T-Mobile's buying Sprint faced numerous oppositions last month (see 1808280038) but this week got considerable love. Replies were due Monday to oppositions and many were posted Tuesday (see 1809170025). Many of the filings in FCC docket 18-197 questioned whether Sprint would survive without T-Mobile. T-Mobile and Sprint said they would be stronger together. Both have “standalone plans to deploy 5G networks, [but] the New T-Mobile network will be far superior and will create expanded capacity and lower costs so that American consumers will pay less and get more,” the carriers said. “Notably,” none of the oppositions disputes this point, they said. “Opponents insist either that the merger is unnecessary to build such a nationwide 5G network or that the standalone companies have alternatives to merging. They further hypothesize that the transaction will result in harmful effects on specific segments of the wireless market, rural areas, and company employment.” A recurring criticism is the deal would reduce service or raise process for prepaid plans “attractive to cost-conscious and low-income customers,” the deal partners said. “These concerns, like those raised on T-Mobile acquired MetroPCS, are unfounded. Following this merger, all MetroPCS, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile USA customers with compatible handsets will benefit from the increased capacity and improved service quality that the New T-Mobile nationwide network will provide.” The transaction "comes at a precarious time for Sprint, which has been struggling for years as the nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier,” the Competitive Enterprise Institute commented. “As the most highly leveraged S&P 500 company, with $32 billion of net debt, Sprint faces an uncertain future as a nationwide wireless carrier capable of competing with larger rivals.” The combined company “will be in a far better position to deploy wireless services to all Americans than would either company alone,” TechFreedom said. The group said many opponents “understate” how competitive the U.S. wireless market is. “In perhaps no other industry are the economies of scale larger than in broadband, and wireless broadband in particular,” TechFreedom said. The National Emergency Number Association said it rarely files on transactions but sees the deal as potentially benefiting emergency calling. T-Mobile is a leader in efforts to improve 911 calling, doing most work in-house, NENA said. “Such work, if carried over to the combined companies, will benefit T-Mobile customers when dialing 9-1-1 from their mobile devices."

Hurricane Florence continues to affect communications primarily in North Carolina, but also in South Carolina said Tuesday’s FCC disaster information reporting system report. There were 285,725 cable and wireline subscribers out of service in North Carolina, an increase of nearly 100,000 from Monday (see 1809170046). South Carolina’s outages increased by close to 25,000 to 30,053. Out-of service cellsites in the area hit by the storm improved from 6 percent to 4.1 percent. Two public safety answering points in North Carolina and one in South Carolina are having their 911 calls rerouted to other PSAPs. The report lists three TV stations out of service, all in North Carolina. Twenty-two FM stations and four AM stations are listed as out, also mainly in North Carolina. The Wireless Bureau granted a 30-day waiver request to allow amateur radio operators assisting with the recovery efforts around Hurricane Florence (HF) to send higher speed data transmission, said an order in Tuesday's Daily Digest. “The request is made by ARRL [the American Radio Relay League] to enable licensed radio amateurs who are directly involved with HF hurricane relief communications to better serve the affected areas.”

Hurricane Florence is affecting communications primarily in North Carolina, but South Carolina also is feeling the effects, said Monday’s FCC disaster information reporting system report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday that South Carolina is eligible for federal disaster funds. The FCC report shows 187, 885 cable and wireline subscribers out of service in North Carolina, up from 164,892 in Sunday’s report. South Carolina outages are down to 5,073, compared with 5,883 from Sunday. Six percent of cellsites in the storm-affected area are out of service, but the affected sites are concentrated in North Carolina, the report said. Onslow County, on North Carolina’s coast, has more than 50 percent of cellsites down, the report said. Three public safety answering points in North Carolina are having their 911 calls rerouted to other PSAPs, the report said. The report lists five TV stations out of service, all in North Carolina. Twenty-five FM stations and three AM stations are listed as out, also concentrated in North Carolina. Three radio groups are working together to provide emergency information in Spanish in South Carolina communities affected by the storm, said the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and the League of United Latin American Citizens. Cumulus Media, Spanish Broadcasting System and Dick Broadcasting responded to a request from MMTC and LULAC for emergency broadcasts targeted at Spanish speakers affected by the storm. SBS is providing the Spanish-language emergency information for Cumulus and Dick to broadcast, the release said. “The 22,000 Hispanic residents of the Myrtle Beach radio market and 21,000 Hispanic residents of the Hilton Head radio market are receiving life-saving information.” Frontier Communications has resumed full operations in its service areas with repair and customer contact employees returning to work in South Carolina, and didn’t cease providing repair and installation service to North Carolina, said release Monday. Charter Communications brought in additional supplies before the storm and opened more than 5,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in affected areas, it blogged Saturday. : We have approximately 14,000 employees and three million subscribers in the parts of North and South Carolina that are in the path of Hurricane Florence." Florence postponed Thursday's emergency alerting test (see 1809170035).

The House Communications Subcommittee postponed its planned Friday hearing on the 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-6424) and two other public safety-related bills after House Republican leadership moved to cancel planned Friday floor votes ahead of expected landfall of Hurricane Florence (see 1809130042). The subcommittee didn't provide details Thursday on a makeup date for the hearing (see 1809070050), which also would have examined the National Non-Emergency Mobile Number Act (HR-5700) and Anti-Swatting Act (HR-6003). HR-5700 would direct the FCC to create a unified wireless number for critical nonemergency situations on U.S. highways (see 1805090033). HR-6003 would increase criminal penalties against individuals who intentionally transmit false or misleading caller ID information to public safety answering points with the aim of triggering emergency response. HR-6424 would bar states from engaging in 911 fee diversion and give the FCC the power to decide on “acceptable” uses for the money (see 1808170023). Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Department of Public Safety Communications Division Head James Curry's written testimony indicated he would have testified in support of HR-6424. Montgomery County, Maryland, Public Information Office Director Paul Starks had been expected to testify in support of HR-6003.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau Monday sought comment on an August report by CTIA and the national wireless carriers on vertical accuracy (z-axis) for wireless calls to 911. The report by Location Technologies Test Bed, the test bed administrator, “describes the testing process used to assess vertical location solutions … and provides the results of the testing,” the bureau said. The report notes that two vendors, NextNav and Polaris, took part in tests. The technologies they offer “rely on barometric pressure sensor information from mobile wireless handsets to determine an estimated altitude of an indoor wireless 9-1-1 call,” the bureau said. Comments are due Oct. 1 in docket 07-114, replies Oct. 11.

The House Communications Subcommittee plans a Friday hearing on the National Non-Emergency Mobile Number Act (HR-5700), Anti-Swatting Act (HR-6003) and 911 Fee Integrity Act (HR-6424). The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn, the Commerce Committee said. HR-5700 would direct the FCC to create a unified wireless number for critical nonemergency situations on U.S. highways (see 1805090033). HR-6003, previously considered in 2016 (see 1604280044), would increase criminal penalties against individuals who intentionally transmit false or misleading caller ID information to public safety answering points with the aim of triggering emergency response. HR-6424 would bar states from engaging in 911 fee diversion and give the FCC the power to decide on “acceptable” uses for the money (see 1808170023).

Government should directly fund "infrastructure needs," not last-mile carriers, to promote rural broadband and close the digital divide, said Public Knowledge Thursday. It cited a new Broadband Connects America coalition of 18 groups that also include the Benton Foundation, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, National Hispanic Media Coalition and X Lab. "Rather than repeat the design" of the FCC high-cost USF program, "new funding should take advantage of the ability to divide the supply chain into different components such as towers, fiber, conduit, as well as services such as 911 and packet routing," said the coalition's principles. "Directing funding to shared infrastructure instead of particular carriers would allow federal and state governments to target dollars where needed to ensure efficient deployment of infrastructure that could serve multiple carriers -- rather than limiting funding to one carrier per community." It said the shift in focus "would reduce the cost of providing service to rural areas" for carriers and "is not meant to include funds that are directed towards specific users such as Lifeline, E-rate, or the Rural Health program." Other principles include "a combination of approaches that reflects the complexity" of rural broadband challenges and "restoring net neutrality."

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council sees the 4.9 GHz band as under growing pressure for wireless broadband reallocation but will continue to stress the importance of the band for public safety, Don Root, chair of the group’s Spectrum Management Committee, said Thursday at a meeting. Michael Wilhelm, chief of the Public Safety Bureau Policy and Licensing Division, told NPSTC the FCC is weighing comments in its related proceeding.

Local government officials warned concerns continue over wireless 911 location accuracy, at an NG911 Institute lunch Wednesday. Meanwhile, CTIA said the four nationwide wireless providers -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon -- are adding new location-based tools to existing wireless 911 location technologies starting this year.

Local franchising authorities shouldn't use video franchising power to regulate incumbent operators' non-cable services offered over their cable systems, under a tentative conclusion in a draft Further NPRM on the Sept. 26 commissioners' meeting tentative agenda. The agency Wednesday released other draft meeting items that would propose to improve 911 calling in buildings and complexes, establish a framework for auctioning toll-free numbers, set rules governing earth stations in motion (ESIM) and eliminate the cable data collection Form 325 reporting requirement (see 1809040058). A draft wireless infrastructure was posted (see 1809050029).