thursday (see 1504130031).

AT&T wrapped up its buy of Nextel Mexico from NII Holdings, unveiled in January (see 1501260068), the carrier said Thursday in a news release. AT&T paid $1.875 billion, less about $427 million of net debt and other adjustments, it said. The deal includes Nextel Mexico’s spectrum licenses, network assets and 3 million subscribers. AT&T has gone big in Mexico and earlier this year bought wireless provider Iusacell. “AT&T will integrate Iusacell and Nextel into one company focused on bringing more choices, better service and faster mobile Internet speeds to more locations throughout Mexico,” AT&T said. “AT&T plans to create the first-ever North American Mobile Service area, which will cover more than 400 million consumers and businesses in Mexico and the United States.” Thaddeus Arroyo, CEO of AT&T Mexico and Iusacell, will lead the combined company. The buy was cleared by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, overseeing the restructuring of NII, and Mexico’s telecom regulator, the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT). “Swift action by IFT, aided by recent regulatory reform by the Mexican government, has created a positive climate for AT&T to invest significantly in Mexico,” the carrier said. AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens said April 22 that closure of the deal was imminent (see 1504220069).

The Public Safety Bureau released an agenda Thursday for next Friday’s workshop at the FCC on the use of smartphone apps in the provision of 911 service. The workshop starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Meeting Room. It features three panels and opening remarks by Bureau Chief David Simpson.

The world’s largest suppliers of lithium-ion batteries for smartphones engaged in a decade-long conspiracy through 2011 to fix prices and restrain competition, TracFone Wireless alleged in a complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Miami. It named 17 defendants, most of them the battery and chemical subsidiaries, but not the CE operations, of Hitachi, LG, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, whose “unlawful conduct is a textbook price-fixing cartel,” the complaint alleged. They represent “a small, concentrated group” of manufacturers “producing commoditized products” that sought to “artificially increase prices by agreeing to restrain competition among themselves,” it alleged. They fixed prices “through several means,” including restricting output and supply, agreeing on prices or price targets and “using common formulas tied to material costs to set industry prices, and price-floors,” it said. “While the manner, means, and impact varied over time, the cartel’s common goal during the conspiracy was to artificially raise the prices of Lithium Ion Batteries above the competitive level.” The conspiracy was “successful, to the detriment of TracFone,” it alleged. As a result of the unlawful conduct, TracFone paid “inflated prices” for lithium-ion batteries during the decade-long period, “and has suffered antitrust injury to its business or property,” it alleged. Representatives of the companies named as defendants in the complaint didn’t comment.