A Trump administration supply chain security executive order addressing use of telecom equipment by Chinese equipment makers Huawei and ZTE in U.S. networks appears to be off the table, at least for now, experts said. The administration apparently is concerned about questions by small carriers that have equipment from two providers embedded in their networks. The FCC also hasn't acted.
Washington is on the verge of passing the nation's strongest privacy bill, representatives for Microsoft and Internet Association told state House lawmakers Friday, while raising concerns about a private right of action (see 1902280050). Consumer and minority groups called the bill weak, arguing against allowing overly permissive policies for facial recognition technology. House members, who will next meet Tuesday, are amending bill language.
The U.S. should make concerns about China less of a central factor in developing 5G deployment plans, said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., during an appearance on C-SPAN's The Communicators online and set to have been televised over the weekend. House Commerce Committee ranking member Greg Walden, R-Ore., meanwhile, continued during a separate interview also set to be shown then to push lawmakers to consider whether edge providers should be considered common carriers given their importance as online gatekeepers (see 1903080032). The lawmakers differed on whether the Save the Internet Act net neutrality bill (HR-1644/S-682) will get significant bipartisan support.
An FCC order on the upper 37 GHz band, teed up for the April 12 commissioners' meeting, shows the length the agency will go to clear spectrum for 5G, as an ongoing auction tops $1 billion. The FCC proposes rules for coordinating with DOD on future use of the upper 37 GHz band beyond current DOD sites located there. The plan “strikes a reasonable balance,” said the draft order posted Friday. Chairman Ajit Pai unveiled the agenda Thursday (see 1903210062).
No “project” is underway at ATSC to “specifically add” 8K resolution or the next-generation Versatile Video Coding (VVC) codec (see 1903140012) to A/341, the video standards document for ATSC 3.0, Madeleine Noland, LG Electronics senior adviser-technology and standards, told a SMPTE webinar Thursday. A/341 specifies 3.0 resolutions up to 4K using the High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) codec.
Microsoft is picking up some backing from NAB for white spaces changes after the association was at loggerheads with the tech company. Frontier Communications also is coming on board with some changes. A day earlier, the FCC approved other tweaks to TV white spaces device rules (see 1903200059).
It’s “unacceptable” the FCC hasn’t publicly shared information on the scope of its investigation into wireless carrier geolocation data collection and sharing practices (see 1903200053), said Umair Javed, aide to Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, at an FCBA event Thursday. Though the probe has taken the better part of a year, the public remains in the dark about how the agency is working to protect data, he said.
A USTelecom initiative aims to improve broadband data and mapping, starting with a pilot in Virginia and Missouri. It will use "modern-data analytics" to develop a "comprehensive database of all broadband serviceable locations in our two pilot states -- and a road map for a collaborative government-led effort to expand the system nationwide," said CEO Jonathan Spalter at an event Thursday. He said ITTA, the Wireless ISP Association, USTelecom members and others will participate. The coalition hopes the mapping effort will be "useful in the FCC’s quest to modernize its broadband data collection process, and supportive of other related federal and state initiatives," he said.
The U.S, accomplished what it needed at the recent Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference, despite later concerns (see 1903010042), said Franz Zichy, a State Department engineer, at a Thursday FCBA event. The next big step is the final Inter-American Telecommunication Commission prep meeting in Ottawa in August, speakers said.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the April 12 commissioners’ meeting will focus on 5G for a second straight month. It includes the public notice for the auction of the 37, 39 and 47 GHz bands and a plan for sharing the 37 GHz band between industry and DOD. 5G is “the next big thing in wireless,” Pai blogged. He plans votes on nixing a rural telco USF rate floor and granting part of a USTelecom forbearance petition seeking ILEC relief from certain structural-separation and reporting duties. And there's a media modernization item, among others in the pipeline (see 1903210072).