Vodafone and Amazon's Kuiper will join on mobile supplemental coverage from space in Europe and Africa, Vodafone said Tuesday. The Kuiper constellation will "bring the benefits of 4G/5G connectivity to areas that may otherwise be challenging and prohibitively expensive to serve via traditional fibre or microwave solutions," it said. Vodafone said, as part of the collaboration, Amazon "plans to partner with Vodafone to roll out Project Kuiper’s high-speed broadband services to unserved and underserved communities around the world." Vodafone said it and Kupier will start deploying services to Africa and Europe as Amazon's production satellite come online. It said it plans to participate in Amazon's beta testing of Kuper services in late 2024.

IoT device manufacturers "are heavily engaged" on the FCC's cybersecurity labeling proceeding, Commissioner Nathan Simington said Tuesday in an online Hacker News chat as he urged tech-savvy users to also file comments. "The FCC and White House are not likely to take a strong stand if they only hear the device manufacturer's side of the story," he said. He said he favors requiring device manufacturers to support their devices with security updates for "a reasonable" time period, but he was able to get commissioners behind exploring "something a little more moderate addressing this problem." He said by pushing for the labeling NPRM to include disclosure of how long a product will receive security updates, the label's commitments might be legally enforceable in contract and tort litigation. "A thorny implementation problem" will be defining security risks, he said. Commissioners approved the smart device labeling NPRM last month (see 2308100032).

The FCC Wireline Bureau is waiving some rules and deadlines for Lifeline, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), E-rate, the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program, and Rural Health Care Program for areas affected by Tropical Storm Idalia, said an order Friday. “Because of these compelling and unique circumstances, we find good cause to waive certain rules and deadlines to assist program participants, service providers, and USF contributors in the affected areas,” the order said. The waived rules include Lifeline non-usage, recertification and reverification requirements, ACP non-usage and de-enrollment rules, and the deadlines to file E-Rate appeals. The waivers “promote the maintenance and rebuilding of communities affected by the hurricane” and “facilitate continued access to telecommunications services for disaster victims,” the order said. The FCC announced Thursday it was scaling back the storm-affected areas being monitored through the disaster information reporting system: DIRS was deactivated for all of South Carolina and for all but 13 counties in Florida. Friday’s DIRS report shows 5.4% of cellsites down in the covered area and 4,752 cable and wireline subscribers without service. No broadcast stations were reported out of service.

Industry associations asked the FCC to delay by 30 days the Sept. 25 deadline for filing comments on an NPRM on a voluntary cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (see 2308100032). The groups said they will need at least 45 days to develop reply comments. The current deadline for replies is Oct. 10. The filing was signed by CTIA, the Consumer Technology Association, NCTA, the Security Industry Association, the Telecommunications Industry Association and USTelecom. They asked for deadlines of Oct. 24 for initial comments, Dec. 8 for replies. “The NPRM in this proceeding asks more than 120 questions on fundamental aspects of the proposed labeling scheme,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 23-239: “This proposal, by definition, raises new and novel issues of a type that the Commission has not examined before. Implementing the program will thus require the Commission to consider many complex and consequential questions.” They called the proceeding “incredibly complex.”

The FCC directed nonexempt fixed and mobile broadcast auxiliary services (BAS) and cable television relay services (CARS) licensees in the 12.7 GHz band to certify by Nov. 29 the accuracy of the information reflected on their licenses. The FCC is seeking the information as part of a Further NPRM on the band, approved by commissioners 4-0 in May (see 2305180052). The Wireless and Media bureaus also provide instructions on how to file the data in the Thursday notice. BAS licensees will use the commission’s universal licensing system, CARS will use the cable operations and licensing system.

The FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureaus extended some regulatory deadlines for licensees in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Idalia, said a public notice Wednesday. Wireless Radio Service application and construction deadlines that fell between Aug. 28 and Sept. 28 are now extended to Sept. 29, the PN said. Filing requirements for grants of special temporary authority are also waived in the region, and licensees can request them by phone, the PN said. An FCC disaster information reporting system release Thursday shows 57,715 subscribers without service in counties in South Carolina and Florida affected by Hurricane Idalia. The report shows 2.2% of cellsites in Florida are down and .9% in South Carolina. Three Florida public safety answering points were rerouted, and two FM stations and one AM were reported as out of service.

Saying it's "preserv[ing] consumer access to clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information" about broadband costs, the FCC partially rejected and partially granted petitions on aspects of its 2022 broadband labeling order (see 2211180077). In its reconsideration order Tuesday, the FCC said it's affirming its decision that providers itemize monthly discretionary fees on the label and say how much data is provided in the plan being offered. An industry coalition asked that providers be allowed to say on labels that additional fees may apply and the fees may vary depending on location (see 2303230068). The commission said it's clarifying that E-rate and Rural Health Care service providers don't need to include a broadband label for enterprise and special access services provided through those programs. It granted a CTIA request to clarify that wireless providers can state “taxes included” or use similar language when the provider has chosen to include taxes as part of its base price. And the agency, granting a request by a coalition led by ACA Connects, said it's revising its requirement to document all instances when a provider directs a consumer to a label at an alternative sales channel and to retain such documentation for two years. It said any burdens on ISPs to itemize fees above the monthly price on the label "are far outweighed" by the consumer benefit and ISPs could roll those discretionary fees into the base monthly price, ending any need for itemization on the label. It said CTIA's request that wireless providers be able to use multiple lines of data allowance descriptions on the label would lead to visual clutter undermining the label's intended simplicity.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau activated the disaster information reporting system for 44 counties in Florida affected by Hurricane Idalia, said a public notice Tuesday. Reports are due starting Wednesday, the PN said. The agency also contacted broadcasters in the path of the storm to remind them of FCC public service announcements on communication tips for emergencies, an agency spokesperson told us. “As always, our Operations Center is running 24/7. As the path of Idalia becomes clearer, we will plan our operational activities accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

FY 2023 regulatory fees are due Sept. 20 and must be paid through the FCC’s commission registration system (CORES), said FCC public notices on CORES and reg fee payment procedures in Monday’s Daily Digest. “While FY 2023 regulatory fees will not become effective until the rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, regulatees, at their own discretion, may submit payments at any time before the FY 2023 regulatory fees due date,” said the PNs. The agency will also release a series of fact sheets outlining the fee responsibilities of each bureau. The Media Bureau fact sheet "What You Owe -- Media Service Licensees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023" was also in Monday’s Daily Digest.

The full FCC is temporarily waiving some Lifeline program eligibility rules to make consumers receiving federal disaster assistance eligible to enroll in the program, said an order Friday. “Because of the exigent circumstances arising from the Hawai’i Wildfires, we find that there is good cause for further action to ensure that consumers in the affected areas receive critical assistance for their communications needs,” the order said. The waiver will permit households to enter the Lifeline program if they're receiving individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program due to the Hawai’i wildfires, regardless of whether they matched most of the usual requirements for Lifeline. Only households in Maui County would be eligible, but if FEMA expands its assistance the FCC waiver would also cover the additional households, the order said. The order waives the rules for six months but delegates authority to the Wireline Bureau to expand the time frame if needed. A disaster information reporting service release Friday showed 14,147 cable and wireline subscribers without service in the areas affected by the fires, but all 21 cellsites in the region were listed as up and running.