The FCC Wireline Bureau extended deadlines for additional carriers to remove, replace and dispose of Huawei and ZTE equipment from their networks. In an order posted in Friday’s Daily Digest, the bureau said extensions went to Advantage Cellular Systems, extended to March 10, AST Telecom (April 18), Country Wireless (Feb. 23) and Inland Cellular (Sept. 30). NE Colorado Cellular received an extension to March 9 for part of its system, and April 6 for other parts. Competitive Carriers Association President Tim Donovan told us Friday he remains hopeful Congress will find a spending vehicle this year to fully fund the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to pay for carriers to rip and replace the Chinese gear (see 2408230039). The program faces a $3.08 billion funding gap (see 2404100067).

The Utilities Technology Council and the 450 MHz Alliance announced a partnership Friday to promote greater use of the 450 MHz band. “By working together, we can facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices, driving forward the development of future-proof communication systems that are essential for utility operations,” said Gosta Kallner, alliance executive chair. The groups plan to “collaborate on a range of initiatives, including joint research projects, workshops and advocacy efforts to support regulatory and standardization processes.”

Progeny stressed in a progress report on the status of the construction and operation of its multilateration location and monitoring service licenses that its parent NextNav is seeking revisions to the rules for that spectrum. The changes “would enable highly accurate, widescale geolocation services, greatly enhancing the efficacy and utility of Progeny’s terrestrial position, navigation, and time (PNT) services as a complement and backup to the Global Positioning System,” said a filing Friday in docket 12-202. NextNav’s proposal for the 902-928 MHz band has proven controversial. Amateur radio operators have opposed NextNav’s request, making hundreds of filings ahead of a Thursday deadline for initial comments (see 2408120024). “The Commission’s action on the Petition will enable the deployment of a widescale terrestrial PNT complement and backup without the need for federal funding,” Progeny said. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority also raised concerns. The authority’s licensed RFID devices “are tuned to different frequencies on a site-by-site basis to avoid interference with existing operators,” said a filing posted Friday: “If all existing licensed and unlicensed users of the lower 900 MHz frequencies are compressed into a significantly reduced portion of spectrum, Metro will face potential significant difficulties identifying frequencies that can be used for its transponder communications without being subject to interference moving forward.” The authority also questioned the lack of a guardband to protect its operations and NextNav's real-world testing. NextNav’s plans “call for higher-powered devices (two orders of magnitude more powerful) and significantly larger volumes of traffic than are currently in use on these frequencies” and the potential impact on Metro’s roadside antennas, readers and in-vehicle transponders “have not been properly evaluated,” the authority said. The band provides connections for “tens of millions” of smart-home and smart-building devices and industrial solutions, said Reliable Controls, which offers products that use the frequencies, including its EnOcean line. “The reallocation of this spectrum would potentially render these devices inoperative, potentially causing widespread disruption and resulting in billions of dollars in economic loss to schools, hospitals, government buildings, offices, companies, industry and individuals,” the company said.

The FCC’s cyber trust mark program should remain focused on cybersecurity, based on NISTIR 8425, the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s IoT core baseline, CTA representatives said during a meeting with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff. “Ensure confidential treatment of both Cybersecurity Label Administrator and manufacturer applications,” a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-239 said. The program should also be “backed by a broad consumer education campaign that is led by the U.S. government,” CTA said.

The Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association supported a proposal to give the FirstNet Authority and AT&T effective control of the 4.9 GHz band, in a filing this week in FCC docket 07-100. “This will prevent an unwieldly patchwork of deployments across the nation and create the economies of scale necessary to speed deployment by maintaining a consistent set of build out regulations and creating the necessary incentives for the proliferation of new equipment and technologies,” the Oklahoma chiefs said. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association and the Detroit Public Safety Foundation opposed FirstNet control of the band. “The local nature of the 4.9 GHz band is crucial for future preparedness and providing network resiliency to first responders,” the Illinois group said. The proposal remains hotly contested (see 2408230021).

Congress appears unlikely to renew FCC auction authority this year, which makes prompt FCC action on approving fixed wireless use of the lower 12 GHz band even more important, former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said in a new blog post. O'Rielly called inaction on FCC auction authority “especially vexing" given the importance of spectrum to U.S. competitiveness and enabling new technologies. “Having served as an FCC Commissioner, I understand the agency’s limited options to make more spectrum available absent Congressional action on auction authority,” O’Rielly said: “Despite this challenge, there is a prime opportunity before the Commission in the pending lower 12 GHz proceeding that would enable more efficient use of spectrum even while Congress works to restore auction authority.” The FCC “should not wait to act on … and should move to adopt final rules to authorize the use of high-power two-way, fixed wireless service in the band.” The 12 GHz for 5G Coalition continues pressing for FCC action on the band (see 2407030061).

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, joined by public interest groups, and T-Mobile opposed a petition at the FCC seeking reconsideration of last month’s 3-2 order allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate support for off-premises Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless internet services (see 2407180024). They were the only filers in docket 21-31 as of Wednesday. Tuesday was the deadline for oppositions. Maurine and Matthew Molak, who sued the agency over its decision that authorized funding Wi-Fi on school buses, are seeking reconsideration (see 2408020035). The FCC should dismiss the Molak petition “as it relies on arguments that have been fully considered and rejected by the Commission within the same proceeding,” said SHLB. The Open Technology Institute at New America and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society joined SHLB. “Petitioners fail to identify any material error, omission, or reason warranting reconsideration of their arguments alleging the Commission’s lack of statutory authority,” the groups said. The petition “merely asserts its claims and does not raise any additional argument purporting that the Commission had either erred in its reasoning that the above-mentioned statutory provisions grant[ ] it legal authority, or that the Commission omitted or failed to consider certain facts or reasoning when making its determination.” Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, “a majority of students required the Internet to complete their homework every single day,” T-Mobile said. “Progress made in addressing the Homework Gap during the pandemic by local school districts that provided students with Wi-Fi hotspots is now in jeopardy, and so the Wi-Fi lending program contained in the Order is crucial to sustaining pandemic-era connectivity gains and connecting students.” The FCC order contains appropriate safeguards, T-Mobile said: “It requires applicants to maintain acceptable use policies that clearly state that off-premises use must be primarily for an educational purpose.” The Molaks, whose 16-year-old son died by suicide after he was cyberbullied, argued that the school bus ruling would give children and teenagers unsupervised social media access.

During a meeting with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, representatives of the 5G Automotive Association urged “expeditious adoption” of a long-anticipated order finalizing rules for cellular vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band. Rosenworcel circulated the order for a vote in July (see 2407170042). Based on Rosenworcel’s statement at the time, “the order appears to be generally consistent with 5GAA’s most recent advocacy concerning the rules” for C-V2X, said a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-138.

The FCC Wireless Bureau on Tuesday approved a January request by PTC-220 for authority to operate 76 positive train control radio base stations, using automated maritime telecommunications system spectrum covering the Northern Atlantic region. “Today’s action will enable PTC-220’s member railroads to deploy Congressionally-mandated, interoperable PTC and related (non-PTC) rail safety systems on rail lines serving 53 counties in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania,” the bureau said. Its order notes PTC-220 will use the upper portion of the spectrum block at 219.5-220 MHz, adjacent to its 220 MHz spectrum. PTC-220 member railroads “will use the AMTS spectrum to implement two additional PTC common channels, which will improve system reliability and safety,” the order said.

Anterix representatives spoke with an aide to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr asking for action on a rulemaking authorizing 5/5 MHz broadband deployments in the 900 MHz band (see 2405210041). “The Petition is premised on the recommendation that all relocation from the current narrowband segments be on an entirely voluntary basis and that there be continued interference protection for incumbents,” said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 24-99.