Broadband homes that don’t intend to buy a smart home device due to security and privacy concerns jumped from 21 percent in Q1 2017 to 32 percent this Q1, Parks Associates blogged Wednesday. A quarter of U.S. broadband households strongly agree it’s impossible to keep their personal data away from unauthorized users. Consumers own an average of 8.6 connected CE products, up 87 percent since 2010, said analyst Chris O’Dell, noting that connected devices using cloud-based servers can provide easy targets for hackers.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday it won’t reconsider (in Pacer) a September opinion in Jordan Marks v. Crunch San Diego, No. 14-56834, with broad definition of "automatic telephone dialing system" under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The full court must still decide whether to hear the case en banc.
A judge stayed his review of cases against California's net neutrality law after the state agreed not to enforce the law while challenges to the FCC's net neutrality reversal order are pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court (see 1810260045). Further proceedings on the DOJ and ISP cases "shall be stayed until the later of the following: (a) the D.C. Circuit issues its opinion in the petitions for review currently pending in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC, Nos. 18-1051 et al. (D.C. Cir.) and the period for seeking further review from the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court has expired; or (b) a final decision has been issued by the D.C. Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court in response to any petition for rehearing or certiorari, either denying such petition or issuing a final decision," said Friday's order (in Pacer) of Judge John Mendez of the U.S. District Court for Eastern California.
Staff doesn’t oppose Crown Castle’s application for a statewide telecom certificate at the South Carolina Public Service Commission, the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff said Monday in docket 2018-272-C. Rural phone companies conditionally agreed not to oppose the application (see 1809250015).
Commercial products exist that could potentially fill the reassigned numbers database need the FCC is trying to fill, contact management services company Ontario Systems told an Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis staffer, according to a docket 17-59 posting Thursday. Ontario also urged safe harbor protection against Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigation for callers using the FCC database, saying it would promote caller adoption and allow tech providers like Ontario to integrate it.
Oppositions are due Nov. 9, replies Nov. 19 to petitions to reconsider an FCC August order and ruling aimed at removing barriers to pole attachments for broadband deployment (see 1808020034), said a notice in Thursday's Federal Register. The Coalition of Concerned Utilities (here) asked the commission to revisit pole-attachment rate and process changes in the order (see 1810160031). Smart Communities and Special Districts Coalition (here), County Road Association of Michigan (here) and New York City (here) sought reconsideration of a pre-emption ruling, with the latter also targeting part of the order (see 1809110009). A proposed rule for Friday's FR sets comments for Dec. 10, replies Jan. 9 (timetable) on an NPRM proposing to ensure direct-dial 911 calling from centralized phone systems in multiline buildings and campuses under Kari's Law. It seeks comment on ensuring "dispatchable location" information is conveyed with emergency calls, under Ray Baum's Act (see 1809260047).
FCC staff cleared IM Telecom's amended Lifeline wireless compliance plan as part of the provider's sale from Trevan Morrow to KonaTel Parent, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 11-42 and Wednesday's Daily Digest. It said IM Telecom (also known as Infiniti Mobile) provides Lifeline service in seven states.
Free State Foundation President Randolph May welcomed the FCC's proposed $63.5 million fine of American Broadband and Telecommunications for apparently fraudulent Lifeline conduct (see Notebook section at end of 1810230037). He also blogged on his opposition to the agency's proposal to bar resellers, hoping the agency tables "proposals that would have the effect, even if inadvertently, of gutting the program."
The FCC Public Safety Bureau dismissed without prejudice a Colorado request for clarification about FirstNet. Tuesday’s order in docket 16-269 follows the Colorado Broadband Office in July asking the FCC not to act on the Colorado Public Safety Broadband Governing Body (CPSBGB) request the commission adopt rules to ensure interoperability on FirstNet (see 1807170042). The office said it would work with CPSBGB and FirstNet to resolve the concerns. “This collaboration may result in further steps to address Colorado’s interoperability concerns without the need for the Commission to consider the Request,” the FCC bureau said. “This ongoing collaboration indicates that the interoperability issues identified in the Request have not crystallized into a controversy or uncertainty that warrants Commission resolution through a declaratory ruling.”
Silicon Labs announced an LTE-M expansion kit for its EFM32 Giant Gecko 11 starter kit to accelerate development of gateways and devices that operate in deep-sleep mode and require extended battery life, it said Monday. The ready-to-deploy solution uses a Digi XBee3 modem that’s said to be future-ready for 5G technologies. Applications include smart energy and smart cities.