Google supports CTIA’s request that the FCC reconsider out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limits for Citizens Band Radio Service devices in the 3.5 GHz band, Google representatives said in a series of meetings at the FCC. Google met with Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai, and aides to the other commissioners, said a filing in docket 12-354. ”Google representatives noted current interest being shown in CBRS by wireless carriers, equipment manufacturers, and chip suppliers, as well as the productive role the Wireless Innovation Forum (WinnForum) is playing in developing consensus among a large and diverse group of CBRS stakeholders,” Google said. There are now 55 organizations developing 3.5 GHz band standards within the WinnForum’s Spectrum Sharing Committee, Google said. Google’s propagation testing shows OOBE requirements “can be relaxed as proposed by CTIA without material increased risk of harmful interference,” the company said. WinnForum members including Google also lobbied the FCC recently on CBRS (see 1604050019).

AT&T responded to T-Mobile comments Tuesday that AT&T and Verizon had to know Netflix was throttling its own transmissions to their subscribers (see 1604050053). An AT&T spokesman said T-Mobile CEO John Legere originally accused AT&T and Verizon of throttling the Netflix transmissions until it became clear Netflix was responsible. “We're not going to comment on this because we're still waiting for Legere's apology for falsely accusing our company two weeks ago,” the AT&T spokesman said. “Legere is obviously correct,” said Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America. “There is no way that Verizon and AT&T didn’t notice that Netflix downloads on their mobile network was using a far smaller amount of bandwidth than Netflix downloads on their wireline network.” But Calabrese also said he was frustrated about complaints that Netflix doesn't fall under FCC net neutrality rules. “How Netflix wants to transmit its content, as one of millions of edge providers, is between Netflix and its subscribers,” he said. AT&T and Verizon had to know what Netflix was doing, said Harold Feld, senior vice president at Public Knowledge. “AT&T does seem to be reveling in its role as the offended innocent, falsely accused by T-Mobile of throttling Netflix when it was Netflix deliberately reducing the speed to AT&T's network to avoid giving AT&T subscribers unexpected overages,” Feld said. “I can see the allure. But I wouldn't overplay the role. As just about everyone agrees, this doesn't actually have anything to do with net neutrality.”

Representatives of the Wireless Innovation Forum, CTIA and various companies active in the area updated the FCC on work on standards for the 3.5 GHz band. The industry representatives met with officials from the FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-354. It said the companies have completed an interim technical report on exchange of information between spectrum access systems and between SASs and citizens band radio service devices. At the meeting were representatives of Airspan Networks, AT&T, Ericsson, Federated Wireless, Google, Huawei, Key Bridge Global, Motorola Solutions, Nokia Networks, Pathfinder Wireless, Qualcomm, Ruckus Wireless, Sony and Verizon.

Media Institute President Patrick Maines said revelations that Netflix throttled its own service to AT&T and Verizon customers show deep problems in FCC net neutrality rules. Commission officials have said Netflix, as an edge provider, isn't subject to the rules (see 1603250050). “The two companies that generate more than half of all downloads in North America are Netflix and Google,” Maines said in a commentary in The Hill. “And it was those two companies, and their amen chorus in what is laughingly referred to as the tech media, that led the way to what became the net neutrality rule. Indeed, one can say that the whole of the net neutrality case was conjured up by, and for the express benefit of, exactly two companies.” Netflix didn't comment.

IoT went mainstream in 2015, said Verizon in a report released Tuesday. Globally, the installed base of IoT endpoints will grow to more than 25.6 billion in 2019, up from 9.7 billion in 2014, and hit 30 billion in 2020, said Verizon, citing an IDC report released in February. Global spending on IoT will hit $1.3 trillion in 2019, up from $591.7 billion in 2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent, it said. “2015 was the year IoT gained legitimacy,” Verizon said in its report. “Businesses budged off a ‘start small think big’ mindset. Today, they’re building IoT into future strategies and business models.” Key areas for IoT growth include smart cities, energy, agriculture, transportation, healthcare and home monitoring, the telco said. Enterprise businesses say that revenue growth is the biggest factor driving them to adopt IoT, said Verizon, citing an Oxford Economics study commissioned by the telco. “The view has been that IoT is a mashup of complex technologies used only by early adopters,” said Mike Lanman, Verizon senior vice president-IoT and enterprise products. “In the past year, we’ve seen compelling examples of how IoT is being deployed by a wide-range of enterprises, entrepreneurs, municipalities and developers to address relevant business, consumer and public needs. Meanwhile, consumers are more willing to try new technologies and apps that introduce a better way of life.”

A municipal broadband project in California will wirelessly bring 1 Gbps speeds to residents, businesses and community sites in Santa Cruz. Siklu Communication, Cruzio and the City of Santa Cruz on Tuesday unveiled a project to use hybrid fiber-wireless technologies to roll out the wireless service in less than three months. The service will connect existing fiber from independent ISP Cruzio to millimeter wave radios provided by Siklu. The radios can be attached to building facades, roofs, poles and other locations to wirelessly extend the reach of fiber. Millimeter wave frequencies allow the radios to transmit multiple gigabits reliably with low latency and no interference and congestion. Chairman Izik Kirshenbaum said in a news release that Siklu aims to deploy the same technology “in other U.S. communities in the months to come.”

A Wednesday field hearing in South Carolina will focus on combating the problem of contraband cellphones in prisons, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said in an opinion column Tuesday in USA Today. The two Republicans cited the case of Robert Johnson, an officer at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina, shot six times in a hit ordered via a contraband device. “One reason we imprison criminals is to incapacitate them -- that is, to prevent them from committing additional crimes,” Pai and Haley said. “But with contraband cellphones, prisons have become a base of operations for criminal enterprise.” There is “much more that can and should be done” and the FCC has a big role to play, they said. “In 2013, the FCC teed up technological solutions and regulatory reforms that could make it easier for law enforcement to prevent the use of contraband cellphones,” they said. “To date, however, the FCC has not enacted any of those reforms.” The hearing will be streamed starting at 3 p.m. EDT.

Smartphone penetration among U.S. consumers ages 18-34 was “solidly above 90 percent” at the end of 2015, a comScore cross-platform report said. Penetration is highest in the 18-24-year-old bracket, growing from 90 percent in December 2014 to 94 percent at the end of 2015, comScore said last week. Overall smartphone penetration hit 79 percent at the end of 2015, “finally showing signs of slowing growth as the market nears saturation,” comScore said. Among operating systems, iOS gained a point in 2015 versus 2014, representing 43 percent of the U.S. market, while Android held steady at 53 percent. The industry research firm expects iPhone 6/6S models to surpass iPhone 5/5S/5C models among U.S. users this year. Despite fewer U.S. cable households, the average amount of TV viewing per household rose in Q4 by 7 percent over Q4 2014, comScore said, citing a broader selection of viewing options that appeal to a “wider array of tastes.” Total quarterly live household viewing hours rose 7.3 percent to 1,004, it said. Cable VOD viewing time during Q1-Q3 was 7.1 percent transactional on demand, 31.2 percent subscription VOD and 61.7 percent free on demand, comScore said. Most growth in cable VOD is coming from subscription services such as HBO and Showtime, comScore said.

First-weekend sales of the 4-inch iPhone SE were lackluster, according to media reports and industry researcher Localytics. Apple’s larger screen smartphones and the iPhone 5S “all had better opening weekends than the iPhone SE,” Localytics said. In 2013, the iPhone 5S captured 0.9 percent of Apple iPhone sales in its first weekend on the market, while the 6 and 6s represented 2 percent and 1 percent. After its Friday launch, the SE pulled in just 0.1 percent of Apple smartphone sales over the weekend, Localytics said.

Brocade agreed to buy Ruckus Wireless in a $1.2 billion cash and stock transaction. The acquisition adds Ruckus' higher-growth wireless products to Brocade's networking services, Brocade and Ruckus said. The companies said they expect the deal to drive business for the combined company in new verticals and strengthen the company's position in 5G mobile, IoT, smart cities, OpenG and LTE/Wi-Fi convergence. The completion of the deal is subject to regulatory reviews by U.S. and international antitrust regulators, and a tender of a majority of outstanding shares of Ruckus common stock, they said. The companies said they expect to close the deal in Brocade's fiscal Q3, which ends on Aug. 1. Ruckus CEO Selina Lo will continue to lead Ruckus as a division reporting directly to Brocade CEO Lloyd Carney, the companies said. Monday, Brocade stock closed down 14 percent at $9.19, while Ruckus rose 32 percent, closing at $13.24.