Enterprise communications systems (ECS) should have the same E-911 functionality as other phones, 911 and public safety groups commented last week on a September FCC notice of inquiry (see 1709260040). That includes the ability to dial 911 directly without additional digits, automatic location identification and location-based routing to the correct public safety answering point and call-back capability if a call is interrupted, the National Emergency Number Association commented in docket 17-239. APCO called the lack of those capabilities “a significant shortcoming in 911 emergency response.” The National Association of State 911 Administrators concurred. “Just as E911 for landline, wireless and VoIP has resulted in improvements in the speed at which emergency responders are able to reach the caller, so would E911 for ECS,” NASNA commented. State commissions also rallied behind the cause, with NARUC last week passing a resolution supporting required direct dialing of 911 in hotels and other enterprises (see 1711130035). Verizon agreed people should be able to dial 911 without a prefix. But AT&T urged the FCC to “first ‘do no harm’ by not impinging on enterprise owners’ discretion to adopt customized 911 calling solutions that enhance public safety.” Enterprise owners can address many of the issues raised in the NOI, the carrier commented. The Telecommunications Industry Association urged the agency “to consider the complexity of the ECS marketplace and the diverse needs of its users before acting to add regulations.” The Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Committee said “not to interfere with the wide discretion currently enjoyed by companies to develop solutions that best meet the safety of their employees.” FCC action on direct 911 dialing isn’t necessary because Congress may pass Kari’s Law (S-123), the American Hotel & Lodging Association commented. The bill passed the Senate in August and was sent to the House.

Matthew Berry, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's chief of staff, criticized Democrats for opposing some items the agency adopted at Thursday's commissioners' meeting. The meeting "revealed contrast between a majority looking to the future, and a minority that is stuck in the past and trying to strangle technological innovation. The good news is that progress prevailed," he tweeted, which Pai "liked." A spokesman for Commissioner Mignon Clyburn said Friday in response that "Clyburn’s record on enabling opportunities and spurring innovation for businesses and in communities large and small speaks for itself.” The office of Jessica Rosenworcel didn't comment.

FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said modified agency actions Thursday contradict worries that commissioners won't be able to alter final decisions under the agency's policy of releasing draft items before monthly meetings. "Any concern making documents available ahead of @FCC meeting prevents changing text need only see number of substantive changes made to items at yesterday’s @FCC open meeting. Thanks @AjitPaiFCC!" He used the hashtags #FalseArgument, #TransparencyWorks and #NextCirculationItems, in Friday's tweet, which Pai retweeted. O'Rielly attached a link to a tweet by Communications Daily noting our Special Report story (see 1711060006) on the draft release policy, which O'Rielly supports expanding to items on circulation. NAB General Counsel Rick Kaplan replied to O'Rielly's tweet, saying it's "hard to argue with this kind of governmental transparency."

The FCC now will adhere to a one-year deadline for decisions on approvals of new technology and services within its jurisdiction, said Chairman Ajit Pai in a speech at a Cato Institute event in New York Friday. “This process is what’s called for in a provision of the Communications Act -- Section 7,” Pai said. “You’ve probably never heard of it, and for good reason. It’s been on the books for decades, but it’s never been enforced. At long last, it will be,” Pai said. That one-year deadline is “lightspeed” in the “regulatory world,” Pai said.

Dish CEO Charlie Ergen, in meetings with Chairman Ajit Pai and the four FCC members, said the company is on track for 2018 deployment of its narrowband (NB) IoT network. In a docket 17-183 ex parte filing posted Thursday, the company said it finalized development contracts with radio access equipment vendors and expects to sign a chipset vendor within weeks. It said it's negotiating with vendors to provide the core for its NB IoT network and last month issued a request for proposals to tower companies to start negotiating lease agreements. It said ultimately all its terrestrial spectrum, including its 600 MHz licenses, will be part of a 5G network. The company urged the commission to act on a MVDDS 5G Coalition petition (see 1604260068) to initiate a rulemaking designed to permit multichannel video distribution and data service licensees to use their 12.2-12.7 GHz spectrum to provide a two-way 5G mobile broadband service.

The FCC had 90 outstanding audit recommendations Sept. 30 at the end of FY 2017, it said Wednesday in its annual financial report. They included 58 from the Office of Inspector General and 32 from GAO. In FY 2017, the FCC closed 58 audit recommendations and received 48 new ones, it said. An independent auditor said the FCC financial statements "were fairly presented in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles," said an attached Nov. 15 letter by OIG. But the auditor noted two "significant deficiencies," also reported in prior years, on USF budgetary accounting and IT controls at the FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. "Inaccurate invoicing deadlines increase the risk of premature deobligations," the auditor said of the FCC's USF budgetary accounting. "Because invoicing deadlines for seven of our samples were January 2018 instead of January 2019, USAC was at risk of improperly de-obligating $29M in FY 2018." On the agency's IT controls, the auditor "found that FCC had not implemented effective policies, procedures and processes over its general support system, FCCNet, and its financial management system, Genesis." The FCC concurred with the auditor's recommendations and said it's acting to address the deficiencies. The FCC had $20.8 billion in total assets in FY 2017, down 4 percent from FY 2016, and $11.6 billion in total liabilities, down 12 percent from the previous fiscal year, the agency said. That left the commission at a total net position of $9.2 billion for FY 2017, up 8 percent from the previous fiscal year, it said. The agency's net cost of operations was $10.2 billion, up 3 percent from FY 2016, and its total budgetary resources were $10.9 billion, up 45 percent from the year before, it said.

There was “every reason to believe” that President Donald Trump would sign Thursday the Senate-provided paperwork on its confirmation of David Redl as NTIA administrator, House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said during a House Communications Subcommittee 5G hearing (see 1711160058). Trump needed to sign the Senate paperwork before it could be transmitted to the Department of Commerce and Redl can be sworn in. Walden and House Communications Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., marked the Thursday hearing as Redl's likely last hearing as House Commerce's chief GOP telecom counsel. They both also chided the Senate for the length of time it took to confirm Redl. The chamber confirmed him earlier this month on a voice vote (see 1711070084 and 1711070076). The confirmation was delayed by holds placed first by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and then Senate Communications Subcommittee ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii (see 1710040063, 1710230026, 1710230062, 1710300028 and 1711080015). The White House and NTIA didn't comment.

Citing AT&T and Verizon's acknowledgement implementation of device-based geotargeting of wireless emergency alerts could be faster, the National Weather Service, Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency are pushing for that sped-up time frame. The agencies in an FCC docket 15-91 filing posted Wednesday said talks with state and local public safety agencies indicated a wide belief such geotargeting can be achieved in less than the 42-month minimum implementation recommended by the wireless operators. The companies in September said that in meetings with agency staff, they backed the recommendations of a Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council working group that a minimum 42-month timetable is needed for implementation, but said an expedited process is doable. Verizon said that expedited process would first require working group consensus on an appropriate accuracy threshold and if there were sufficient willingness to incorporate geo-fencing capabilities by device manufacturers and operating system providers. AT&T said the coordinate data being sent in the same WEA message would help in expediting implementation. Representatives of CTIA and members are complaining about a recent order upholding a Nov. 1 deadline for the nation’s five largest carriers to be able to provide “clickable” embedded references in WEAs (see 1711020054). The representatives met with Public Safety Bureau Chief Lisa Fowlkes, an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai and a staffer from the Office of General Counsel. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular had reps there. “The net effect of the Commission’s new interpretation will cause many mobile devices capable of receiving WEA messages to alternate between being considered ‘WEA capable’ depending on the deadline of the Commission’s required WEA enhancements, a device’s ability to be updated through software, and whether consumers choose to exercise the software update,” CTIA said in a document in docket 15-91. “The Commission’s new interpretation risks extensive consumer and public safety community confusion, and unnecessarily complicates … providers’ efforts to inform consumers about WEA capable devices in a nearly continuous fashion.” Carriers “have limited visibility into whether mobile devices are or could be ‘WEA capable’ under this interpretation,” the association said.

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."

Broadcast and cable commenters unanimously support an FCC proposal to do away with a mandate that hard copies of agency rules be kept on hand. The support came in comments in docket 17-231. The proposal would still require broadcasters and cable carriers to be familiar with FCC rules, but paper copies aren’t the best way to accomplish that, said America’s Public Television Stations, CPB and PBS. “Paper copies of the rule are not continually updated, and they are not searchable by licensees seeking to understand Commission requirements applicable to particular circumstances.” The American Cable Association praised the proposal for removing burdensome and “duplicative” rules, and NCTA and NAB also filed in support of the change. The proposal is the first of Chairman Ajit Pai’s monthly media deregulation items (see 1709060073).