Global sales of semiconductors reached $83.1 billion in Q1, a 6 percent increase from the same 2014 quarter, the Semiconductor Industry Association said in a Monday report. “Despite macroeconomic challenges, first quarter global semiconductor sales are higher than they were last year, which was a record year for semiconductor revenue,” said SIA President John Neuffer. In March, the Americas region "posted its sixth straight month of double-digit, year-to-year growth to lead all regional markets, and DRAM and analog products continue to be key drivers of global sales growth.”

High regulatory fees for satellite network operators are disconnected from the actual costs for the FCC to regulate them, the Satellite Industry Association said in meetings Thursday and Monday with aides to all commission members, according to an ex parte filing. The agency “must conduct a function-based analysis of full-time equivalents (FTEs) throughout the Commission in order to ensure that current direct and indirect costs are fairly allocated,” SIA said. The FCC “can do more to determine which licensees are directly benefited by many of the FTEs currently categorized as ‘indirect,’" SIA said. “Such a recalculation will ensure that fees are assessed more accurately and fairly.”

Newly introduced Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation is aimed at improving U.S. digital trade provisions and leading the way for trade pacts with countries in Asia and Europe, industry groups said. Introduced Thursday, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 would also strengthen Congress' ability to slow trade agreement implementation bills, lawmakers said. Aside from procedural and transparency modifications, the bill largely mirrors the TPA legislation introduced in the last Congress.

Newly introduced Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation is aimed at improving U.S. digital trade provisions and leading the way for trade pacts with countries in Asia and Europe, industry groups said. Introduced Thursday, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 would also strengthen Congress' ability to slow trade agreement implementation bills, lawmakers said. Aside from procedural and transparency modifications, the bill largely mirrors the TPA legislation introduced in the last Congress.

Newly introduced Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation is aimed at improving U.S. digital trade provisions and leading the way for trade pacts with countries in Asia and Europe, industry groups said. Introduced Thursday, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 would also strengthen Congress' ability to slow trade agreement implementation bills, lawmakers said. Aside from procedural and transparency modifications, the bill largely mirrors the TPA legislation introduced in the last Congress.

Given that there are “several important free trade agreements currently under negotiation,” Congress should “swiftly re-enact” Trade Promotion Authority legislation, said Semiconductor Industry Association President John Neuffer in an SIA report (here). Global sales of semiconductors reached $27.8 billion for February, a 6.7 percent increase from February 2014 but a sequential 2.7 percent decline from January this year, reflecting seasonal trends, it said. Regionally, February sales in the Americas increased 17.1 percent from last February to lead all regional markets, the SIA said.

Global sales of semiconductors reached $27.8 billion for February, a 6.7 percent increase from February 2014 but a sequential 2.7 percent decline from January this year, reflecting seasonal trends, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Monday in a report. Regionally, February sales in the Americas increased 17.1 percent from last February to lead all regional markets, the SIA said. “The global semiconductor industry maintained momentum in February, posting its 22nd straight month of year-to-year growth despite macroeconomic headwinds,” SIA President John Neuffer said. Sales of dynamic random-access memory and analog products “were particularly strong, notching double-digit growth over last February, and the Americas market achieved its largest year-to-year sales increase in 12 months,” he said. “While we are encouraged by the semiconductor market’s sustained growth over the last two years, a key driver of our industry’s continued success is free trade.” Given that there are “several important free trade agreements currently under negotiation,” he urged Congress to “swiftly re-enact” Trade Promotion Authority legislation.

Kymeta, a developer of metamaterials-based satellite antenna technology, joined the Satellite Industry Association, SIA said in a news release Tuesday.

Spectrum allocations above 24 GHz that the FCC has identified for possible wireless use “present an important opportunity to open large contiguous blocks of spectrum,” but the commission also should continue to examine bands below 24 GHz since those are the bands where 5G services “are expected to emerge first,” AT&T said in a filing posted Friday. Most other industry stakeholders also encouraged the FCC in separate filings to proceed with caution on rulemakings for spectrum above 24 GHz. The FCC, in an Oct. 17 notice of inquiry, identified six sets of bands above 24 GHz for possible wireless use: the local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) bands, the 39 GHz band, the 37/42 GHz bands, the 57-64 GHz and 64-71 GHz bands, the 71-76 GHz bands, the 81-86 GHz bands and the 24/25 GHz bands. Reply comments on the NOI were due Feb. 17.

Establishing an air-ground mobile broadband service could affect secondary service on irregular fixed-service satellite (FSS) operations, including satellite launches, said the Satellite Industry Association in an ex parte notice Thursday in FCC RM-11640. Temporary FSS operations are done under special temporary authorizations, SIA said. The commission should note in a report or order the importance of protecting temporary FSS operations and new satellite constellations from interference from secondary users, SIA said. Earlier this month, the FCC removed from circulation a draft order on establishing an ATG service over national security concerns (see 1502120054).