The Commerce Department renewed the charter for the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, said Thursday's Federal Register. The committee provides advice “on the necessary elements of a comprehensive policy approach to supply chain competitiveness designed to support U.S. export growth and national economic competitiveness,” it said.
The Boulder Emergency Telephone Service Authority asked the FCC to reconsider part of rules commissioners approved 4-0 in November requiring carriers to provide height above ellipsoid data from wireless calls to 911, within 3 meters accuracy for 80 percent of calls, starting in the largest markets in April 2021 (see 1911220034). “It was arbitrary and capricious, and an abuse of discretion, for the Commission to have declined to adopt proof of performance testing at limited locations in the 50 markets in which carriers will be required to provide Z-axis location data, on the grounds that it would be impractical and burdensome,” BRETSA said, noting carriers have conceded more testing is necessary. “It is inappropriate for the Commission to reject a new proposal as inconsistent with a prior Commission decision, when the accuracy of the assumptions underlying the prior decision have been drawn into question by the very parties implementing that decision,” the authority said. The petition was posted Friday in docket 07-114.
While California’s lawsuit against T-Mobile/Sprint awaits decision, the California Public Utilities Commission “has a full record and sufficient evidence to move forward with a finding that this merger is not in the public interest and to deny merger approval or impose significant conditions,” The Utility Reform Network (TURN) Managing Director-San Diego Christine Mailloux emailed Thursday. The carriers seek a February CPUC decision, but some say CPUC will wait for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) and a verdict on his and other state AGs’ lawsuit at U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (see 1912230041 and 1912260020). TURN hopes “the CPUC and the AG can cooperate and work together, to the extent the law allows, to ensure a consistent policy and decision-making process to benefit and protect California wireless consumers,” Mailloux said. “However, these reviews have proven unpredictable and TURN is uncertain whether the offices are coordinating or would wait for one or the other to finish their processes.” The CPUC and California AG office didn’t comment.
Lifeline comments are due Jan. 27, replies Feb. 25 on the FCC’s Further NPRM in docket 17-287, says a notice in Friday's Federal Register. The FCC’s related fifth order in that docket takes effect Jan. 27, says another Friday notice. The 3-2 decision is on waste, fraud and abuse in the Lifeline USF program, with the rulemaking asking comment on prohibiting Lifeline providers from offering handsets to consumers at no cost (see 1911140064).
ICANN's withholding consent to the sale of Public Interest Registry would likely be "reasonable" absent concessions from the buyer, Ethos Capital, said Wayne State University law professor Jonathan Weinberg (see 1912230002).
The FAA plans to seek comment on proposed rules on remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems. “With nearly 1.5 million drones and 155,000 remote pilots registered with the FAA, the ability to provide identification and location is essential to keeping drones safely separated from other aircraft operating in our airspace,” the Transportation Department said Thursday. Comment dates will come in a Federal Register notice, now expected Tuesday. “While we are still reviewing the details of the proposed remote identification rule, we are pleased that the FAA is finally moving forward with rulemaking for remote ID standards after four delays,” said Brian Wynne, CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. “We have long called for the establishment and implementation of these standards.” Drones offer “enormous potential to improve productivity and enhance safety,” said Tim Day, U.S. Chamber Technology Engagement Center senior vice president: “Remote ID will help ensure the safety and security of the airspace and enable more innovative applications and uses of unmanned aircraft systems such as package delivery and long-range surveying.” The Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Coalition welcomed the notice and said it plans to submit detailed comments. The group “strongly supports efforts to promote remote ID implementation before the final rule is in place,” said a statement.
The FCC made various “non-substantive, editorial revisions to the Table of Frequency Allocations” consistent with the World Radicommunication Conference in 2015, it said in a Monday notice. The FCC also made “certain amendments to the Federal Table, for informational purposes only, based on the recommendations” of NTIA, said the order, in docket 19-289. “We add to the Federal Table a primary allocation for the Earth exploration-satellite service (EESS) (Earth-to-space) in the 7190-7250 MHz band and two international footnotes (5.460A, 5.460B) that limit the use of this EESS uplink allocation,” the notice said, among the table revisions. It also added “a primary allocation for the maritime mobile-satellite service (MMSS) (space-to-Earth) in the 7375-7750 MHz bands and two international footnotes (5.461AA, 5.461AB) that limit the use of this MMSS downlink allocation.” The order is by the offices of Managing Director and Engineering and Technology.
The C-Band Alliance says it would be the best choice as facilitator for a C-band transition, orchestrating and coordinating both orbital and terrestrial spectrum clearing, in a docket 18-122 ex parte posting Monday on a meeting involving CBA CEO Bill Tolpegin and SES and Intelsat executives with FCC officials including Office of Economics and Analytics Acting Chief Giulia McHenry and Wireless Chief Don Stockdale. In a separate ex parte letter, NPR recapped a meeting with agency officials over what a transition needs to accomplish. That includes adequate incentives for satellite operators to maintain service and capacity and full coverage of C-band satellite customers' and earth station operators' costs due to spectrum reallocation, including increased operating costs. It said the FCC also must allow "robust operations" in the remaining fixed satellite service part of the band.
CTIA and member companies laid down a marker on the proposed use of the 960-1164 MHz and 5030-5091 MHz bands by unmanned aerial systems, in a meeting with officials from the FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology. Initial comments are due Thursday on a November FCC notice in docket 19-356. “The Commission’s flexible-use licensing approach has enabled U.S. wireless operators to seamlessly transition from 2G to 3G to 4G and now to 5G services without the need for additional rulemaking processes,” CTIA said, in a letter posted Monday. “Use of commercial spectrum for UAS should not require any changes to this wildly successful approach of allowing industry to develop and protect each entity from interference.” Drones will need “access to commercial mobile spectrum and infrastructure for both communications and control functions,” CTIA said: “While the L-Band (960-1164 MHz) and C-Band (5030-5091 MHz) will have roles in providing safe and secure UAS operations, both are limited due to propagation characteristics and existing uses, and in any event technical and service rules for the bands would take years to develop.” Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Qualcomm representatives were among those at the meeting.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered cases 19-1233 and 19-1244 consolidated in Great Lakes Communication v. FCC and held in abeyance as requested by FCC (see 1912120005), filed Monday (in Pacer).