With FCC commissioners set to vote Oct. 19, the Department of Transportation questioned whether the -27 dBm/MHz out-of-band emission limit allowed by the FCC for very-low power portable devices and mobile access points in the 6 GHz band will be harmful to cellular vehicle-to-everything operations in the adjacent 5.9 GHz band. The FCC’s draft order addresses the C-V2X concerns raised by DOT.
CTA urged the FCC to base its proposed voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices on existing National Institute of Standards and Technology guidance, in comments posted Tuesday (see 2308100032). Other commenters urged the FCC to proceed with caution and involve industry in developing the program. Products would be labeled with the "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" logo, for which the FCC is seeking registration from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Comments were due at the FCC Friday on an August NPRM (see 2307180054).
Starlink is scaling quickly but doesn’t yet dominate the satellite marketplace, though it's putting increasing competitive pressure on geostationary orbit (GSO) operators, Northern Sky Research analyst Jose Del Rosario said Monday in an NSR webinar on SpaceX. Amazon's Kuiper in a couple of years could be even a bigger GSO threat than Starlink, he said.
China’s focus on 5G is tied to that nation's desire to “reclaim” what it believes is its “rightful place at the center of the world,” said James Lewis, Center for Strategic and International Studies senior vice president, at the Hudson Institute Tuesday. Lewis also warned the U.S. may not be keeping up with China headed into the World Radiocommunication Conference, which begins Nov. 20. Lewis was interviewed by Harold Furchtgott-Roth, Hudson senior fellow and former FCC commissioner.
Broadcasters and ATSC 3.0 advocates say they're sticking with the standard despite a series of recent blows, including consumer electronics manufacturer LG ceasing to make 3.0 TVs, the emergence of a competing technology endorsed by international standards bodies, and a grassroots campaign urging the FCC to block broadcasters from encrypting their signals. In an email to members last week, the Advanced Television Systems Committee said the standard was facing “growing pains.” The nation’s largest broadcaster, Nexstar, emailed us Friday that it's “committed to transitioning to ATSC 3.0.” Broadcasters “are already too far down the road” to turn back now, said Joshua Weiss, CEO of broadcaster and 3.0 datacasting company Ark Multicast.
The FCC reopened the possibility of making changes to its spectrum screen, focused on mid-band frequencies, seeking comment on a 2021 petition by AT&T asking for a rulemaking (see 2309220064). Industry experts said that doesn’t mean action is necessarily forthcoming, though some believe it could be. Comments are due on the public notice Oct. 23, replies Nov. 8, in docket 23-319.
NTIA sided with consumer groups and urged the FCC to adopt a broad definition of digital discrimination to include disparate treatment and disparate impact. In a filing posted Friday in docket 22-69, the agency said the commission should also consider actions complying with its broadband, equity, access and deployment program to be "considered presumptively lawful under the digital discrimination rules."
The FCC appears likely to get a significant number of comments in response to an August NPRM on a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (see 2308100032), based on what has been filed. Comments are due today after the FCC delayed the initial deadline of Sept. 25. More than 140 comments have already been filed responding to the NPRM in docket 23-239. One early area of concern is medical devices already regulated by other government agencies.
Extended 911 hold times and insufficient staffing continue to plague the District of Columbia’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC), said D.C. Council members at a virtual hearing Thursday. The Judiciary and Public Safety Committee sharply questioned OUC Director Heather McGaffin on recent problems and the agency’s compliance with recent emergency legislation meant to enhance accountability and transparency. The committee also considered a bill to expand upon and make permanent the emergency measure.
New FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez’s acting chief of staff Deena Shetler spoke at a National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters panel with other 10th-floor aides Thursday, one of the first public appearances for Gomez’s new team. The panel, which included Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s Media Adviser David Strickland, also discussed media ownership, virtual MVPDs and advertising diversity. “We’re drinking from a firehose right now,” said Shetler, who has had the job just over a week.