Tech companies' recent filing (see 2411070023) countering a broadcaster study on interference to electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations from very-low-power (VLP) devices in parts of the 6 GHz band doesn’t oppose an ENG “safe harbor,” NAB noted in a filing at the FCC. Broadcasters have asked that the agency “temporarily reserve a small fraction of the 6 GHz band -- the 55 MHz band at the top of the U-NII-8 sub-band … as a ‘safety valve’ in the event of interference,” said a filing Thursday in docket 18-295. “The claim that the ‘vast majority of VLP devices will not operate in locations where they could cause harmful interference’ is specious,” NAB added: “The whole point of the VLP service is that the devices can be used anywhere and need not be under the control of an access point.”

The FCC on Thursday released a small-entities compliance guide on wireless emergency alerts, explaining changes commissioners adopted 13 months ago (see 2310190056). The changes are aimed at “making WEA more accessible and enabling WEA to provide more personalized alerts,” the guide said.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Thursday granted five more licenses in the 900 MHz broadband segment to PDV Spectrum. All the licenses are in Texas. The FCC approved an order in 2020 reallocating a 6 MHz swath in the band for broadband, while maintaining 4 MHz for narrowband operations (see 2005130057).

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials met with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff to discuss templates for wireless emergency alerts, said a filing Wednesday in docket 15-91. “The Bureau proposed two types of WEA templates for 9-1-1 outages, a static version and a fillable version that can be amended to include certain outage-specific information,” the filing said: “APCO expressed a preference for WEA templates for 9-1-1 outages that can be customized to include critical information such as the location of the outage, an alternative method to reach 9-1-1, and an embedded URL.”

CTIA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported Verizon’s challenge of the FCC's April fines for data violations, filing amicus briefs in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On a 3-2 vote in April, commissioners imposed fines against the three major wireless carriers for allegedly not safeguarding data on customers' real-time locations years earlier (see 2404290044). Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington dissented. The two groups earlier filed in support of AT&T’s challenge of its fine in the 5th Circuit (see 2408060035). “For years, wireless service providers enabled beneficial, legitimate uses of customer location data with their customers’ consent,” CTIA said in a brief filed this week in docket 24-1733. These uses included the provision of emergency assistance and fraud detection, CTIA said. “For years, the FCC was aware of these services, never once suggesting an issue,” the group said: “But after a third party not before this Court misused a location service, the Commission changed its mind and, in the Order under review, declared Verizon’s location-based services unlawful -- levying a $46.9-million forfeiture to boot. The Commission’s newfound interpretation is patently unlawful and flouts both the text of the statute and decades of the agency’s own precedent.” The FCC “abused its investigative and enforcement authority to violate the company’s Seventh Amendment right to a jury,” the Chamber told the court. The agency then “announced and applied novel legal interpretations of the Communications Act to calculate and impose staggering forfeitures for activities that were not at the time of conduct a violation of any agency rule or law.”

Citizens Against Government Waste opposed a handset unlocking mandate as proposed in a July NPRM that FCC commissioners approved unanimously (see 2407180037). “The NPRM as currently proposed is unnecessary,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 24-186: “The wireless industry has adopted standards for cell phone unblocking. Limitations on unblocking exist solely due to merger conditions created by the FCC for select mobile providers. And consumers can choose to purchase unlocked devices either through a device manufacturer or on the secondary market.” AT&T also opposed a mandate, questioning the FCC's authority to act. An AT&T representative met with aides to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Anna Gomez. “Because no provision of the Communications Act explicitly grants the Commission authority to require handset unlocking or to regulate handset sales or financing in any manner, the Commission proposed” in the NPRM relying on "general grants of authority and on the authority to modify spectrum licenses,” AT&T said.

EchoStar representatives met with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to criticize a recent SpaceX study warning of interference from fixed-wireless operations in the lower 12 GHz band (see 2409040035). “SpaceX’s study was designed to fail, because it employs unrealistic assumptions, and assumes interference scenarios that bear no resemblance to real-world fixed 5G deployments,” said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 20-443. “The Commission should move forward to authorize a higher-power fixed service in the band, which will unlock the substantial benefits of this valuable mid-band spectrum for millions of Americans, including those in Tribal communities,” EchoStar said.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers asked the FCC to set aside 55 MHz at the top of the 6 GHz U-NII-8 band as a “safe harbor” for electronic newsgathering (ENG) operations. “Fundamentally, SBE respectfully submits that temporarily reserving a small swath of spectrum for incumbent, mission-critical broadcast ENG operations has no policy drawbacks, and instead only benefits both the public and affected industry stakeholders,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-295.

Most parts of a hearing-aid compatibility order moving the U.S. to 100% compatibility are effective Dec. 13, said an FCC notice for Wednesday’s Federal Register. Commissioners approved the HAC order 5-0 in October (see 410170030). “By our actions in this final rule, 48 million Americans with hearing loss will be able to choose among the same handset models that are available to consumers without hearing loss,” the notice said. “No longer will they be limited in their choice of technologies, features, and prices available in the handset model marketplace.”

T-Mobile announced Tuesday it’s adding data available through its $20/month Home and Small Business internet backup plans. Those plans currently allow 130 GB of 5G data/month, “which is enough data to keep a typical household connected for up to seven days when their primary cable or fiber ISP goes down,” T-Mobile said. Starting Thursday, new and existing customers will get three additional 130 GB data passes annually, “providing extra peace of mind and connectivity,” T-Mobile said.