The FCC extended the filing window for FY 2021 regulatory fees to Monday, said a public notice Friday from the Office of Managing Director. Fees had been due at 11:59 p.m. Friday. The Arkansas Broadcasters Association emailed members Friday that it had been told about “glitches” in the payment system. The FCC didn't comment on the reported glitches but said the extension was intended to keep smaller entities from facing penalties. "We wanted to provide additional time before the end of the fiscal year, consistent with prior years, for especially small companies to make their payments to avoid penalties," emailed a spokesperson.

Groups raised concerns on 10-digit long code (10DLC) texting rules proposed by major carriers, during a Coalition for Open Messaging webinar. In an effort to curb spam, carriers are examining whether to require high-volume text senders to register with a campaign registry, and to impose higher messaging fees on all that don’t file, or potentially block them, the group said Thursday. Rules limiting texting “would have a devastating impact on our organizations, on the progressive movement’s ability to reach voters and our communities,” said MoveOn Executive Director Rahna Epting. She asked listeners to sign a petition urging members of Congress to stop the 10DLC rules and to offer testimony on how they use person-to-person (P2P) messaging. “We want all groups and organizations to be able to effectively and reliably communicate with their intended audience via text messaging,” AT&T said in a statement: “Our policies are designed to ensure that our customers receive the messages they want, while protecting them from unwanted robotexts. Our policies apply to all types of mass text senders and are consistent with industry best practices.” The carrier is in “a months-long grace period to scale our systems, collect feedback from interested parties and improve the registration process to ensure the integrity of the texting platform for senders and receivers,” AT&T said. Verizon isn't “involved” and doesn’t have changes pending, a spokesperson emailed. T-Mobile didn’t comment. P2P messaging is the “safest, most accessible way to reach voters and our communities,” the coalition said. Progressive groups relied heavily on texting during the 2020 election cycle to get members to the polls, said State Voices CEO Alexis Anderson-Reed. “Despite all the benefits,” carriers are imposing rules “that would stop grassroots organizations like yours, coalitions and volunteers from texting our community members,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., in taped comments: She's working with other legislators to call attention to this.

Sept. 30's FCC meeting agenda added an NPRM regarding SIM swapping and port-out fraud, in the Sunshine Agenda released Thursday evening. A draft NPRM circulated on the eighth floor last month (see 2108300061).

The reconstituted Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council met virtually for a little more than an hour Wednesday, getting an update on the work it’s expected to do under its charter that expires in June 2023 (see 2103100054). CSRIC last met in March, wrapping up reports started during the previous administration (see 2012090055). “Every day in our lives, there are too many cyber events that have the potential to harm the safety and well-being of people and businesses all across the country,” said acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “No entity is immune from this threat," she said. "It is time to turn resolve into action.” The need for tighter security is more critical as 5G launches, she said. The promises of 5G will come “only if we properly secure our networks and the communications supply chain,” she said. Rosenworcel, who has made collaboration with other agencies a priority, said it's “really important” that the group will be co-chaired by Billy Bob Brown from the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (see 2109140057). “It really does take a constellation of partners all working together in order to achieve security and resilience for the nation,” Brown said. Co-chair Nasrin Rezai, Verizon chief information security officer, briefly discussed each of the six working groups and asked members to volunteer for assignments. They are: 5G Signaling Protocols Security; Promoting Security, Reliability and Interoperability of Open Radio Access Network Equipment; Leveraging Virtualization Technology to Promote Secure, Reliable 5G Networks; 911 Service Over Wi-Fi; Managing Software & Cloud Services Supply Chain Security for Communications Infrastructure; and Leveraging Mobile Device Applications and Firmware to Enhance Wireless Emergency Alerts. The working groups all focus on real world problems that face industry, Rosenworcel said: “These issues are evolving fast and it can often feel like we’re playing catch up.”

Proposals in a July FCC Further NPRM, seeking revised rules for short-range field disturbance sensor (FDS) radars in the 60 GHz band (see 2107090047), got general support in comments due Monday in docket 21-264. Facebook, Intel and Qualcomm, which have other operations at 60 GHz, urged caution. “Adopt technical rules to ensure successful sharing with all types of unlicensed communications devices, applications, and services that use this band, including ultra-high throughput and ultra-low latency Wi-Fi,” they commented. Radars, subject to the 10% duty cycle limitation proposed in the NPRM, “can repeatedly interrupt short range communications equipment in this band unless the radar applications provide sufficiently long silent periods that communications applications can meaningfully use,” they said: A review of devices operating under an FCC waiver “demonstrate that radar devices are, in fact, operating with a much higher effective duty cycle that blocks other operations and impacts the ability of communications applications to meaningfully utilize the spectrum.” The Wi-Fi Alliance said any rules “to permit expanded use of FDS devices must ensure that those devices can co-exist with, and cause no harmful interference to, unlicensed operations in the 60 GHz band.” Most others support the proposal in the FNPRM. “Given the continued interest in use of mobile radars in the 60 GHz band and the success of various innovative and beneficial deployments under recent waivers, the time is ripe to revisit and broaden these rules,” said the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. “Increase flexibility in the band for future innovative automotive use cases, including those that may operate outside of the vehicle cabin environment or those facilitating detection over greater distances,” the alliance urged. “Radar technologies in the 60 GHz band have been approved for gesture control, detection of unattended children or pets in vehicles, sleep assessment, and monitoring of vulnerable medical patients,” Google said. The FNPRM proposes to authorize FDS devices in 57-64 GHz at 20 dBm effective isotropic radiated power without coexistence, Amazon noted, urging extending that “across the entire 14 gigahertz of the band.” Amazon supported ending current waivers as long as “any rule changes adopted in this proceeding are not more technically and operationally onerous than the FDS waivers." Provide "as much flexibility as possible,” asked IEE Sensing: Set technical operating limits “and allow all manner of devices to operate in the 60 GHz band, so long as they stay within the ‘technical envelope’ set forth in the amended rules, rather than try to limit allowable use cases, like the Commission did in the 60 GHz Waiver Order, where sensors could only be deployed to ‘passenger motor vehicles.’”

Comments are due Oct. 21, replies Nov. 5, in docket 21-190 on the methodology the FCC should use to assess regulatory fees on unlicensed spectrum users and how the agency should calculate the fee for small satellites that will become a fee-paying category in FY 2022, says Tuesday's Federal Register. The NPRM was unanimously adopted in August along with an order on FY 2021 fees (see 2108270072).

The only written communications between the White House and FCC before President Joe Biden's July 9 executive order to promote tech competition (see 2107090006) were some emails the day the EO was issued between an aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and an Executive Office staffer about Starks' attendance at the signing ceremony. That's per a Freedom of Information Act request we submitted to the FCC July 14. We received a 34-page response Friday, most of which was a copy of the EO provided to Starks' office in advance of the signing, plus confirmation of Starks' attendance.

Comments are due Nov. 4 at the Bureau of Industry and Security in docket BIS-2021-0021 to help the secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security prepare a report to the White House on supply chain disruptions in the “critical sectors and subsectors” of the information and communications technology “industrial base” by the one-year deadline of President Joe Biden’s Feb. 24 executive order, says Monday’s Federal Register. The notice seeks information on the “needed capacities” of the U.S. for “ICT design and manufacturing of products and services, including the ability to modernize to meet future needs.” The agency wants the public to identify “gaps” in U.S. design and manufacturing capabilities, “including nonexistent, extinct, threatened, or single-point-of failure capabilities,” it says. Commerce and Homeland Security “are specifically interested in comments related to validation standards of component and software integrity, standards and practices ensuring the availability and integrity of software delivery and maintenance,” says the notice. They want to know what “security controls” are in place “during the manufacturing phase of ICT hardware and components.” The agencies seek “specific policy recommendations important for ensuring a resilient supply chain for the ICT industrial base.” The recommendations may include strategies for “sustainably reshoring supply chains," says the notice. It’s not the goal of U.S. chipmakers to “onshore everything,” Semiconductor Industry Association CEO John Neuffer told a Sept. 8 Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar (see 2109090001). “We’re trying to diversify our supply chains and spread out our risk.”

AT&T asked the FCC to reject an Alarm Industry Communications Committee request to delay AT&T's Feb. 22 3G data sunset, but others backed AICC. Replies were posted through Wednesday in docket 21-304. Only four commenters (see 2109010056) backed AICC, AT&T said. None “offers evidence relevant to AICC’s arguments for the alarm industry, such as the sufficiency of the repeated notices AT&T gave to the alarm companies of its 3G sunset between 2016 and February 2019 (its official 3G sunset announcement), the extent to which those companies have had access to customers’ homes despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and the extent to which alarm companies have been able to obtain the chipsets necessary to upgrade their particular alarm monitoring systems,” AT&T said. AICC said comments show sunset risks outweigh benefits. The record shows “millions of safety related devices depend on the 3G network, besides alarm systems: ‘Ankle bracelet’ monitors to track violent offenders; vehicle collision avoidance systems; vehicle roadside assistance systems; elevator emergency phones; and emergency radios for ‘lone worker’ situations,” the group said. The pandemic “caused significant delays in being able to replace 3G alarm signaling radios in customer premises for more than one year, and the worldwide microchip shortage has compounded the problem considerably,” AICC said. The FCC has “clear legal authority in this matter and the compelling public interest reasons” to consider the petition, said Access Humboldt, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Center for Rural Strategies, Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge. “There are millions of people affected by the looming shutdown of services besides alarm systems and those services are unquestionably subject to the FCC’s [Communications Act] Title II authority,” the groups said: “Even if AT&T were right about the statutory basis for its services to the alarm industry, that does not deprive the FCC of the ability to consider the public interest harms that would result from the shutdown.”

Free Press is “reviewing the petition submission” it filed with the FCC on its request for a notice of inquiry into the agency’s history of anti-Black racism, it said Wednesday after former officials condemned the language (see 2109140041). The petition included some attached personal comments that were submitted to Free Press by members of the public and contained violent language. Free Press condemned the comments and “[apologized] to FCC staff who received this submission.” Reject the petition, ex-commission officials said a series of tweets. Commissioner Brendan Carr condemned the comment in a tweet and said the FCC “should dismiss this submission today.” NAB General Counsel Rick Kaplan tweeted Free Press should withdraw its filing because the attached comments “are ridiculous and many have zero to do with apparent point of the filing in the first place.” Kaplan said it “arguably violates FCC rules.” “Calls for violence are unacceptable,” said FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. A spokesperson said the commission “will no longer consider this petition as-is for further comment” and “encouraged” Free Press to refile: “Acting Chair Rosenworcel remains committed to advancing an inclusive vision for the FCC and we condemn anyone who resorts to threats that undermine that mission.”