Video relay service providers got another year to implement an interoperability mandate on a technical standard for an interface with some VRS devices. The deadline was April 29. In 2018, the FCC also delayed for a year the deadline for VRS providers to comply with the interoperability profile for relay user equipment (RUE profile) standard (see 1804270020). The RUE profile was “substantially revised over the last year, and the revised version has been submitted for review under the auspices of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF),” said Tuesday's Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau order. “We allow additional time for IETF review, for the Bureau to make a decision on adoption of the revised standard, and for VRS providers to prepare for compliance.” The rules, approved in 2013, “are intended to enable VRS users to make and receive VRS calls and point-to-point video calls irrespective of the VRS providers serving the calling and called parties, and to switch to a different default VRS provider, without changing their VRS devices or software,” CGB said.

Qualcomm said it expanded capabilities in the Snapdragon 730, 730G and 665 mobile platforms to "exceed customer expectations" for experiences in artificial intelligence, gaming and cameras in high- and mid-tier mobile devices. It also announced Tuesday the Cloud AI 100 chip for AI inference processing. The AI 100 is said to facilitate distributed intelligence from the cloud to the client edge “and all points in between.” With the chip, Qualcomm can support “complete cloud-to-edge AI solutions all connected with high-speed and low-latency 5G connectivity,” said Keith Kressin, senior vice president-product management.

Video streaming services’ growing popularity will put a dent in the worldwide set-top box video SoC market this year, with revenue forecast to decline 5 percent to $2.4 billion, said a Thursday ABI research report. “Cord-cutters have a wide variety of streaming services and video streaming boxes that don’t require a set-top box from a pay-TV service provider, which is contributing to the decline in set-top box chipset shipments over the past few years,” said analyst Khin Sandi Lynn. The drop in average selling price, along with unit shipments, is challenging STBx IC makers, including Broadcom, MediaTek, MaxLinear and ALi, she said. Future sales will be driven by the transition to Ultra HD set-top boxes and artificial intelligence integration to improve the user experience, but declines will continue through 2023 when revenue is forecast to drop to $2 billion, said the analyst.

The U.S. government needs to take “ambitious policy action” to sustain and bolster its semiconductor leadership, said the Semiconductor Industry Association in a “blueprint” report Wednesday. It called for tripling U.S. investments in “semiconductor-specific research” across federal “scientific agencies” to $5 billion annually. That would “advance new materials, designs, and architectures that will exponentially increase chip performance,” it said. SIA wants federal agency investments to double in STEM fields “to spur leap-ahead innovations in semiconductor technology that will drive key technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced wireless networks.” Attracting and developing a “skilled workforce” is another key component. SIA wants a federal overhaul of the “high-skilled immigration system” by eliminating “counterproductive caps” on green cards so qualified graduates “can work, innovate, and contribute to U.S. leadership in the semiconductor industry and boost our economy.”

The FCC lacks authority to expand video description requirements to IP-delivered video and should be cautious about expanding the markets in which it's required, NAB commented, posted in docket 11-43 Tuesday. Comments are intended to inform an Oct. 8 report to Congress required of the agency by the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. Expanding requirements beyond the top 60 markets could be burdensome for broadcasters since revenue in such markets is lower, NAB said. “If the Internet is used to carry live terrestrial broadcast television, the Commission should have jurisdiction under the CVAA to regulate such program delivery systems,” the American Council for the Blind said. The FCC should establish a clear stance toward accessibility requirements as video and broadcast technologies evolve, the ACB said. It said the FCC should work with industry groups to create a centralized list of described programming. “Such a centralized list will also greatly assist in assuring that covered networks under the CVAA are meeting their required mandate of 87.5 quarterly hours of described content,” ACB said. ACB and NCTA raised concern over technical limitations of providing audio description over the secondary audio program channel, where it sometimes conflicts with foreign-language translations on legacy content. “Industry is aware of the interest in facilitating greater and easier access to video described programming to avoid conflicts with foreign language programming that may occupy this same audio stream, and is working to achieve that end,” NCTA said. “Cable operators are offering more than two audio streams where it is feasible.” The FCC should consider that proposed changes to kidvid rules could affect availability of described content, programmer Litton Entertainment said. Litton opposed FCC-proposed relaxation of kidvid requirements.

Telecommunications Industry Association representatives encouraged the FCC to require compliance with provisions in Kari’s Law, meeting Public Safety Bureau staff. Commissioners approved 4-0 an NPRM on those issues with 911 calls from multiline telephone systems (MLTS) at their September meeting (see 1809260047). “Industry needs to know as soon as possible what the requirements will be in order to meet” a Feb. 16, 2020, deadline, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-261. “We raised potential issues with requiring MLTS solutions to dial directly to 911 ‘out of the box,’ particularly for MLTS where there is no physical equipment to purchase and configure.” Staff from Cisco, Panasonic and the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications Forum also attended.

The FCC will consider revised rules for "over-the-air reception devices" (OTARD) at the commissioners' April 12 meeting, Chairman Ajit Pai blogged. Current rules “were developed a long time ago,” Pai said Thursday. “They had in mind the delivery of video services, not broadband. So they don't apply to antennas operating as hub or relay antennas used to transmit signals to or receive signals from multiple customer locations -- in short, the kind of equipment that could be used for innovative new wireless services.” The changes will clear the way for “next-generation networking technologies that operate over millimeter waves, specifically, things like the base stations and hubs that make up mesh networks,” he said. Friday, the agency released the OTARD draft NPRM, noting the Wireless ISP Association requested the rulemaking. “We propose to eliminate the restriction that currently excludes hub and relay antennas from the scope of the OTARD provisions,” the FCC explained. “The Commission’s decision in the 2000 Competitive Networks Order to limit the applicability of the OTARD rule reflected the infrastructure needs of a previous generation of wireless technologies that relied on larger antennas spread over greater distances to provide service to consumers.”

Samsung developed a third-generation 10-nanometer (1z-nm) 8-GB Double Data Rate 4 (DDR4) DRAM, a first for the memory market, it said. Mass production of the 1z-nm 8GB DDR4 will begin in the second half for enterprise servers and high-end PCs to be launched next year, it said. Subsequent 1z-nm products with higher capacities and performance will target servers, graphics and mobile devices, it said.

Cirrus Logic announced Tuesday a smart power amplifier it said will improve the audio listening experience for mono and stereo applications on mobile devices, while conserving battery life. The CS35L41 supports stereo audio in smartphones and portable devices and is said to boost audio clarity and loudness with advanced power management. It’s half the size of other digital signal processing amps, said the company.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau warned all companies marketing RF devices they may be subject to new compliance requirements under supplier’s declaration of conformity (SDoC) procedures. “Before being marketed in the United States, devices subject to the SDoC procedures must be properly authorized, labeled, and furnished with the proper user information disclosures,” EB said Friday. “Failure to comply may subject the violator to substantial monetary penalties that could total more than $150,000 per violation.” The rules cover many consumer and commercial devices, including computer peripherals, LED signs, ultrasonic humidifiers and microwave ovens. EB posted a specific advisory to LED sign marketers, target of recent enforcement.