With FCC Chairman Ajit Pai expected to circulate the next round of wireless infrastructure rule modifications Wednesday for the Sept. 26 commissioners’ meeting (see 1808220051), CTIA and Nokia said last week changes are critical. “Although some states and municipalities have taken actions to create a more favorable environment for deployment, many delays continue,” CTIA said in docket 17-79. “Despite the shot clocks the Commission adopted that were intended to streamline action, providers report that they have had to wait many months and sometimes years for action by a locality on a siting request.” Some "localities have imposed ‘pre-application’ requirements that must be satisfied before the locality will accept individual site applications,” the group said. Nokia officials met with Mike O’Rielly and Jessica Rosenworcel, and aides to the other commissioners, on the importance of spectrum and infrastructure to 5G. “Of particular concern to Nokia are the recent tariffs imposed on trade with China, which specifically target a wide range of components that are critical to 5G," Nokia said. “Unless exemptions are provided for these products, these latest duties threaten to raise the cost of 5G infrastructure in the U.S. by hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an important context that further emphasizes the need for the Commission to lower barriers to deployment where it can.” Lincoln, Nebraska, disputed AT&T claims (see 1808130041) it's “high fees have delayed its residents the benefits of AT&T’s small cell deployments.” AT&T didn’t, as it claims, pause a deployment of small cells there, the city said. “A review of our records fails to reveal any permit applications filed by AT&T for such as deployment,” the city said. “That means that AT&T either deployed without permission and unknown to the city, or AT&T provided misleading statements to the Commission.” Lincoln said, contrary to the carrier's claims, recurring attachment fees it imposes aren't a barrier: “Lincoln has researched our rates, submitted them to national companies for evaluation, and as a result has signed small cell agreements with three different companies.” Lincoln said its rates are “right in the middle” of fees assessed across the U.S. for small-cell attachments. AT&T didn't comment.
BOSTON -- Sonos is making application programming interfaces available to third-party developers, the company said in a facility tour with us last week. “Times are changing and things are evolving,” said Benjamin Rappoport, hardware product manager. Layered on top of quality sound is smart home technology and the “new paradigm of ask and listen” made possible by voice engines including Alexa and Google Assistant, he said. Sonos maintains it’s still on track to deliver Google Assistant voice control by year-end.
BOSTON -- Sonos made a public overture to custom integrators this spring when it joined the Azione Unlimited buying group (see 1805150036), and it disclosed last week at a media day event what it described as a broader commitment to the installer channel covering product, infrastructure and technology. Custom dealers who take much of the credit for Sonos' early success have long complained of being invisible to the multiroom audio company.
Getting a jump on next week’s annual custom electronics trade show, several exhibitors announced products they'll show at CEDIA Expo, which opens Sept. 4 at the San Diego Convention Center for a five-day run.
The FCC Wireless Bureau denied a request by Communications Workers of America and others (see 1808170052) that the FCC pause its shot clock on consideration of T-Mobile’s proposed buy of Sprint. “We deny the Motion in all respects and decline to stop the clock or extend the current pleading schedule under which petitions to deny currently are due” on Aug. 27, said a Wednesday order by Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale in docket 18-197. “Although the Commission encourages the widest possible public participation and has a strong interest in ensuring that the record is complete and fully developed with respect a proposed transaction, the Movants have failed to establish any basis.” That this is a busy period of pending proceedings before the FCC and the FTC doesn’t support delay, Stockdale said. “If the Movants find the data submitted by the Applicants to be deficient, then they certainly may rely on that deficiency to support arguments in a petition to deny the proposed transaction.”
The FCC Wireless Bureau denied a request by Communications Workers of America and others (see 1808170052) that the FCC pause its shot clock on consideration of T-Mobile’s proposed buy of Sprint. “We deny the Motion in all respects and decline to stop the clock or extend the current pleading schedule under which petitions to deny currently are due” on Aug. 27, said a Wednesday order by Bureau Chief Donald Stockdale in docket 18-197. “Although the Commission encourages the widest possible public participation and has a strong interest in ensuring that the record is complete and fully developed with respect a proposed transaction, the Movants have failed to establish any basis.” That this is a busy period of pending proceedings before the FCC and the FTC doesn’t support delay, Stockdale said. “If the Movants find the data submitted by the Applicants to be deficient, then they certainly may rely on that deficiency to support arguments in a petition to deny the proposed transaction.”
T-Mobile and Sprint said jointly the FCC shouldn’t pause its shot clock on consideration of their proposed deal, as sought last week by Communications Workers of America and others (see 1808170052). “The FCC’s rules and precedent are clear that ‘extensions of time shall not be routinely granted,’” the carriers said in a Monday filing in 18-197. “Here, Movants have demonstrated no legitimate grounds for the relief they request and therefore the Motion should be summarily dismissed or denied. The Applicants submitted the spectrum holdings information about which Movants express concern on June 18, and it has been publicly available for almost two months.” A combined T-Mobile/Sprint would likely exceed AT&T’s share of the U.S. wireless market in five years, Macquarie’s Amy Yong said in a Tuesday note to investors. Yong also sees odds improving that regulators will let the deal move forward. “T-Mobile-Sprint have all the ingredients to eventually lead the industry: scale, spectrum and strategy,” she wrote. “Meanwhile, the combination of 5G infrastructure developments, including rural connectivity as well as job creation, support the deal, in our view.” Yong expects some backlash, possibly including opposition from Dish Networks.
A dozen Play-Fi audio products have been Works with Alexa-certified and will receive software upgrades throughout the year to make them Alexa-ready, said DTS Thursday. Users who link an Alexa-compatible Play-Fi product will be able to ask the voice assistant on a system’s primary device to play a song in a specific room or a group of rooms, adjust volume, skip a track, and mute, pause and stop music, said the company. Once audio begins playing, customers use the Play-Fi app to add more products to a streaming session, it said. Products receiving Alexa certification are the Aerix Duet speaker; Klipsch Gate music streamer, PowerGate gateway amplifier and the RW-1, Capital Three and The Three speakers; McIntosh MB50 streaming audio player and RS100 speaker; Onkyo P3 speaker; Phorus PS10 speaker; Pioneer F4 speaker; and Soundcast VG10 outdoor speaker, said DTS. The company didn't respond to questions.
Comcast launched its parental control feature enabling parents to set a Wi-Fi usage time limit. Noting kids spend more time on devices during summers, Comcast cited Wakefield Research finding three-quarters of parents want a way to turn off their children’s Wi-Fi access whenever they want. When a kid is close to reaching the allotted time limit, the parent can receive a push notification, text or email alert and extend the time or pause Wi-Fi access.
Comcast launched its parental control feature enabling parents to set a Wi-Fi usage time limit. Noting kids spend more time on devices during summers, Comcast cited Wakefield Research finding three-quarters of parents want a way to turn off their children’s Wi-Fi access whenever they want. When a kid is close to reaching the allotted time limit, the parent can receive a push notification, text or email alert and extend the time or pause Wi-Fi access.