Widespread use of advanced automatic collision notification (AACN) systems could prevent 2,129 deaths each year, a 13.2% reduction in U.S. roadway fatalities, said a white paper released Tuesday by Intrado and SBD Automotive. In an SBD survey, 70% of respondents said AACN availability “would influence their next vehicle purchase,” and 94% supported sharing vehicle and occupant data with 911 during emergencies. Also, 84% of respondents were aware of post-crash safety features, “but only a minority have access to AACN today,” the paper said.
AT&T said Tuesday that it’s working with iM Media Labs to improve the in-vehicle entertainment experience for subscribers. AT&T is integrating its 5G connectivity with iM Media Labs' media platform, “creating a refined approach to connected car technology,” the carrier said. The platform supports “customized configurations for automotive manufacturers and a more personalized touch to their customers.”
The FTC said Tuesday that it has set up a refund claims process for consumers charged for a subscription to the anonymous messaging app NGL without their authorization. NGL and its co-founders are barred from marketing anonymous messaging apps to kids younger than 18 and required to pay $4.5 million to provide refunds to affected users, the commission said. The payments are for users who paid for NGL Pro between January 2022 and July 2024 and experienced unauthorized charges.
LinkUp Communications CEO Karen Johnson raised concerns Monday about radio issues in response to a November NPRM on rules for an upper C-band auction (see 2512040039). As a company focused on the distribution of audio content in the U.S., “we are deeply concerned with the future of radio broadcasting,” she said in a filing in docket 25-59. “We believe steps towards finding a replacement to the C-band Spectrum must be taken immediately … to mitigate possible irreversible damage to the already struggling broadcast radio industry.”
Georgia wireless ISP SmartWave Technologies urged the FCC last week to protect operations in the citizens broadband radio service band in response to a request by Brownsville, Texas, for an FCC waiver to operate a city network that uses the band at higher power levels than allowed by agency rules (see 2511250015). In a filing in docket 17-258, SmartWave noted that it doesn’t hold priority access licenses and depends on the use of general authorized access spectrum. “The predictable access to GAA channels, combined with the established CBRS technical rules, enables us to deliver consistent service that would be difficult, and in some areas impossible, to replicate with other spectrum options at reasonable cost.”
Dish Wireless' 2021 service colocation agreement (SCA) with American Tower doesn't require Dish to keep making payments for tower space that's no longer usable due to "the FCC’s unprecedented and unforeseeable regulatory actions," EchoStar subsidiary Dish said last week. In an answer to American Tower's complaint (docket 1:25-cv-03311), Dish told the U.S. District Court for Colorado that the FCC's actions "were unrelated" to any of EchoStar's FCC obligations and forced "the involuntary sale and loss of the necessary spectrum licenses essential to Defendant’s wireless network operations." American Tower is suing Dish, which said it would no longer make payments under the terms of the companies' tower lease agreement (see 2510280038). Crown Castle is similarly suing Dish (see 2511260013).
The global market for mobile health technologies is expected to grow from $91.4 billion in 2025 to $201.1 billion by the end of 2030, an annual growth rate of 17.1%, ResearchAndMarkets.com said Wednesday. The market "is witnessing strong growth aided by advances such as AI-enabled diagnostics, wearable devices, and cloud-based health platforms," which are "transforming patient engagement and care delivery," the report said. Government initiatives and digital health policies “across regions, including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, further accelerate market adoption.”
New Environmental Health Trust President Joe Sandri said in a year-end message to members Wednesday that the group “remains deeply committed to reducing controllable, environmental health hazards.” RF safety advocates have inundated the FCC in recent days with filings about perceived dangers of RF exposure (see 2512240027).
The Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council (AFTRCC) joined the wireless industry in raising concerns about an FCC proposal to allow prison officials to jam cellphone signals to curb the use of contraband phones (see 2512300043). AFTRCC members rely on shared 1435-1525 and 2360-2395 MHz band spectrum to relay aeronautical mobile telemetry (AMT) data from test aircraft to ground stations “in real-time,” which could face disruptions from jamming, the council said in a filing this week in docket 13-111. “Without interference-free access to adequate spectrum for AMT, flight tests involving high risk to pilots, crews, and persons on the ground might not be possible, and the adverse consequences for both military aviation and commercial passenger and transport aviation, not to mention private aviation and the use of uncrewed aircraft systems, would be substantial.”
Gogo Business Aviation updated the FCC on Tuesday about delays it faces in removing unsecure gear from its network under the commission’s Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. The company, whose network was built using gear from China’s ZTE, redacted parts of its filing in docket 18-89.