The FCC Wireless Bureau denied a request by Expert Linears America for a waiver of the 15 dB gain limitation in agency rules so it can import and sell an amateur radio amplifier. The FCC already has before it a proposed rulemaking looking more generally at the question, the bureau noted. “Expert argues that the 15 dB limitation should be eliminated because advancements in amateur radio transmitter technology have led to the availability of highly compact, sophisticated low-power transmitters that require more than 15 dB of amplification to achieve the maximum permissible power output of 1500 watts, and that the original purpose of the limitation (to prevent use of high-power amplifiers in the Citizens Band Radio Service) is accomplished through other rules,” the order said. Many commenters agree about the need for a change in the rules, while others have concerns, the bureau said. “In light of the conflicting comments regarding the desirability of eliminating the 15 dB limitation, we conclude that waiving the limitation at this stage of the rulemaking proceeding would prejudice the rulemaking proceeding and prematurely dispose of commenters’ concerns,” the bureau said.

Standing Rock Telecommunications (SRT) asked the FCC to give it until June 30 to complete network construction and drive test reporting for all the tracts SRT was approved to build out as part of the Tribal Mobility Fund. A six-month extension “will allow SRT to upgrade the current network to a 4G network allowing for better coverage and performance,” the carrier said in a filing in docket 10-90. “The additional time is also needed to conduct the necessary construction and drive testing required by the FCC.” Bringing mobile voice and broadband to unserved areas "is a worthwhile investment" but is taking longer than the FCC expected, SRT said. "SRT is making great progress in constructing a high quality, reasonably priced wireless network that is already bringing wireless service to customers that were not able to obtain service due to no coverage by any wireless provider."

Rural wireless carrier Smith Bagley raised concerns about a draft National Verifier Plan for the FCC Lifeline low-income telecom subsidy program released in early December (see 1612010043), said a filing Tuesday. The draft plan, by the Universal Service Administrative Co., “appears to require the applicant to interface directly with the National Verifier and the Lifeline Eligibility Database (LED) and then present the service provider with the unique application number assigned by the LED,” Smith Bagley told the FCC. That could be an issue in very remote areas, such as the Navajo Nation, Smith Bagley said. “Due to the lack of broadband access at those events [where the carrier seeks clients], sales agents relay the applicant’s information via telephone to employees who are able to perform the ... verification functions to enable the application process to proceed,” the carrier said. The carrier, doing business as Cellular One of North East Arizona, provides mobile communication services to customers in Northern Arizona and New Mexico. Smith Bagley reported on the meeting with the Wireline Bureau in docket 11-42.

An FCC transition plan provides sufficient time for carriers to deploy and broadcasters to exit the 600 MHz band after the incentive auction, T-Mobile officials said in a meeting with Matthew Berry, chief of staff to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. “T-Mobile noted its swift deployment of 700 MHz spectrum and noted that the performance of this low band spectrum has exceeded the company’s expectations for improving coverage for consumers in urban building and rural environments,” said a filing in docket 12-268. “T-Mobile affirmed its intention to deploy any 600 MHz spectrum it may obtain in the current auction with equal urgency to meet consumer demand.” T-Mobile filed similar comments at the FCC in November on the transition plan (see 1611160033). The carrier is expected to go big in the auction to fill in gaps and add to its low-band spectrum portfolio (see 1601060059).

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR) announced a $30 million grant program to accelerate “research, development, production, and testing of key broadband technologies and capabilities for first responders,” FirstNet said in a blog post. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, nonprofit groups, companies, state and local governments, Indian tribes, hospitals, foreign public entities and foreign governments, FirstNet said. Applications are due Feb. 28.

Samsung applied Dec. 15 to register the trademark “NewPace Communications Inc.” as a supplier of rich communications services (RCS) technology, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records show. Samsung recently acquired NewNet Communications Technologies, a provider of RCS infrastructure and services that was known as NewPace before it was bought by Skyview Capital, said a Nov. 15 announcement. With RCS, consumers will “benefit from an advanced messaging experience with features such as enhanced calling, group chat, and the ability to easily share and transfer large files including multimedia and high-resolution photos,” the announcement said. Sprint recently became the first carrier to deploy upgraded text messaging through an RCS-based offering developed by Google (see 1611040021).

Members of the Wireless Innovation Forum’s Spectrum Sharing Committee told the FCC work is complete on two documents supporting the launch of the 3.5 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service. Both relate to signaling protocols and procedures for spectrum access systems (SASs) that will control access to the spectrum, WinnForum said in a filing in docket 15-319. The FCC last week tentatively approved seven SASs to manage operations in the band (see 1612220046).

A Miami Gardens, Florida, man was sentenced to 48 months in prison for perpetrating what DOJ said was a “sophisticated global cell phone fraud scheme that involved compromising cellphone customers’ accounts and ‘cloning’ their phones to make fraudulent international calls.” Edwin Fana, 37, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel Hurley of the Southern District of Florida, said a Friday DOJ news release. According to the plea agreement, “Fana and his co-conspirators participated in a scheme to steal access to and fraudulently open new cellphone accounts using the personal information of individuals around the United States,” DOJ said. “Fana admitted that the conspirators then trafficked in the cellphone customers’ telecommunication identifying information, using that data as well as other software and hardware to reprogram cellphones that they controlled to transmit thousands of international calls to Cuba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and other countries with high calling rates.”

New America still has concerns after the FCC approved a voluntary industry framework aimed at ensuring wireless services are available after a disaster (see 1612210008), said Greta Byrum, director of New America’s Resilient Communities program. The group is “hopeful that the CTIA will support preparedness and response efforts in future disasters and emergencies to the best extent of its abilities,” Byrum said in an email. “However, we anticipate that local governments and community groups, working without full and timely information regarding outages and restoration efforts, will need to work together closely to create additional layers of knowledge-sharing and response. We hope that CTIA will choose to share information and also listen to the needs and expertise of communities and local governments as future disasters unfold.”

The Rural Wireless Association said it's asking the FCC for a waiver of net neutrality transparency requirements for small ISPs. The small ISP exemption lapsed after FCC commissioners couldn’t agree on an extension and the Office of Management and Budget approved the enhanced disclosure requirements to start Jan. 17 (see 1612160059). Last week, FCC Republicans Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly assured small ISPs they had nothing to fear from the next FCC (see 1612190059), saying the new FCC won't clamp down on compliance. RWA said in a news release Friday that the FCC “inexplicably allowed this exemption to lapse earlier this month despite bipartisan Congressional support for its extension.” RWA asked the FCC to act before the rules take effect. “Grant of this waiver will ensure that small ISPs do not face additional substantial and unnecessary regulatory burdens as they work to provide broadband service in the most rural and remote portions of the country,” RWA said.