The FCC should act quickly to reallocate the four high-frequency spectrum blocks the agency identified for mobile broadband in an October NPRM (see 1510220057), said representatives of the Information Technology Industry Council and members Ericsson and Intel in a meeting with an aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. ”We reiterated the need for quick action on the four bands identified in the NPRM, and particularly the 28 GHz band,” said a Monday filing on the meeting in docket 14-177. “Expedient action will ensue U.S. leadership in the millimeter wave bands.”

The Minnesota FirstNet project team emphasized during its kick-off meeting the need for an aligned outreach strategy that includes all regions of the state, the network said in a Monday blog post. FirstNet representatives met with cabinet-level executives and the entire Minnesota FirstNet project team in a successful single point of contact engagement kick-off meeting Feb. 25, the post said: The meeting allowed the state and FirstNet to connect on recent progress, issues and activities. It also lets the group talk through the targeted outreach strategy for the state, identifying key stakeholders and associations to reach in the coming months to prepare for the delivery of the state plan and the state’s support of the governor’s decision, FirstNet said.

The American Bankers Association wants a single change to the FCC's August declaratory ruling on Telephone Consumer Protection Act rules (see 1506180046), it said in a filing in docket 02-278. The change is to a condition on exemptions for time-sensitive calls and text messages, “limiting the exemption to the wireless telephone number provided by the customer of the financial institution,” it said. The association also cited “the harmful impact that the provided number condition has had on the ability of financial institutions to make time-sensitive calls and texts pursuant to the exemptions,” ABA said.

Carriers are privacy-conscious, said wireless associations in news releases issued Thursday after the FCC confirmed a net neutrality privacy NPRM was circulating (see 1603100037). CTIA members “remain committed to robust privacy protection for their customers” and have “proactively implemented strong data privacy and security programs,” CTIA said. It said rules depend on the ultimate decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on whether the FCC correctly reclassified wireless broadband as a common-carrier service in last year’s net neutrality order. As FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said, “the FTC’s long-standing privacy framework has ​effectively protected consumers throughout the Internet services market including, until recently, the broadband industry,” said Debbie Matties, CTIA vice president-privacy. “By adopting the FTC framework, the FCC would allow the continuation of a dynamic marketplace that supports the emergence of innovative new business models and consumers would have meaningful privacy protection.” Competitive Carriers Association President Steve Berry said CCA signed an ISP letter proposing privacy rules (see 1603010069). “CCA agrees that all carriers, wireless and wireline, should have strong privacy practices, which is why wireless companies have policies and procedures in place to safeguard their consumers’ privacy,” Berry said. “Nevertheless, we welcome the opportunity to discuss our proposal and comment on the NPRM.”

Representatives of Samsung met with various FCC officials to discuss the company’s interest in high-frequency spectrum, said a filing posted Friday in docket 14-177. Samsung officials, including John Godfrey, Samsung Electronics America senior vice president-public policy, and Robert Kubik, Samsung Electronics director-public policy, engineering and technology, met with aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Ajit Pai, the company said. “The parties discussed Samsung’s support for the Commission’s proposal to make spectrum above 24 GHz available for 5G,” it said. “Samsung noted its support for establishment of a regulatory framework for provision of mobile services in the 28 GHz (27.5-28.35 GHz), 39 GHz (38.6 to 40 GHz), and 37 GHz (37 to 38.6 GHz) bands. Samsung also urged the Commission to make development of a regulatory framework for the millimeter wave spectrum bands a priority.”

Audio-Technica U.S. countered CTIA's arguments against its reconsideration petition seeking relief from FCC rules on out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limits for wireless mics in the TV band. Instead, A-T said the FCC should approve the European Telecommunications Standards Institute standard without modification. CTIA said in a February filing (see 1602290059) that its opposition was based on “extensive testing information provided by CTIA and its members.” CTIA’s arguments rely on tests by engineering consultant V-Comm “to contend that even more stringent OOBE limits for wireless microphones are necessary to protect 600 MHz licensees from harmful interference,” the wireless mic company said. “A-T disputes this contention, and notes that wireless microphone industry representatives and others have called both the V-Comm methodology and results into question in this proceeding.” The filing was made in docket 12-268.

The public got a “tantalizing peek of the 5G future” in Thursday’s FCC spectrum frontiers workshop (see 1603100012), Charla Rath, Verizon vice president-wireless policy development, said Friday in a blog post. “This is just the tip of the iceberg for 5G technology,” Rath wrote. “One thing that all the panelists made clear was that we have not begun to imagine all the transformative applications on the 5G horizon.” Collaboration between technology leaders and government officials “will help ensure that the right policies are in place to ensure that we move quickly and that the U.S. retains its leadership position as we move from 4G to 5G,” she said. “Yesterday’s workshop was an important step.”

LG’s G5 smartphone, launched last month at Mobile World Congress (see 1602220037), will hit U.S. stores in early April, LG said Thursday. For a limited time, customers ordering the phone will get a free extra battery and charging cradle, said the company. The G5 will be available from major carriers and retailers including AT&T, Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile stores, B&H, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon. Pricing will be announced in coming weeks, LG said.

CTIA expressed general support for FCC efforts “to reform the Lifeline program to support mobile wireless broadband services and to improve the administration” of the program, CTIA officials said in a meeting with aides to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Wireline Bureau staff, said an ex parte filing from the group. “CTIA highlighted the contribution that mobile wireless providers have made to the Lifeline program, including significantly increasing the utility and value of the program for millions of low-income consumers.” Affordability should be a key consideration in determining “the minimum offerings for Lifeline-supported services,” the group said. “Using today’s mobile wireless service offerings as a starting point, Lifeline minimum service standards should be set at levels that will place 21st Century mobile wireless services within reach for low-income consumers.” The filing was posted Thursday in docket 11-42. A Lifeline order is circulating (see 1603080054).

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by U.S. District Court in Anderson, South Carolina, that two former AT&T Mobility employees failed to meet the requirements of a hybrid case, a decision issued Thursday said. The employees sued AT&T Mobility and the Communications Workers of America alleging AT&T breached their collective bargaining agreement in terminating them and CWA failed in its duty of fair representation by failing to inform them of a settlement offer for that termination, the decision said. The former employees settled with AT&T Mobility and the district court granted CWA's motion for a summary judgment. The 4th Circuit affirmed because it couldn't form the basis of a hybrid lawsuit, it said.