Four FCC bureaus jointly approved a temporary, limited waiver for Cellular South of a requirement that the carrier support text telephony technology for the deaf and hard of hearing to the extent it uses IP technologies like wireless VoIP. The FCC earlier approved similar waivers for Verizon and AT&T (see 1511130050). The order was issued Friday by the chiefs of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Wireless and Wireline bureaus. In a November petition filed in docket 15-178, Cellular South asked the commission to waive certain rules and other TTY accessibility requirements for VoIP networks, "subject to the same customer notification, progress reporting, and duration conditions applied to AT&T and Verizon." The waiver expires Dec. 31, 2017, a notice by the bureaus said.

The FCC should turn down a waiver request filed by a group of licensees controlled by Warren Havens, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance said in comments filed Monday in docket 15-282. The requests seek to extend the construction deadline for 2,132 Part 22 UHF/VHF paging economic area licenses. A requirement that licensees serve two-thirds of the covered population no later than five years after initial grant of the license lapsed Nov. 3. On Nov. 19, the Wireless Bureau sought comment on the waiver request and initial comments were due Monday. The bureau said in a notice the Havens-controlled companies are examining a “nationwide multi-cell system based on Meteor Burst propagation technology deployed in the 35-50 megahertz range that could be used for non-profit services in support of Federal and other governmental agency programs.” EWA said the FCC needs to carefully weigh such requests, but this one shouldn't be approved. “The Waiver Request, at its core, relies on a single argument: The Havens Companies bought one-way Low Band paging channels five years ago that they do not intend to use for that or any other immediate purpose and, instead, want double the permitted construction period as they explore yet again fantastic potential uses to which these 2,132 channels could be placed,” EWA said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau approved a 700 MHz licensing agreement between AT&T and Pine Cellular even though the agreement puts both over the threshold requiring additional scrutiny of low-band spectrum deals. AT&T will lease from Pine a single lower 700 MHz B Block license covering a local market area in Arkansas. Pine is leasing from AT&T 700 MHz spectrum covering parts of Oklahoma. “After carefully evaluating the likely competitive effects of the proposed leasing arrangements, as well as the other factors ordinarily considered in a case-by-case review, we find that the likelihood of competitive harm is low,” the bureau said in an order in docket 15-13 released Monday. “Further, we find some public interest benefits are likely to be realized, such as increased network quality and a better consumer experience.”

The FCC Enforcement Bureau ordered iWireless to continue providing roaming to AT&T at an earlier agreed-upon rate as the agency addresses a roaming dispute between the companies. AT&T potentially could have to pay more depending on the outcome of the dispute. The contractual rates were redacted from the public version of Friday's order. A contract between the two expired Sunday, the bureau said.

Companies are responding to Apple’s use of Force Touch technology in the Apple Watch and 3D Touch in the iPhone 6 with force-sensing for high-end and mid-range smartphones, IHS reported. In 2016, worldwide force-sensing module shipments are expected to grow 317 percent to reach 461 million units, and 24 percent of new smartphones shipped will include the technology, IHS said Thursday. Some manufacturers are “aggressively expanding production of in-cell and on-cell touch displays to further improve touch interfaces for smartphone users,” said analyst Calvin Hsieh.

USF support should be directed toward the services most demanded by consumers, CTIA said in a filing at the FCC in docket 11-42. CTIA representatives met with various FCC officials, the filing said. CTIA said wireless is the largest industry contributor to the federal fund. “In most cases, consumers are migrating towards mobile wireless services to meet communication, educational and occupational needs,” the group said.

The FCC should hold off on a proposal to expand communications infrastructure in commercial aviation until after careful review of the proposal with the intelligence community and others, said the Association of Flight Attendants and Global Business Travel Association in a joint FCC filing. “Especially in light of the recent horrific events in France, Beirut, and Egypt, we think the intelligence community needs to lead such a high-level committee with the appropriate Federal agencies, including the military, and industry stakeholders, in order to conduct a thorough assessment of existing and potential threats and vulnerabilities, and develop and evaluate appropriate risk reduction measures as necessary,” said the comment filed in docket 13-114.

The FCC Wireless Bureau approved in part a waiver request permitting the equipment authorization and licensing of Recco’s avalanche rescue system using spectrum at 902.85 MHz (see 1410140175) despite concerns raised by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). The system relies on technology consisting of a handheld detector and a passive reflector that's integrated into apparel, helmets, protection gear or boots. “We conclude that the relatively low power, limited number and the limited use of RECCO detectors in remote ski areas greatly reduce the potential for interference,” the bureau said. “Helicopters from which the RECCO detector may be used must fly close to the ground in order to receive the re-radiated signal, due to its low power and short range, thereby limiting the interference potential.” Recco is permitted to use the band on a secondary basis to other authorized services, the bureau said.

If the FCC doesn't change out-of-band emissions limits in wireless mic rules approved in August (see 1508060050), the agency could stifle an entire industry, said Shure in a petition. Shure said it's seeking changes on only a “handful of discrete and noncontroversial issues,” and warned that out-of-band emission (OOBE) limits should instead be those specified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute. “If this requirement is not amended to reflect the entire ETSI OOBE limit as stated in the standard, it will not be feasible for industry to manufacture wireless microphones in the future,” Shure said in an underlined and bolded sentence. The FCC also should allow full use of the 1435-1525 MHz band “where coordination with incumbent spectrum users permits,” not at most 30 MHz, the company said. “The Commission did not seek comment on a 30 megahertz limitation for wireless microphone use of the band, comment was not provided on such a limitation, and no technical or policy justification otherwise exists for such a limitation,” Shure said. Shure also said that for wireless mics operating in the VHF TV band, transmitter power output should be measurable on either a conducted or radiated basis. “This flexibility is needed to allow manufacturers to develop products that will satisfy user expectations and requirements for operation in this band,” Shure said. Sennheiser also sought reconsideration of the mic rules, opposing the 30 MHz limitation and other provisions. The FCC never indicated “access to the 1.4 GHz band would be limited to a set amount of spectrum, let alone that it would be limited to a mere one-third of that band,” the company said. “Because the Commission failed to provide any notice, much less adequate notice, of the possibility that a 30 MHz cap on wireless microphone access to the 1.4 GHz band might be considered, that aspect of the rules must be reconsidered and deleted from the rules.” Sennheiser said the FCC should have adopted the ETSI limits. “It is the industry standard and is sensible from a design perspective, as it allows for maximum use of channels,” Sennheiser said. Comments were in docket 14-166.

The worldwide wearables market will reach 111.1 million shipments in 2016, from 80 million forecast for this year, as second- and third-generation devices address some "shortcomings," said IDC Thursday. By 2019, wearables shipments will reach 214.6 million units, it said. The next generation will have “vastly improved experiences and perhaps even augment human abilities,” said analyst Jitesh Ubrani. Smartwatches will continue as one of the most popular wearable categories, said IDC. They've evolved from being smartphone extensions to wearable computers capable of communications, notifications and apps, said analyst Ramon Llamas. "The smartwatch we have today will look nothing like the smartwatch we will see in the future.” Cellular connectivity, health sensors, and third-party apps will raise the appeal and value of smartphones, he said. Smartwatch platforms, “the brains of the smartwatch,” will evolve as cellular connectivity in watches replaces the reliance on smartphones for connectivity, said Llamas.