Require further testingbefore approving rules for the 6 GHz band, as proposed in a Further NPRM (see 2007280033), Southern Co. said in a call with an aide to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Southern cited “the need for actual testing of unlicensed devices to evaluate their effect on licensed incumbent operations under real-world conditions prior to authorizing any expansion of unlicensed operations in the 6 GHz band,” in a filing posted Friday in docket 18-295. “Efforts are underway by incumbents to try to set up and conduct testing that could help inform the Commission and all stakeholders, but these efforts are hampered by the inability to obtain prototype or pre-market devices for testing.” Tech companies spoke with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on the importance of rules ensuring “6 GHz devices meet consumers’ expectations by enabling mobile use -- including both mobile [automatic frequency coordination]-controlled devices as well as very-low-power devices.” Apple, Broadcom, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm were participants. The companies had a similar call with Commissioner Brendan Carr (see 2010090038).
A working group of the FCC Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment will host a virtual tech supplier diversity opportunity showcase Oct. 23, said a public notice Friday. The showcase is intended to provide information and resources to diverse communications businesses on doing business with tech companies and government agencies, the PN said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Internet Association interim President John Berroya and National Urban League CEO Marc Morial will speak. Panels will focus on traditional and alternative sources of capital and on running a diverse communications business during and after the pandemic, the PN said.
The FCC’s website was down for about an hour Thursday starting soon after the 2:30 p.m. EDT release of Chairman Ajit Pai’s announcement of action to come on Communications Decency Act Section 230 (see 2010150057). Multiple users, including FCC officials, said they received only an error message when going to FCC.gov. The message said “an unexpected error had occurred." By 4:30 p.m., the site appeared to be restored. The FCC didn’t comment.
Broadband deregulation led to AT&T discontinuing DSL without committing to provide an alternative in areas where it doesn’t already have fiber, said consumer and worker groups Wednesday. The carrier’s action shows the FCC would be wrong to reaffirm, when commissioners meet Oct. 27, the 2017 net neutrality decision to reclassify broadband as a Communications Act Title I information service, wrote Public Knowledge, Communications Workers of America, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Next Century Cities, Common Cause and The Greenlining Institute in docket 17-108. The groups attached an internal AT&T document, obtained by CWA, that they said showed DSL termination “will leave some unknown number of DSL subscribers without an available terrestrial, fixed broadband to the home option.” Other DSL carriers will likely follow AT&T, leading to millions with no fixed terrestrial alternative, they said. AT&T said last week that current DSL customers will keep service and the carrier will continue to expand fiber and wireless services (see 2010080066). AT&T provided an identical statement Wednesday. A Mississippi utility commissioner asked for an investigation (see 2010080055). Commissioners would vote Oct. 27 on the FCC response to the remand from U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Mozilla v. FCC (see 2010090050).
Panasonic had a call with FCC Office of Engineering and Technology officials on a report that argues the 5.9 GHz band should be reallocated for vehicle-to-everything communications, with no allocation for Wi-Fi (see 2010070050). That's per a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-138.
Sony, a spectrum access system operator in the citizens broadband radio service band, asked the FCC to approve it as an environmental sensing capability provider, in a Wednesday posting in docket 15-319. Parts were redacted.
SpaceX is among approved bidders for this month's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction. The FCC list was released Tuesday. Viasat and Hughes challenged SpaceX's latency claims in what many saw as a fight to keep it from qualifying (see 2010070005). Both geostationary satellite operators were also among the 386 approved bidders, along with such companies as Altice, Cox Communications, Frontier, Verizon and Windstream. SpaceX didn't comment.
The Office of Justice Programs can procure and operate drones only in a manner “that promotes public safety, protects individuals’ privacy and civil liberties, and mitigates the risks of cyber intrusion and foreign influence,” DOJ said in a revised policy issued Thursday. It applies to grants for the purchase and operation of foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen cited risks from “foreign-made UAS and the potential for related data compromise.”
Antitrust authorities cleared the way for Ericsson to acquire CradlePoint. An FTC early termination notice dated Wednesday and released Thursday ended the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period.