Trade associations led by CTA offered a set of principles on a cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices, saying it should be voluntary and based on existing National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance. That message is consistent with industry responses in initial comments on an August NPRM (see 2310100034). “While significant operational details must still be determined before a program can launch, we are encouraged by the Commission’s intention to work collaboratively with industry in a way that helps consumers make more informed buying choices while encouraging device makers to meet established cybersecurity standards,” the groups said in a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-239. The groups also said the program “must be distinct from equipment authorization processes, including no requirement to complete the certification or authorization process before qualifying for the Mark.” Achieving certification “should indicate that a product is equipped with ‘reasonable security’ for purposes of liability protection,” the filing said. Manufacturers should be allowed to “self-attest with appropriate trust mechanisms that are based on meeting” NIST’s core baseline for consumer IoT products. The FCC should also “encourage international alignment of cybersecurity labeling practices and mutual recognition agreements” and the U.S. government should launch “a robust consumer education campaign … to drive awareness and understanding of the Mark,” said the filing. It was signed by groups including the Connectivity Standards Alliance, CTIA, the Information Technology Industry Council, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the Security Industry Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and USTelecom.
The FCC amended its rules to retain radiotelephone requirements for vessels subject to the recently expired Great Lakes Agreement (GLA) with Canada, effective immediately, per a notice for Thursday’s Federal Register. The GLA established requirements on the usage and maintenance of VHF communications equipment for safety purposes aboard all vessels 65 feet or over in length, most towing vessels and vessels carrying more than six passengers for hire on the Great Lakes. The FCC incorporated the requirements into its rules. Following consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard, the FCC also modified the rules to require inspections every 48 months, rather than the 13 months previously required. “Ensuring the availability of critical maritime communications has been one of the Commission’s fundamental obligations since the earliest days of the Communications Act,” the notice said: “Similar to the terrestrial emergency 911 system, the maritime services provide for the unique distress, as well as the operational and personal communications, needs of vessels at sea and on inland waterways.”
Aeronet told the FCC it can abide by restrictions NTIA proposed in a filing on future use of the 70, 80 and 90 GHz bands. The FCC Wireless Bureau subsequently asked for a record refresh, including comments on the NTIA letter (see 2310180039). “Aeronet is confident that going forward it will be possible to coordinate in less restrictive ways than the NTIA proposed rule text,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-133: “Aeronet recommends that whatever rules the Commission adopts make clear that direct coordination between service providers in the 70/80 GHz bands and federal users is permitted and even encouraged. As new services are rolled out, direct coordination between users will enhance service delivery, ease overly conservative requirements, and ensure that federal spectrum usage remains protected.” Comments were due Wednesday. AT&T said it generally supports changes to the rules, including modifications to the link registration and antenna standards rules “as those modifications will promote spectrum efficiency and support 5G expansion.” The carrier also supported technical changes “to support 5G services across the nation.” The FCC “should modify its antenna rules to increase the maximum beamwidth from 1.2 degrees to 2.2 degrees, reduce minimum antenna gain from 43 dBi to 38 dBi, and reduce co-polar and cross-polar discrimination requirements for 70/80 GHz antennas,” AT&T said: “These rule changes would enable the development of smaller, lighter antennas that are more adaptable for 5G backhaul deployments in diverse settings.” Tech company Sierra Nevada asked that any use of the spectrum doesn't “undermine” proposals separately made to the FCC to allocate the 90 GHz band to enhanced flight vision system radar (see 2203250061). “Allowing that use could greatly enhance aviation safety by enabling pilots to have an additional visual-like reference to surrounding terrain, obstacles, buildings, and the airport environment,” the company said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) asked the FCC to examine adjacent-band protections for radioastronomy operations at 76-81 GHz. “Radio astronomy is not allocated in the spectrum band at 71-76 GHz so the use case of radio astronomy operations immediately above 76 GHz must be discussed separately, and this is missing,” NRAO said.
The FCC asked for comment by Dec. 11 on the costs to small businesses of complying with form 608 requirements, used to provide notification or request approval for spectrum leasing arrangements. The FCC uses data collected on the form “to determine whether the public interest would be served by the Lease or Sublease,” said the notice for Thursday's Federal Register: “The form is also used to provide notification for any Private Commons Arrangement entered into between a licensee, lessee, or sublessee and a class of third-party users.” Last year, the FCC created the enhanced competition incentive program, aimed at encouraging the leasing of unused spectrum (see 2207140055).
Auto Innovators, which represents the auto industry, asked the FCC to modify its rules to enable wireless vehicle charging in the 79-90 kHz band. It asked for a record refresh in a meeting with Office of Engineering and Technology staff. The group urged the charging be allowed at 11 kilowatts with a field strength limit of 82.8 decibels relative to one microamp measured at 10 meters. “These parameters will allow wireless charging at speeds comparable to the best at-home conductive/plug-in charging options,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-226. Standards groups support the change, the filing said.
ARRL, which represents amateur radio operators, supported an order on operators’ long-standing request that the FCC address limits on the baud rate for amateur communications but asked for a single tweak to a Further NPRM. The item is set for a commissioner vote Oct. 15 (see 2310250070). “The 219-220 MHz segment of the 1.25 meter VHF band is allocated to the Amateur Radio Service on a secondary basis solely for use by fixed point-to-point stations for forwarding digital messages,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 16-239: “There is no symbol rate limit associated with this segment, but there is a 100 kHz bandwidth limit. ... Inasmuch as comment will be solicited on bandwidth limits for the other amateur VHF bands, including the 222-225 MHz segment of the same 1.25 meter band, we request that the 219-220 MHz segment be included in the discussion for possible change.”
Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition representatives met with FCC Wireline Bureau staff and aides to the Democratic commissioners in support of a proposed hot spot lending program. “There is a particularly important need to help low-income students access the internet across their daily journey, and lacking access to digital learning affects life trajectories and opportunities, especially for students,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 13-184. The program shouldn’t be too narrowly focused on funding “existing commercial mobile hotspot services,” the filing said. Representatives of the Open Technology Institute at New America and the Fresno, California, Unified School District also participated in the meetings.
Continental Automotive simplified its request for a waiver of FCC rules, allowing early deployment of cellular vehicle-to-everything technology in the 5.9 GHz band, dropping patent concerns (see 2304030043). “Continental no longer seeks as part of its waiver request that the Commission require that C-V2X technology patent licenses be made available to all market participants desiring to deploy such technologies,” said a filing posted Monday in docket 19-138. “Continental preserves such request and related arguments in the larger CV2X proceeding, most importantly that such a requirement be integrated into final Commission rules governing the 5.9 GHz band,” Continental said.
Americans got back almost $1 billion through mobile trade-in programs in Q3, Assurant said Tuesday. “The iPhone 11 still dominates as the top traded device -- as it has for the last six quarters -- but for the first time more than 50 percent of the top five traded models were 5G capable devices,” the report said. Assurant said the average age of devices turned in for trade-in and upgrade programs was just over 3.5 years and the top traded devices were the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone XR and iPhone 12 Pro.
The Wireless Infrastructure Association continues to lobby the FCC 10th floor on its concerns about potential rules on siting facilities in flood plains (see 2310110039), per a filing Monday in docket 20-32 recapping a meeting with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.