Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance criticized Apple and Google for deciding "independently and with no notice to law enforcement that I’m aware of" to give their customers control over access to their encrypted smartphones. "Apple and Google are no longer teenagers in the business world of the Internet," Vance said in an interview Monday with The Takeaway radio news program. "They are the absolute dominating mature adults with 96.4 percent of the smartphone market.” He said the companies themselves decided to "draw the line between privacy and public safety," which "also happens to fit their economic interests." Though encryption is a long-standing controversial issue, some federal, state and local law enforcement officials have stepped up calls for access to encrypted phones since the November terrorist attacks in Paris (see 1512100032 and 1511240023). Vance said he doesn't want a back door to gain access to encrypted devices but wants companies like Apple to have a digital key to unlock their own devices. "All I want Apple to do is, when a judge has determined by looking at a criminal case that there’s a need to get into this device and issues an order, that that order can be effectuated," he said. Vance said lawmakers must examine the issue and strike a balance between privacy and public safety. He said he's not talking about bulk telephone data collection or scooping up information on millions of people, referring to federal snooping programs (see 1511300028). “Every phone that we seek to open is done by an individual, separate presentation of facts to a judge. It’s very much retail law enforcement investigation,” he said.

The use of smartphones and mobile technology is helping the environment, cutting 198 tons of carbon emissions per year in the U.S. and across Europe, Mobile Future said Thursday. “The savings are due to the ubiquity of mobile technology, including connected buildings and lifestyle choices like working from home and smart heating and electricity systems,” the group said.

U.S. Cellular successfully implemented use of the industry stolen phone database, the carrier said in a letter to the FCC. The carrier had promised to notify the agency when it did so, it said. The letter was posted in docket 14-143.

T-Mobile asked the FCC to reject AT&T’s proposed buy of three lower 700 MHz C-block licenses from East Kentucky Network, said a filing on a meeting with staff from the Wireless Bureau and Office of General Counsel, posted Thursday in docket 15-79. AT&T’s market share in some of the areas already approaches 60 percent, T-Mobile said. “Low-band spectrum offers one of the few -- if not the only -- opportunity for competitive carriers and new entrants to serve consumers in these areas cost effectively. Under these circumstances, dominant firms such as AT&T have the incentive and ability to raise their rivals’ costs through input monopolization: AT&T can acquire spectrum not only to put it to the firm’s own use, but also to withhold the resource from actual or potential competitors.” In June, T-Mobile filed a petition asking the FCC to reject the deal (see 1506230057). In response to the petition, AT&T said T-Mobile should stop complaining and start investing in spectrum in markets like those it hopes to buy from East Kentucky.

The NTIA released a combined draft document that outlines voluntary best practices for the private and commercial use of drones and plans to schedule a meeting in January to discuss it. John Verdi, NTIA director-privacy initiatives, sent an email Wednesday with the combined draft to participants involved in the multistakeholder process that was launched earlier this year. "The goal is for everyone to review the merged draft 'best practices,' identify recommended revisions or additions (including how best to resolve bracketed text), and tee up those issues for discussion and potential resolution at the next meeting," he wrote in the message. A working group, part of the larger multistakeholder process, has been meeting over the last several weeks to combine the drafts from the Center for Democracy and Technology and Hogan Lovells law firm, providing a comparison of areas of agreement and disagreement. Some participants told us they have made considerable progress on creating a viable document, though some issues still need to be resolved by the larger multistakeholder group (see 1512180026). In his message, Verdi also attached another draft document describing six governing principles to guide the larger best practices document. Both documents are on NTIA website. An agency spokeswoman said NTIA is a "neutral convener" in the process, which is driven by the multistakeholder group participants.

The FCC should base its approach to implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) on consent rather than the emergency exception, Edison Electric Institute (EEI) counsel told a staffer for Chairman Tom Wheeler, according to a Tuesday ex parte filing posted in docket 02-278 on Wednesday. Most consumers want to receive communications from utilities but can choose to opt out only if such calls are permitted by consent. If they are categorized as emergency calls, customers can't opt out, EEI said. "Utilities believe that consumers should have [the] right to opt out from receiving these communications, and believe that their regulators generally have the same view," it said.

Correction: The Wireless Innovation Forum’s Spectrum Sharing Committee objects solely to the measurement procedures required to establish conformance with Part 96 in-band and out-of-band emissions limits in FCC rules for the 3.5 GHz band (see 1512070037).

The Rural Wireless Association takes issue with arguments that the FCC doesn't need to approve a new mobility fund, it told the commission. RWA specifically cited recent speeches by FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly. At a Competitive Carriers Association event, O’Rielly said small carriers should instead focus on preserving a role for mobility in the USF high-cost fund (see 1510080024). The FCC “has recognized that mobile voice and mobile broadband services are increasingly important to consumers and the nation’s economy, and that ubiquitous mobile overage must be a national priority,” RWA said. “The continuing need for dedicated support for mobile voice and broadband services remains as critical as ever, and it will persist as wireless networks evolve to Fifth Generation mobile technologies.” RWA filed a report on a recent meeting with Wireless Bureau officials.

The FCC "acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner" in denying Dish Network's designated entities Northstar and SNR the use of bidding credits to buy spectrum in the AWS-3 auction, the Phoenix Center said in a notice of intention to file an amicus curiae brief in support of the Dish DEs. The notice, filed Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, said the Phoenix Center will file its 7,000-word brief on Jan. 19, and that it will include an analysis of AWS-3 auction data that will show FCC conduct "raises serious questions of procedural due process." The FCC didn't comment. The Dish DEs in September appealed the FCC's August decision denying them use of the bidding credits (see 1509180048).

CTIA officials offered some details on industry efforts to test wireless location accuracy technology, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 07-114, on a call with staff from the FCC Public Safety Bureau. The FCC approved an order in January requiring carriers to improve their performance in identifying the location of wireless calls to 911 (see 1501290066). Stage one of the test bed “will involve indoor testing of nationwide wireless carriers’ deployed horizontal location technologies in Atlanta and San Francisco," CTIA said. “The test results will be used to support carrier compliance reporting for the interim benchmarks.” Stage two “will involve location technology vendor testing of near-term emerging horizontal and vertical location technologies that are not currently deployed by the nationwide wireless carriers,” also in Atlanta and San Francisco, CTIA said. “Beyond Stage 2, there will be additional rounds of testing as needed, by location technology vendors or carriers.”