Verizon said LTE-Unlicensed is no threat to Wi-Fi and won’t even use 2.4 GHz, the main Wi-Fi band. The comment came in a public explanation of why it wants to move forward quickly on LTE-U that it posted Monday in an FAQ document on its policy website. Why the rush to deploy? Verizon asked. “The work currently underway with LTE-U is providing real-world experience that will help improve the next versions of the 3GPP [3rd Generation Partnership Project] standard,” Verizon said. “But more importantly, because Better Matters. Consumers don’t want to wait for better, they want it now. LTE-U provides a better mobile experience, and it won’t adversely impact Wi-Fi or other unlicensed technologies. There is no reason to delay providing consumers with a new option for better service.”

Some 50 million vehicles will offer built-in wireless device charging by 2020, up from 4 million this year, said a report by Juniper Research released Monday. Wireless charging will enable new in-vehicle services including on-board audio streaming and context-specific notification filtering, said the industry research firm. Data exchange capability via wireless charging will enable automatic driver adjustments such as the height, incline and position of the seat and mirrors when the driver’s phone begins to charge, analyst James Moar told us. The transmission range via wireless charging is short enough to prevent the transmission of conflicting signals from passengers’ phones, unlike Bluetooth, he said. Data exchange could automate other driver user experiences such as climate control and music playlists, Moar said. Automakers will be able to provide software-based services via streaming notifications between a smartphone and the dashboard rather than having to keep on-board firmware and hardware updated, said the report. Several smartphone brands have incorporated wireless charging capability into devices, but consumers are largely unaware of the feature, Juniper said. Samsung is leading the way with the Galaxy S6, and more brands will begin to promote the concept over the next few years, though phones will continue to ship with a wired charger as a standard accessory in the near term, it said. Over a third of all smartphones shipping in 2020 are forecast to have wireless charging built in, said Juniper. For wireless charging to succeed, carriers and phone retailers will have to give consumers an option for wireless chargers supplied with new devices, said Moar in the report. "The technology will not take off if it remains a $30+ additional purchase.”

T-Mobile and Verizon don’t agree on everything, but they’re united on the benefits of LTE-unlicensed, representatives said in a meeting with Brendan Carr, aide to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai. The carriers reported on a meeting, held along with Qualcomm, to make the case there's ‘”broad” industry consensus on "the remarkable consumer benefits of LTE-U,” said a filing in docket 15-105. “We emphasized our longstanding support of unlicensed spectrum and our strong commitment to Wi-Fi,” they said. “We explained that LTE-U is based on 3GPP’s [3rd Generation Partnership Project] current standards … and fully complies with the FCC’s Part 15 regulations.” In a second filing, this time joined by the Competitive Carriers Association, they reported on similar meetings with Erin McGrath, aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly, and Johanna Thomas, aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. Earlier, they met with Louis Peraertz, aide to Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

The Federal Aviation Administration failed to develop a comprehensive drone regulation plan allowing the integration of drones in national airspace by the congressional deadline of Sept. 30, the Electronic Privacy Information Center said in a blog post Friday. The FAA has granted more than 1,700 exemptions for drones to operate in the U.S. “even as safety and privacy concerns increase,” the post said. On Sept. 28, EPIC filed a lawsuit against FAA to establish privacy rules for commercial drones, it said. The FAA didn’t comment.

The FCC Wireless Bureau approved, in part, a waiver allowing AT&T to use power spectral density (PSD) measurements to comply with effective radiated power (ERP) limits for 800 MHz cellular operations in parts of Missouri. The bureau said it would allow AT&T to use the PSD model at a maximum ERP level of 125 watts/MHz in four Missouri cellular market areas. AT&T can potentially increase the power to 250 watts/MHz in nonrural areas and 500 Watts/MHz in rural areas, said the order in docket 15-86. AT&T told the FCC that granting the waiver would help it build out its LTE network more quickly. The bureau said it had earlier approved similar waivers for AT&T in Vermont and Florida. “We find it persuasive that AT&T and several public safety entities previously conducted successful tests using the PSD model, and that no public safety licensees have raised objections specific to AT&T’s proposed PSD model for the Missouri Stations or requested testing,” the bureau said. “Further, the conditions we impose will help ensure that public safety systems and neighboring Cellular licensees will be protected from increased harmful interference from AT&T’s operations using the PSD model.” Among conditions imposed is a notice requirement for public safety agencies with nearby operations using 806-824 MHz/851-869 MHz before the carrier deploys a base station.

The FCC released documents Monday on the proposed sale of 11 700 MHz licenses by Bluegrass to AT&T. The licenses, four in the B-block and seven in the C-block, cover parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, the FCC said. Bluegrass doesn't have any customers using the spectrum, the agency said. The FCC established a pleading cycle. Petitions to deny are due Oct. 26, oppositions Nov. 2 and replies Nov. 9. “The Applicants maintain that the proposed transaction would provide AT&T with additional spectrum that would enable it to increase its system capacity to enhance existing services, better accommodate its overall growth, and facilitate the provision of additional products and services in eight Cellular Market Areas,” the FCC said. As a result of the deal, AT&T would be assigned 12 to 24 MHz of spectrum in a total in 51 counties, the agency said. “Post-transaction, AT&T would hold 103 to 165 megahertz of spectrum in total, including 43 to 55 megahertz of below-1-GHz spectrum, in these eight CMAs.” Under FCC spectrum aggregation rules, the deal would be subject to increased scrutiny because of AT&T’s low-band holdings in seven of the CMAs. The FCC sent questions to both carriers. Bluegrass was asked in a letter whether it explored selling the spectrum to a carrier other than AT&T. AT&T was asked to provide detail information on its build-out plans, including how it will use the spectrum to offer a “10x10 megahertz LTE network, on a standalone basis and/or in conjunction with any other of the Company’s spectrum holdings.”

Oppositions to eight petitions for reconsideration on parts of the FCC’s rules for the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band are due at the FCC Oct. 19, said a notice published in the Federal Register Friday.

Sprint will employ cost-cutting measures to save $2.5 billion through the next six months, reported The Wall Street Journal. The report said the mobile carrier sent messages to certain employees about the coming cuts. Sprint didn't comment and didn't provide details of its money-saving efforts.

CTIA updated its Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment, responding to a request by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, it said Friday. At a June 11 meeting of the FCC Technological Advisory Council, Wheeler said he would ask CTIA to include in its voluntary industry code language that would require consumers to opt out of safeguards that come with their smartphones (see 1506110037). The revised document takes Wheeler’s request into account, CTIA said Friday. “New models of smartphones first manufactured after July 2016 for retail sale in the United States will, if technically necessary, make readily available to the authorized user an option that allows the authorized user to enable or disable the anti-theft solution at any time that the smartphone is connected and is in the authorized user’s possession,” the revised commitment said. The revised commitment “is the latest example of how America’s wireless industry takes on tough issues and works together to develop the best solutions for their customers that balances the needs of users while still providing the flexibility for companies to innovate,” CTIA President Meredith Baker said in a news release. “It’s clear that these initiatives are working since smartphone thefts have declined in cities across the country.” CTIA said it also developed a list of apps “to locate, erase and/or lock, many of which are free, for the various operating systems” and is offering “step-by-step video instructions on how to set up a PIN/password on various mobile devices.” “CTIA and its members understand that smart-device theft remains a serious problem," Wheeler said in a statement. "I am hopeful that this new voluntary commitment will make a meaningful difference for consumer safety." Apple, Assurant, Asurion, AT&T, BlackBerry, Google, HTC America, Huawei Device USA, LGE Mobile Research U.S.A., Microsoft, Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics America, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and ZTE USA signed off on the anti-theft commitment.

Sprint’s announcement that it won't participate in the TV incentive auction (see 1509280059) shows the Department of Justice was dead wrong in urging the FCC to devise rules for the auction that would guarantee Sprint and T-Mobile came away with spectrum, said Fred Campbell, executive director of the Center for Boundless Innovation in Technology, Thursday in a blog post on the RedState webpage. “Though it’s no surprise, it’s now obvious the country’s federal experts on competition and antitrust matters were wrong in their analysis of Sprint’s alleged need for low-frequency spectrum in order to compete,” he said. A Sprint spokesman responded in an email: “Sprint’s decision to not participate in the 600 MHz Incentive Auction provides no basis for critiquing the FCC’s public policy decisions in establishing the incentive auction structure, rules and procedures... Throughout these proceedings, Sprint consistently advocated for an auction structure with the best chance of promoting competition and thereby spurring wireless broadband innovation and benefiting consumers. The FCC’s auction decisions reflect a fair balancing of these goals along with other public policy considerations in a truly innovative and complex undertaking.”