Broadcasters are generally comfortable with the C-Band Alliance’s plan for the band, and proposals to clear more than 200 MHz won’t work, Bob Weller, NAB vice president-spectrum policy, blogged Monday. “Clearing 200 MHz of C-band spectrum is possible only because the necessary equipment changes are limited to filters, receiver tuning and dish positioning (with few exceptions),” Weller said. “Calculating the costs and timing for those changes is straightforward because at that level, every satellite network is identical: only an antenna and a receiver are involved.” But clearing more than 200 MHz would be “based on supposition and guesswork because the necessary changes move back from the receiver into the guts of the distribution and network systems, and there the various systems become divergent,” he said: “Some suggest that more spectrum can be reallocated if higher-efficiency compression is used. That may be true, but it certainly won’t be fast. When you start changing compression systems, a lot of testing is needed because some systems are more sensitive to the artifacts of compression than others. That testing would be needed on nearly every single network because their characteristics and requirements are not the same.” Broadcast demands also aren’t static, he said. U.S. broadcasters are preparing to upgrade from HD video to 4K “and possibly higher” resolution, he said: “These consumer-driven improvements come at a cost: increased bandwidth. While higher-efficiency compression schemes can partially offset the requirements for increased bandwidth, clearing 200 MHz initially helps future-proof that predictable, but as-yet unknown, need.”

The FCC’s final order implementing new rules to ensure callers to 911 using multiline telephone systems (MLTS) can dial out directly without using a prefix, such as "9," largely tracks a draft proposal, based on a side-by-side comparison. Commissioners approved the rules last week over partial dissents by Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks (see 1908010011). The rules also apply dispatchable location requirements to MLTS, fixed telephone service, VoIP, telecommunications relay services and mobile texting. The order released Friday includes comments by Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, who had reservations about the FCC’s approach. Submissions in the record discussed “the possible unintended consequences of requiring the delivery of outbound-only interconnected VoIP calls to 911,” O’Rielly said. “When such calls have connected to emergency call centers, the calls have been of very short duration, indicating possible misdials or nefarious activity.” The concern was that the FCC could create a problem similar to that with non-service initialized (NSI) phones, unconnected mobile phones that “public safety has recognized are used in a high percentage of fraudulent 911 calls,” he said: “Instead of dismissing these concerns, the Commission should have considered this further, because, as we have learned with NSI phones, once you implement these rules, it is hard to undue them without concerns being raised about the one legitimate call that was could be missed and the legal liability that can result if it is not connected to a call center.” O’Rielly also complained the cost-benefit analysis “primarily discusses what we stated in the Notice, which is mostly based on comparing the potential cost against the benefit of a hypothetical number of lives being saved based on the flawed 'Value of a Statistical Life' metric. Now that the Office of Economic and Analysis is up and running, we must do better.”

Comedian John Oliver criticized CenturyLink, GTL, Inmate Calling Solutions and Securus Sunday for charging high rates for inmate calling services. The complaint came as part of a larger condemnation on HBO’s Last Week Tonight of the economics of the current U.S. prison apparatus and its effect on inmates’ families. “One in three families reported going into debt to pay for phone calls or visitation, which is terrible,” Oliver said, referencing a 2015 report led by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. "And that doesn't really set up a prisoner for success once they are released.” Oliver also criticized jails and prisons for often taking “a cut of the proceeds” from ICS providers. Former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn praised Oliver for “highlighting #InmateCalling injustice.” Crime “indeed does pay ... for everyone except the #incarcerated (and families),” Clyburn tweeted Monday. “Those who fight #PhoneJustice help only a few $$$. The rest of us suffer.” MediaJustice highlighted the segment in an email to supporters. The email also touted the June introduction of the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act (S-1764), which would affirm the FCC's ability to use its procedures and authority to address inmate calling rates (see 1906120076).

NTCA and the Rural Wireless Association asked the FCC to seek comment on the DOJ-supported buy of Sprint by T-Mobile and the sale of assets to Dish Network. “The proposed merger is now a completely different arrangement than what is currently before the Commission,” said a request, posted Monday in docket 18-197. The agreement with DOJ “relies on the highly questionable assumption that the harm to competition recognized by DOJ that would result from the loss of Sprint from the nationwide mobile wireless marketplace would be offset by the competitive impact of the Dish acquisition of assets that would supposedly result in Dish becoming a fourth facilities-based nationwide mobile wireless competitor with sufficient strength to prevent the substantial competitive harms that would result from the exit of Sprint,” it said. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks earlier tweeted that the FCC should seek comment on the new arrangement (see 1907260071).

Verizon owns a spectrum portfolio “for the 5G-era” and is “on track” to launch 5G in 30 markets this year, CEO Hans Vestberg said Thursday during a call with analysts as the company released Q2 results. Fiber is critical to 5G and Verizon’s fiber deployment extends to more than 60 cities, he said: “It's so essential for the whole 5G play that we have to have this fiber.” Throughput speeds in 5G areas are as fast as 2 Gbps, compared with 600 Mbps with LTE, he said. Verizon estimated it will spend $17 billion-$18 billion this year on its network. Net income for the quarter was $4 billion, compared with $4.2 billion a year ago. Revenue was $32 billion vs. $32.2 billion last year. The company had a net increase of 1.2 million retail postpaid connections -- 431,000 phone and 647,000 smartphones. “Subscriber results were better than expected; financial results a little worse,” said New Street’s Jonathan Chaplin: “No change to guidance. I wouldn’t expect material changes to expectations based on these results.” Technology Business Research analyst Steve Vachon told investors that unknowns remain on Verizon’s spectrum plans. “Verizon plans on eventually deploying 5G on multiple spectrum licenses to provide nationwide coverage but a concrete timeline has yet to be disclosed beyond the company’s initial goal to offer mobile 5G services to 30 cities by the end of 2019 via millimeter wave spectrum,” he said: “Though initial 5G deployments will enable Verizon to build a presence in large metro areas, Verizon will likely trail AT&T and T-Mobile is serving smaller markets as the companies expect to provide nationwide 5G coverage in 2020 by leveraging both millimeter wave and low-band spectrum.”

The proposal on incorporating crowdsourced information into the new broadband mapping process on the agency's Thursday agenda (see 1907110071) raises some tricky issues, such as how much weight to give online speed tests, given the deficiencies of many of them, NCTA blogged Wednesday. There also must be care not to conflate deployment data that's at issue with the draft order with subscription and performance data, it said. There could be value to an accurate database of every serviceable home and business, but there are questions about how workable and expensive the broadband serviceable location fabric would be, NCTA said. It said expanding the scope of the data the FCC collects would delay production of improved broadband deployment data, which could slow deployment to unserved areas.

“The primary purpose" of the proposed final judgment on T-Mobile/Sprint "is to facilitate DISH building and operating its own mobile wireless services network by combining the Divestiture Package of assets and other relief with DISH’s existing mobile wireless assets, including substantial and currently unused spectrum holdings, to enable it to compete in the marketplace,” DOJ said in a competitive impact statement it filed as it seeks final judgment by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, approving its settlement (see 1907260071). The DOJ pleading posted Wednesday said: “The proposed Final Judgment thus obligates DISH to build out its own mobile wireless services network and offer retail mobile wireless service to American consumers.” DOJ said without remediation the combination of the two carriers would be harmful to competition in the U.S. wireless market: “The combination of T-Mobile and Sprint would eliminate head-to-head competition between the companies and threaten the benefits that customers have realized from that competition in the form of lower prices and better service. The merger would also leave the market vulnerable to increased coordination among the remaining three carriers.”

The Competitive Carriers Association, America's Communications Association and Charter Communications had a series of meetings at the FCC on their C-band proposal (see 1907020061). The plan “makes available more critical 5G spectrum faster than other current proposals” and “protects and future-proofs the delivery of pay television programming by transitioning it to fiber delivery,” they said. The plan also would return money to the U.S. Treasury, said a filing Monday in docket 18-122. The allies said they met with officials from the Wireless and International bureaus, the Office of Economics and Analytics and the Office of Engineering and Technology.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau sought comment Tuesday on a recent NTIA petition asking for an update of telecom service priority rules (see 1907170042). TSP authorizes national security and emergency preparedness organizations to receive priority treatment for vital voice and data circuits. Comments are due Aug. 30, replies Sept. 16, in docket 96-86.

About three-quarters of U.S. adults worry that their financial and personal data will be hacked (74 percent), don’t want online data being used to make content and advertising more relevant (75 percent), or for commercial purposes (76 percent), according to Internet Innovation Alliance survey released Thursday. Additionally, 72 percent favor a single, nationwide online data privacy law, it said. The survey also found the views of millennials “remarkably aligned with older adults on data privacy issues,” said Rick Boucher, IIA honorary chairman. CivicScience did the survey of more than 8,000 consumers in April.