Changing FCC rules for land mobile sharing of the T band would worsen existing interference problems between TV stations and T-band operators, so the agency should make clear that broadcasters won't bear sole responsibility for mitigating the inevitable interference, NAB representatives told Media, Wireless and Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau staffers in a filing Monday (RM-11915). The Land Mobile Communications Council petitioned the FCC to modify its Part 90 rules on sharing of TV channels 14-20 with the band (see 2202100041).

COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and the war in Ukraine demonstrate “that the world needs more resilient and more geographically balanced semiconductor manufacturing,” said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger on an earnings call Thursday for fiscal Q1 ended April 2. The chip shortage cost the U.S. economy $240 billion last year, “and we expect the industry will continue to see challenges until at least 2024 in areas like foundry capacity and tool availability,” he said.

The newly reconstituted NTIA Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting May 26, industry officials said. Members haven’t been told what issues will be addressed this time around. NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson is to speak at what's expected to be a largely organizational meeting, scheduled for 1-3 p.m. EDT. NTIA rechartered the committee with a new roster of members released in February (see 2202140045). CSMAC has been in existence since the George W. Bush administration and grew out of a 2004 presidential memorandum on Spectrum Management for the 21st Century. But in recent years, it has been hampered by a lack of political leadership at NTIA (see 2201190062). The committee had its last meeting a year ago (see 2104080060). NTIA didn't comment Thursday.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks’ Chief of Staff William Davenport will leave the FCC at the end of April, said a news release Wednesday. Starks’ media adviser, Austin Bonner, will be acting chief of staff. “For over three years, Bill has led my office’s efforts to improve the equity, security, and sustainability of our nation’s communications sector,” said Starks in the release. “He will be deeply missed.” Davenport didn’t comment on his future plans. Wireless Bureau Associate Division Chief Georgios Leris will be Starks’ acting wireless adviser through the May open meeting, when Harris Wiltshire partner Shiva Goel will become the permanent aide, the release said.

The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council will meet June 9, starting at 10 a.m., the FCC said Tuesday. Meetings remain virtual. This is the second meeting since the group was reconstituted with a focus on preparing for 6G (see 2202280059).

Global revenue in the semiconductor devices market will likely reach $620 billion by the end of 2022, up 11.5% from 2021, reported Frost & Sullivan Monday. Several drivers will accelerate growth in “all verticals,” including the increased deployment of 5G, rising adoption of 5G smartphones, increasing electronics content in automotive, migration to electric vehicles and the proliferation of IoT devices in smart homes, it said. Growth will be “especially strong” in the automotive sector, said analyst Prabhu Karunakaran.

NTIA is seeking comment through May 23 on the mobile app ecosystem as part of President Joe Biden’s July executive order on competition (see 2107090063). Biden “recognized America’s tech sector as an engine of innovation and growth, but he warned that dominant Internet platforms can ‘use their power to exclude market entrants, to extract monopoly profits, and to gather intimate personal information that they can exploit for their own advantage,’” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson blogged Monday. The order directed the Commerce Department to “conduct a study of the mobile app ecosystem, and to use an open and transparent process to hear from the many stakeholders in the app economy, including consumers, app developers, businesses, and nonprofits,” he said: “NTIA is seeking public comment on the state of competition in the mobile app ecosystem, the factors affecting app development and distribution, and active ways to increase competition, through government or private sector action. We are interested in understanding what shapes the competitive marketplace of the apps we have on mobile phones and tablets, and how the dynamics are different from the market for apps for home computers or game consoles.” Comments should be filed through the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.

Apple doesn’t carry the Voice of America app in its China App Store because the Cyberspace Administration of China told the company that VOA lacks a license to operate in China and thus the app doesn't comply with local laws, said an Apple spokesperson in response to a letter from FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to Apple CEO Tim Cook released Thursday (see 2204210053). “We are required to comply with local laws where we do business, even though we may sometimes disagree,” Apple said. “The app remains available for download in other countries.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr condemned Apple for removing the Voice of America mobile app from the China version of the company’s App store. “I find Apple’s conduct in this regard deeply troubling,” Carr said in a letter to CEO Tim Cook Wednesday. “Voice of America operates by statute as an objective, independent voice when it comes to its reporting and content.” The VOA app provides access to news and includes “built-in support for circumvention technologies” to protect user privacy under authoritarian regimes, Carr said. He referenced a speech last week in which Cook said Apple is committed to promoting privacy and human rights. “It is past time to stand up for those values -- not just in words in Washington but through deeds in Beijing,” Carr wrote. “Will Apple allow access to the Voice of America mobile app through its App Store in China, consistent with the fundamental human rights that you articulated in your speech?” In the letter, Carr gave Apple until April 29 to answer. Apple didn’t comment by our deadline Thursday.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied rehearing by the full court of its decision upholding California’s net neutrality law. No judge requested a vote on whether to rehear the case en banc, said the Wednesday order. The state defendant didn't comment. Plaintiffs NCTA and CTIA declined to comment, and USTelecom didn’t comment by our deadline. ACA Connects directed us to the other associations. Vermont’s net neutrality law became enforceable after the U.S. District Court in Burlington continued a stay on the litigation Tuesday (see 2204190072).