Motorola Solutions hopes to have a role in FirstNet and is part of at least one of the bids in response to the request for proposals to help build the national public safety network, CEO Greg Brown said on an earnings call. “We've obviously participated in the RFP response,” Brown said. “I think we're very well positioned for a combination of reasons. No. 1 is our expertise in public safety. No. 2, is our go-to-market strength and customer intimacy and sales force.” Motorola also has a “unique ability” to link public safety LTE with the public safety local area network systems that already are installed, he said. “I like the position that we have,” Brown said Thursday. “I like how we have responded to the RFP, and we'll leave it up to the customer to decide what the right architecture and consortium is to go forward.” Motorola, traditionally a major supplier of public safety radio systems, was rumored to be a likely contender for the FirstNet contract as part of a consortium (see 1606100064). Motorola Solutions also reported Q2 earnings.

T-Mobile saw a positive in National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel recommendations on the carrier’s “Ditch and Switch” campaign (see 1608030066), a spokesman emailed. “We’re pleased that the NARB found that our ‘Ditch and Switch’ advertising campaign is clear and accurate, while providing good guidelines for future ads.”

The automotive business is experiencing “an unprecedented social and technological transformation” due to increasingly intelligent connectivity and autonomous vehicles, with the car “getting an upgrade as never seen before,” said Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal on an earnings call Thursday. The company reported a 12 percent rise in revenue in fiscal Q1 to $1.9 billion but cautioned on 2018 revenue due to staggered timing of automotive program launches. Longer term, the company believes it will have revenue growth from its automotive backlog, higher margin automotive services and increasing demand for connected car and autonomous driving technologies. Last-quarter revenue at its connected car unit rose 11 percent to $843 million from the year-ago period, the company said. Shares closed up 7 percent Thursday to $87.54.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau said it will allow three electric utilities owned by FirstEnergy to share 700 and 800 MHz public safety frequencies with Ohio’s Multi-Agency Radio Communications System, consistent with a request by the state. In making the request, the state and the utilities said public safety agencies and the public “rely on the safe and reliable operation of the FirstEnergy electric grid,” the bureau said. But the order contains a caveat. Future use of the 700 MHz spectrum depends on the outcome of the commission’s pending rulemaking on nongovernmental use of 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum, the bureau said. “In response to a request for declaratory ruling filed by the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Commission declined to address the scope of permissible non-governmental use of 700 MHz broadband spectrum by utilities,” the bureau said. “We emphasize to the Parties that they accept the instant waiver at their own risk and that our decision does not prejudge the outcome of the pending rulemaking, supra, or any other future action the Commission may take to define permissible non-governmental use of 700 MHz public safety spectrum.”

Samsung and carriers began taking preorders Wednesday for the Samsung Galaxy Note7, sweetening the deal for the pricey premium phone with a free Samsung Gear Fit2 (valued at $179, but selling at Best Buy for $149) or a 256 GB memory card (valued at $249 but selling at Amazon for $199) while supplies last. Terms are $0 down and $36/month over 24 months, said the Verizon website. Verizon is offering a waived activation fee to online customers and will credit up to $300 on a trade-in of select working devices for new activations only. AT&T Wireless gave an $879 retail price broken out to $0 down and $29.34 over 30 months to qualified buyers. It's offering a buy-one-get-one deal for the phone under its Next plan ($70 minimum data plan per month), with the second phone free after $695 in payments, said the website. Qualcomm, meanwhile, took credit for technologies in the Note7 in a news release Wednesday saying the phone uses the Snapdragon 820 processor with an integrated X12 LTE modem, Adreno 530 graphics processor, 680 DSP and Haven, which it called a “secure foundation” for iris scanning. The Snapdragon 820 supports 4K video capture and playback and support for slow motion video at 240 frames per second, Qualcomm said.

It’s a “misconception” that the increasing number of competitors entering the “crowded” wearables market created a “significant headwind” for Fitbit, CEO James Park said on an earnings call. "Most of these entrants have not altered the competitive dynamics.” Smartphone penetration “provides a reasonable point of comparison for addressable opportunities in different markets,” he said Tuesday. By the end of Q2, Fitbit shipped a “lifetime total” of 35.6 million devices in the U.S., he said. That’s 15 percent of the base of 230 million smartphones, he said. “In terms of unit shipments versus the addressable market, we're not even close,” which means "opportunity for growth,” he said. The company's stock closed up 13 percent Wednesday to $14.93.

Two task teams set up by FirstNet’s Public Safety Advisory Committee on identity, credential and access management (ICAM) and on local control have completed reports, PSAC Chairman Harlin McEwen said Wednesday. The ICAM report recommends that the barrier to entry in the initial stage of FirstNet “be kept low by leveraging existing public safety information security policies and procedures,” McEwen said in a blog post. “As the ICAM framework progresses to the later stages, resulting in greater access to public safety data, the responsibilities of the agencies and the public safety users increase. The final stage results in an interoperable federated identity solution for public safety.” The second report said local control of FirstNet’s Priority and Pre-emption Framework should “rarely, if ever, be necessary,” McEwen said. “In these rare situations, it is envisioned to be coordinated with FirstNet.”

A National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel recommended that T-Mobile better disclose to consumers the terms of the company’s “Ditch and Switch” campaign. The panel said the language that T-Mobile uses in the ad on how a consumer would be reimbursed “was not sufficiently conspicuous and did not adequately explain how the reimbursement program worked,” said an NARB news release. AT&T had complained, NARB said. “A majority of the panel determined that, to properly qualify these claims and avoid an erroneous message, it is necessary to clearly and conspicuously disclose in the body of the advertisement that the ‘pay off’ comes as a trade-in credit and prepaid card." NARB said in a response that T-Mobile said it would "take the panel’s ‘recommendations into account in formulating its future advertising.’” T-Mobile didn't have further comment.

The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau sought comment Wednesday on a petition by the Mortgage Bankers Association for an exemption from the prior express consent requirement under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act for autodialed or prerecorded “mortgage servicing” calls to wireless phones. MBA cited in particular calls that aren't charged to the called party and don’t contain an advertisement or constitute telemarketing, the bureau said. “MBA notes that the TCPA authorizes the Commission to exempt autodialed or prerecorded calls to wireless numbers when the called party is not charged, subject to conditions designed to protect consumer privacy, and that the Commission has exercised this authority with respect to certain communications made by package delivery services, healthcare providers, and financial institutions,” the bureau said in a public notice. “MBA states that mortgage servicing calls are required by various federal and state requirements, and are of critical importance to mortgage borrowers.” Comments are due Sept. 2, replies Sept. 19 in docket 02-278.

The Enterprise Wireless Alliance asked the FCC to respond to a June 26, 2015, petition from Spectrum Networks Group (SNG) asking the agency to order show cause why the 900 MHz licenses of 19 licensees shouldn't be revoked. EWA said it coordinated some of the applications for those licenses. "EWA has been advised by certain members whose licenses were the subject of the Petition that they received inquiries from the FCC regarding the SNG allegations in late summer or early fall of 2015 and that they responded by the FCC-specified deadline,” EWA said. “These members have received no further communications from the FCC regarding the disposition of these matters.” EWA said it doesn't take a position on how the FCC should rule. “However, it does urge the FCC to take whatever action it deems appropriate as promptly as possible,” the letter said. “Most of these licensees are small businesses for which regulatory uncertainty is particularly difficult. It may be that some of the factual situations are complex and will require substantial time to resolve, but EWA would expect that others are not complicated and that the FCC could reach a decision in a year or perhaps even less.” EWA sent the letter to Wireless Bureau Chief Jon Wilkins.