Somos representatives met with officials from the FCC to press for action on its request for clarity on messaging rules. The numbering administrator asked the agency to rule (see 1612070022) that a messaging provider “may not text-enable a Toll-Free number without seeking authorization from the Responsible Organization with assignment and routing authority for that Toll-Free number.” Officials from the Wireline and Wireless bureaus, and other parts of the agency attended, Somos said, including acting Wireline Chief Kris Monteith. Wireline can rule on delegated authority, the company suggested. “Somos's presentation and the ensuing discussion focused on two procedural issues,” said a filing in docket 95-155. “The first is whether the relief that Somos seeks can be granted through a declaratory ruling, rather than through a rulemaking, and the second is whether the Bureau can grant the relief on delegated authority. Somos explained why the answer to both questions is ‘yes.’”

Toshiba added to its small load switch IC lineup for mobile devices, it said in a Thursday news release. Seventeen new parts in two product families allow for design flexibility in smartphones, tablets, laptop PCs and wearables, said the company. The low-power devices are said to have built-in protection functions for current limit, thermal shutdown and inrush current reduction.

Lifestyle audio sales led a 10 percent sales surge in Harman's Q2 ended Dec. 31, said the company in a Thursday earnings release. Consumer and car audio sales jumped 19 percent in Q2 vs. the year-ago quarter, and higher demand for automotive services bumped up connected services sales by 13 percent. Connected car sales grew 4 percent on stronger production and expansion of recently launched programs, while professional solutions sales were up 3 percent on stronger Asia sales. Overall sales grew 10 percent to $1.9 billion, it reported, as net income fell 12 percent to $99 million. “The pending acquisition of Harman by Samsung will accelerate connected and autonomous driving innovation and technology deployment faster than if Harman were to remain a standalone company,” said CEO Dinesh Paliwal. The transaction remains on track to close mid-year, he said.

A Missouri woman was sentenced to two years in prison by a U.S. district judge for selling more than $90 million worth of counterfeit cellphone components imported from China, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sherrie Householder, 59, pleaded guilty May 26 to mail fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, it said. From 2012 through 2016, Householder managed U.S. operations of Flash Technology, selling counterfeit cellphone replacement screens, batteries, cases and internal circuitry but representing they were made by Apple, LG, Microsoft, Samsung and other manufacturers. Wang Luo, a Chinese citizen, apparently shipped the counterfeit components to Householder from China. After numerous seizures of shipments by Customs and Border Protection, Householder continued selling the cellphone components despite knowing they were counterfeit. The court also ordered Householder to forfeit $556,938 seized from her accounts and pay a money judgment of nearly $9 million, ICE said.

T-Mobile said it will give all AT&T DirecTV Now customers who switch a free year of Hulu in addition to DirecTV Now. “It turns out DIRECTV NOW is barely watchable, but we’ve got our customers’ backs,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a Wednesday news release. “Even I can’t believe AT&T spent $67 billion on DIRECTV and still couldn’t roll out a streaming service that worked!” AT&T didn't comment.

American Tower joined CTIA, the association said Wednesday in a news release. Steven Marshall, president of U.S. Tower Division, gets a seat on CTIA’s board effective. “CTIA represents the entire mobile ecosystem,” said CTIA President Meredith Baker. “Steven’s leadership and insights will be invaluable across a range of important issues, particularly as we work to build out 5G infrastructure in the U.S.”

Two complaints filed by Apple’s Chinese subsidiary in a Beijing court “are just part of Apple's efforts to find ways to pay less for Qualcomm's technology,” said Qualcomm in a Wednesday news release. “Apple was offered terms consistent with terms accepted by more than one hundred other Chinese companies and refused to even consider them. These terms were consistent with our NDRC [National Development and Reform Commission] Rectification plan.” Qualcomm’s comments were based on a news release from the court saying one complaint alleges a violation of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law, and the other requests a determination of terms of a patent license between the two companies for Qualcomm’s cellular standard essentials patents, said the company. “Qualcomm is prepared to defend its business model anywhere in the world." Apple sued Qualcomm this week (see 1701230067) in the U.S. for damages totaling $1 billion, alleging the IP/tech company overcharged the smartphone maker “billions of dollars.” Apple said Qualcomm owes the company $1 billion, which Qualcomm claims Apple forfeited by responding to requests as part of an investigation by the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Despite communications from the Consumer Product Safety Commission this week on recalls of lithium-ion batteries and overheating concerns, lithium-ion batteries “are quite safe,” Sajeev Jesudas, president of safety certification organization UL Consumer, emailed us Wednesday. Reported failures are “less than one in 10 million,” said Jesudas, “an extremely low failure rate.” The CPSC expanded a recall for Panasonic batteries used in HP laptop PCs this week (see 1701240015). It also used visibility over the Samsung Note7 battery report (see 1701230048) to urge (see 1701240065) the CE industry “to modernize and improve the safety standards for lithium-ion batteries” and to “stay ahead of new power sources that will inevitably come along and replace these.” On whether UL is seeing more overheating cases as electronics become thinner, “Historically electronics have shrunk to be lighter and more portable," Jesudas said. We’ve seen TV tubes turn into flat-screen TVs, and radios become more compact," but independent, third-party safety testing "and sound manufacturing practices help ensure fewer failures in the marketplace.” Although emerging battery designs are being discussed, Jesudas said, none is positioned to replace lithium-ion near term. Lithium-ion batteries are “rechargeable, compact and long-lasting, making this technology a top choice for many manufacturers,” he said.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., urged the FCC to take up a new mobility fund. Then-Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed a vote on an order creating one, which was scheduled for commissioners’ November meeting, but it was pulled from the agenda (see 1611170054). The mobility fund has been a Clyburn focus. “At least 1.5 million people are still relegated to a second-class, mobile broadband experience,” the two said in an commentary Wednesday in Morning Consult. “While the majority of people who live in urban areas have the option of easily downloading a song or a large document in a matter of seconds, the tens of thousands of Americans stuck in a 2G reality need upwards of eight minutes to listen to or to read the same files. In a country where 92 percent of adults have a mobile handset, this is unacceptable. We must respond to the clear demand for mobile connectivity and put robust mobile broadband services into the hands, pockets and palms of all Americans.”

APCO and the National Emergency Number Association supported a petition by Onvoy Spectrum, which is seeking to directly obtain pseudo-automatic number identifications (p-ANI) for use in its 911 technology for data-only devices using over-the-top VoIP. The FCC Wireline Bureau issued a notice in December seeking comment (see 1612230019). Onvoy is developing a new capability for a VoIP app to contact 911 from devices not tied into a wireless carrier network, APCO said. “APCO is encouraged by Onvoy’s efforts, because there is presently no 9-1-1 solution for such OTT mobile applications, and Onvoy appears to be addressing a number of important 9-1-1-related considerations,” APCO commented in docket 13-97. “It is in the public interest for the Commission to grant appropriate waiver relief to enable Onvoy to continue to pursue further testing of its OTT VoIP 9-1-1 solution.” In separate comments, NENA said it "cannot fault Neustar for attempting to establish sensible criteria for the evaluation of requests for wireless p-ANI resources. Clearly some gating criteria must be established for this purpose. As a practical matter, however, there is little to no technical difference between wireless and VoIP p-ANI resources. [Wireless] and VoIP technologies are rapidly converging, and approaches such as Onvoy’s, which enables dynamic location capabilities for VoIP services, are a natural part of that convergence.” Neustar administers the p-ANI pool.