Gogo Business Aviation asked for limited waiver of FCC effective radiated power limits for air-to-ground operations in the 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz bands for a next-generation system. The system uses orthogonal frequency division multiplex technology “to improve throughput, coverage, and reliability for inflight connectivity to aircraft in the United States and Canada,” said a Thursday posting: “A narrow waiver permitting the current ERP rules to be measured as limits on the maximum average power, rather than peak power, will allow Gogo … to maximize the utility of its next-generation system, similar to other mobile wireless licensees.”

The FCC plans an online open radio access network solutions showcase June 29 at 9:30 a.m. EDT, it said Thursday. The agency invites presentations on equipment, it said. The event will give fixed and mobile network operators "an opportunity to hear directly from vendors whose interoperable, open interface, standards-based 5G network equipment and services will be ready and available for purchase and installation by January 1, 2022, if not sooner."

The Federal Railroad Administration seeks comment by June 7 on requests for amendments by 19 railroads on their FRA-certified positive train control systems, said Wednesday Federal Register. CSX, Union Pacific, Amtrak and regional and commuter lines sought modifications.

Comments are due June 28, replies July 26, in docket 21-186 on the Office of Engineering and Technology and Wireless Bureau seeking comment on aligning FCC rules with unwanted emissions limits into the passive 23.6-24 GHz band adopted by the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019, says Thursday's Federal Register.

Ignore Microsoft-sought changes to an FCC order relaxing distributed transmission system interference rules (see 2105240067) and other TV white spaces changes, NAB Associate General Counsel Patrick McFadden blogged Tuesday. About 300 functioning TVWS devices are in U.S. use, he said. “Filings from Microsoft and its allies are going to exceed the number of functioning white spaces devices in the country any minute,” McFadden said: “If white spaces is a workable technology with a role to play in rural broadband … Microsoft really, really doesn’t need yet more help.” The company didn’t comment.

Boeing urged the FCC to act on a rulemaking on service rules to enable use of the 5030-5091 MHz band for unmanned aircraft systems, in a call with FCC Wireless Bureau staff. “Lack of access to licensed spectrum for UAS command and control is not merely a hypothetical problem that will be felt once UAS technologies are deployed at scale, but a real, ongoing problem that is impacting the industry’s ability to develop these systems today.” A filing posted Tuesday in RM-11798 said Boeing recently received FCC experimental authority to test one UAS technology, but the FAA required use of licensed spectrum.

Communications Workers of America slammed Verizon for “pressuring” the FCC to “rush the review” of its proposed buy of Tracfone. “Days after Verizon and TracFone submitted more than 21,000 pages of documents in response to concerns raised about the transaction, the companies asked the FCC to ‘move expeditiously to approve’ the merger,” CWA said Tuesday. “A transaction this important should not be rushed.” Verizon is “encouraging the FCC to act in accordance with the same timeline we’ve been anticipating since the deal was announced last year,” a spokesperson said: The sooner the FCC acts, “the sooner consumers will benefit from it. We have no reason to believe that the approval will or should be delayed.” Also Tuesday, CEO Hans Vestberg said Verizon expects the deal to close before the end of September: “We're going to be the biggest value player in the market.”

Lockheed defended its waiver request for two test facilities in New York that use the 3.1-3.55 GHz band, adjacent to the C band (see 2104300043), in replies posted Tuesday in FCC docket 19-348. The facilities “support key national security and economic priorities” and “there is no alternative spectrum for Lockheed Martin to continue its operations,” the company said. The Aerospace Industries Association urged approval. “As the Commission lays the groundwork for the 3.45 GHz auction and continues to examine opportunities for enabling commercial access to the 3.1-3.45 GHz band, it should not provide Lockheed with indefinite rights in the entire 3 GHz range,” NCTA said. “The bedrock principle of the Commission’s experimental licensing system is that experiments may occur only if they do not cause harmful interference to any station operating in accordance with the Table of Frequency Allocation,” AT&T said: “The Waiver Request would turn this regime on its head, effectively elevating an experimental licensee to primary status.”

The Competitive Carriers Association told staff of several FCC commissioners and the Wireline Bureau that the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase 1 auction is "poised to inadvertently direct funding to hundreds of thousands of locations that are already served, including wealthy, urban areas," said a filing Monday in docket 20-34: That would hurt efforts to close the digital divide.

CTIA and NCTA said the FCC should proceed with caution as it considers public access to 211 and other non-911 N11 numbers using Wi-Fi calling technologies, in comments posted Monday in docket 92-105 on an April notice (see 2104210065). “There are a number of significant technical, security, and policy issues,” CTIA said: “Seek the guidance of relevant experts on such technical, security, and policy issues prior to taking any further regulatory action with respect to 2-1-1 or other N11 communications that originate over Wi-Fi access points.” These points “cannot independently facilitate N11 call routing and completion or distinguish between N11 calls and other data traffic transiting the Wi-Fi network because they serve as passive conduits,” NCTA said. The points and networks “lack mechanisms to identify location information about an N11 caller that would allow for translation by the terminating voice provider to the appropriate 10-digit telephone number to accurately route the call,” the group said. Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way Worldwide asked the FCC “to take all appropriate steps to institute an obligation for all telecommunication carriers to connect 211 calls to a local point of access and to connect calls over WiFi.” Many calls on cellphones don’t reach the correct 211 center, said Vermont 2-1-1 and the Vermont Department of Public Service: “When a consumer places a call to Vermont 211 over their cellphone from the border town of Hartford, Vermont, their call may reach the New Hampshire 211 call center instead. This is very unlikely to occur when placing a 211 call over a landline.”