FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appears poised to make another move on contraband cellphones in prisons. Chief of Staff Matthew Berry tweeted Monday the wireless industry isn’t doing enough (see 1711130055). Berry was retweeted by Zenji Nakazawa, Pai’s public safety adviser. The agency didn’t comment. Earlier this month, Pai wrote House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and 51 other House and Senate members, saying the FCC is “actively” communicating “with state and local law enforcement and corrections officials,” and others about “effective, efficient solutions” (see 1711070067). In March, commissioners approved an order that focused on quicker deployment of contraband interdiction systems as an alternative to jamming (see 1703230056). In September (see 1708290054), DOJ said the Communications Act “does not necessarily preclude" jamming. A former spectrum official said the FCC appears to be contemplating allowing corrections officials to jam cell signals, though industry is likely to challenge that as prohibited by the act. Since Commissioner Mike O’Rielly made clear he would oppose jamming, it’s unclear where Pai would get a third vote, even if he has the support of Commissioner Brendan Carr, the former official said. Pai "has been very vocal about wanting to address the epidemic of contraband cell phones in prisons and the crime that they facilitate,” said Jamie Barnett, former Public Safety Bureau chief, now at Venable. “Commissioner Carr also has been diligent in searching for innovative technical solutions." Berry's tweet "seems to be a signal of frustration and possibly indicates that the FCC may move forward with one or more solutions," Barnett said. "The chairman may be showing an independent streak on this issue.” The Office of Engineering and Technology recently OK'd special temporary authority for Securus to test technology aimed at curbing contraband cellphones. The STA started Tuesday and expires May 4. “Contraband cellphone use is among the highest public safety issues for the Georgia Department of Corrections (DoC) and Securus has been contracted to test and deploy Managed Access Systems (MAS),” said its application. “This STA is necessary to support expedited testing of new antennal types and locations as well as new software.” Carriers support “the goal of blocking the flow of contraband phones into prisons and denying service to those phones that do get smuggled into the hands of prisoners, while allowing 9-1-1 and legitimate calls to go through," a CTIA spokesman said. "We continue to work with all stakeholders, including government, the public safety community and technology providers, to identify and implement effective and lawful solutions."

The FCC approved the National Emergency Address Database Privacy and Security Plan, on circulation for a vote (see 1710260036). The main components: “(1) the NEAD, a database of verified wireless access point street address information ... and (2) the National Emergency Address Manager (NEAM),” the order said. “When a caller dials 911 from his or her wireless handset equipped with Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth radios, the participating wireless carrier network will automatically collect information from the wireless handset about wireless access points within the vicinity of the wireless handset.” AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon submitted the plan Feb. 3. It's "consistent with the requirements outlined in the Indoor Location Fourth Report and Order and addresses the need to protect the privacy, security, and resiliency of the NEAD,” the agency said.

The iPhone X appears to set an "aspirational starting price" for "an even more premium class of smartphones," said IHS Market analyst Wayne Lam in a teardown report. That differs from Apple's previous staggered pricing strategy between models that gave consumers a "tradeoff" between larger and smaller displays and standard and high-density storage, Lam said. The 64 GB iPhone X has a bill of materials (BOM) of $370.25, $50 more than the previously most expensive iPhone and nearly $70 more than the $720 64 GB Samsung Galaxy S8's BOM of $302, said the report. Based on the BOM and retail pricing, IHS Markit believes Apple is maintaining its typical hardware margins for the iPhone X and that gross margin "may increase over time as manufacturing yields improve." The iPhone X has catapulted the industry to a new price point, but its underlying architecture is analogous to the iPhone 8 Plus, said analyst Andrew Rassweiler. The X's "superior screen" and TrueDepth sensing set the phone apart and contribute to its higher cost, Rassweiler said. The standout feature on the iPhone X is the Face ID facial recognition system that replaces Touch ID for unlocking the phone and authenticating payments, said IHS. TrueDepth is also behind studio-quality lighting in the camera's portrait mode and augmented reality experiences in games and apps. It's housed in the black notch at the top of the phone and has an IR camera that projects and analyzes more than 30,000 invisible dots to create a precise depth map of the human face, using machine learning to adapt to physical changes in appearance, IHS said. Suppliers contributing to the Face ID assembly are Sony and Foxconn (IR cameras); STMicroelectronics (an application-specific integrated circuit and photon avalanche diode detector); Texas Instruments (IR emitter); and Finisar and Philips (dot projector). IHS pegs the BOM for the TrueDepth sensor at $16.70. Apple didn't respond.

Chairman Ajit Pai cited an FCC-planned rulemaking on improving ability to geo-target wireless emergency alerts accurately, in a Friday letter responding to concerns Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both D-Calif., raised last month about WEA (see 1710180064). Feinstein and Harris pressed Pai to execute rules for WEAs that the commission approved more than a year ago. Commissioners voted 4-1 then to adopt revised rules, which increase maximum length of WEA messages from 90 to 360 characters for 4G LTE and future networks and require participating wireless providers support including embedded phone numbers and URLs in all WEA alerts (see 1710180064). The rulemaking (see 1711020054) “would adopt rules to further enhance the precision of geo-targeted WEAs,” Pai wrote Feinstein and Harris. He noted the senators’ concerns about technical difficulties with geo-targeting during the recent fatal wildfires in California, saying the FCC is worried Sonoma County decided not to activate the alerts because of “concerns that WEA could not be focused sufficiently to avoid creating road congestion.” He noted “extensive” use of WEAs during hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

To herald Friday in-store availability of the iPhone X, Sprint scheduled Thursday night searchlight events for five markets: Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Lights were to be positioned in an X in the sky “to help customers find their way to select Sprint stores,” said the carrier. Sprint encouraged customers to “arrive bright and early” for breakfast, music and Apple’s latest flagship phone. Sprint is offering $350 in savings on the 64 GB iPhone X to new customers and existing customers who add a line and pay $22.22 per month over 18 months on its Flex plan -- with eligible trade-in. The plan allows customers to upgrade to the next-generation iPhone after 12 Flex payments. Sprint didn’t say why those stores were chosen or how their supplies of the X would compare with other stores, but a spokeswoman emailed us that the markets were chosen "to have representation from a variety of Sprint’s regions across the country." The carrier expects in-store inventory "to sell extremely quickly," but customers can also order at a store and have the device shipped there or to the customer's home when available, she said.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission released an app to fight telemarketers, said a Wednesday news release. The free app for Apple and Android smartphones lets state residents register landline and mobile numbers on the Mississippi No Call List and file complaints against illegal callers. “We want to empower people by placing a tool literally in their hands to help us get at these predatory telemarketers,” said Chairman Brandon Presley.

The FCC released Tuesday's order addressing hearing aid compatibility and volume control on wireline and wireless phones (see 1710240062 or 1710240058). The main complaint came from Commissioners Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr, who said the FCC shouldn’t impose standards for wireless volume control. Both dissented to that part of the order. The text released Thursday said the record supported the action. “Given the significantly expanded reliance on wireless telephone communications -- and concomitant decline in wireline phone usage -- we affirm our belief that a volume control requirement that specifies certain levels of amplification as an element of hearing aid compatibility is just as necessary for wireless handsets as it is for wireline phones, to ensure the provision of effective telecommunications for people with hearing loss,” the FCC said.

As reports continue on limited supplies of the iPhone X when it ships next week, carriers flooded the wires Tuesday with preorder pitches that begin Friday for Apple’s $1,000-and-up flagship smartphone due in stores Nov. 3. The Nikkei Asian Review Tuesday reported initial shipments of the iPhone X are expected to total 20 million units, half the planned amounts for the year. The lower shipment count is due to Apple’s “struggles to solve technical issues with components supporting the model's new face authentication feature,” said the report. Apple didn’t respond. Sprint hawked Tuesday a limited-time deal for the base 64 GB version, offering $350 in savings: a monthly bill of $22.22 over 18 months with trade-in and a new line activation for customers who opt for its Flex lease plan. The fine print at the Sprint website detailed the carrier's “best price guarantee" for the X: “Offer ends 11/30. Customer must register by 12/15." The price guarantee applies to "pre-order or in-stock Apple iPhone X 64GB new line activation and device pricing only.” The Sprint offer requires online registration and submission of a nationally advertised lower device price on the identical brand and model number currently available for sale at T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T within 14 days of date of lease activation or preorder from Sprint, it said. Customers must remain active and in good standing for 60 days and they’ll receive a prepaid card for the difference within 15 days, it said. AT&T, meanwhile, announced it would begin taking preorders Friday, in a news release that linked to a page on its website for details on promotional offers and rate plans. A chat representative appeared immediately and when we asked about the iPhone X, she told us: “At the moment there are just rumors about it, I can understand your excitement. Im always excited when new devices and promos are launched. At this time there has been no formal announcement provided.” When we mentioned the news release, she directed us to the iPhone page cited there. AT&T’s offers for the iPhone X, as of Tuesday, were $33.34 over 30 months in a 0 percent financing deal or $999 up front. Verizon jumped on the iPhone opportunity Monday, announcing it will offer, for a limited time, up to $300 back on iPhone X, with device payment, when customers trade in select phones and sign up for Verizon’s Unlimited plan. The $300 trade-in-promo credit is applied over 24 months, it said. U.S. Cellular pushed Tuesday a limited-time offer for customers who buy an iPhone X with unlimited data, giving them device protection and AppleCare Services for 12 months.

FCC members approved updates to rules for hearing aid compatibility and volume control on wireline and wireless phones. Republicans Mike O’Rielly and Brendan Carr partially dissented, questioning why the FCC needed to adopt a requirement that within three years, all hearing-aid compatible (HAC) wireless handsets include volume controls. The vote was one of the first times since Ajit Pai became chairman that objections came mainly from fellow Republicans. The two objected only to the new wireless volume-control standard. The FCC shouldn’t impose such standards on industry, O’Rielly said. “Just because we have done it before doesn’t mean that we should continue to do so,” he said. “While they can sometimes be effectively used as a safe harbor, standards set by appropriate industry bodies should be allowed to evolve without commission involvement or approval.” The order recognizes industry already is working on a standard for wireless volume control. “So, I must ask -- why are we implementing rules now?” he said. “We should allow industry to implement this standard and then see if there is evidence that problems persist.” Carr has similar concerns. “While I appreciate the importance of volume control standards … the order does not adequately justify imposing this,” he said. The cost-benefit analysis in the order doesn’t account for all the costs imposed, he said. “This uncertainty means that we should seek additional comment rather than proceeding directly to a rule.” Pai said HAC rules are important since some 13 percent of Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. “The Commission continues its efforts to ensure that tens of millions of Americans with hearing loss have access to and can benefit from critical and modern communication technologies and services,” said a news release. The order also adopts an updated volume control standard for wireline handsets and imposes HAC requirements on VoIP handsets, officials said Tuesday. The order eliminates what was considered to be an outdated standard for RF interference reduction and magnetic coupling with wireless phones.

Electronics trade-in company Decluttr.com reported Monday an “unusually high” amount of traffic for the recently launched iPhone 8 and 8 Plus from customers who want to trade in their phones early to get the most return. The site cited “subdued reception” to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Since Apple’s September iPhone launch, “All the buzz and excitement has been around the iPhone X,” said Decluttr.com Chief Marketing Officer Liam Howley: “The iPhone 8 has perhaps been less well received than previous handsets from what we’re being told in the tech press and we’re now actually seeing that for ourselves, through our own customers’ trade-ins.” Trade-ins for the newest generation of iPhones are higher than those for any previous iPhone, Decluttr said. Consumers looking to swap a smartphone before upgrading to the iPhone X can get up to 30 percent more if they trade in before the Oct. 27 preorder date, said the company. Sample trade-in values as of Monday were iPhone 8 Plus, up to $630; iPhone 8, $500; iPhone 7, $347; iPhone 6s Plus, $271; iPhone 6s, $260; iPhone 6 Plus, $206; iPhone 6, $165; and iPhone 5s, $83.10. The highest valued Samsung Galaxy device was the Galaxy S7 Edge at up to $193 in resale value, said Decluttr.