Comments are due Sept. 17, replies Oct. 8 on FCC spectrum proposals to modify the 37, 39 and 47 GHz band plans in preparation for an auction, said a proposed rule, for Monday's Federal Register, from a Further NPRM approved Aug. 2 (see 1808020025). A 3.7-4.2 GHz band order and certification requirements adopted July 12 (see 1807120037) takes effect Monday with a rule in the FR, but satellite earth-station and space-station reporting duties must await approval by the Office of Management and Budget. Two other rules (here and here) for Monday's FR take effect Sept. 19: a July 6 order to establish a framework for measuring the broadband speed and latency performance of Connect America Fund support recipients (see 1807060031), and a July 13 order eliminating long-distance dialing-parity and database query requirements, aimed at helping pave the way for eventual nationwide number portability (see 1807130053).

The FCC cleared Global Connection's amended wireline and wireless Lifeline compliance plan as part of its proposed transfer of control to Odin Mobile, which is buying 75 percent of the company. Global Connection provides resold wireline Lifeline service in 26 states and wireless Lifeline service in 26 states and territories, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 11-42 and Thursday's Daily Digest.

AT&T closed its buy of digital advertising company AppNexus (see 1806250036), which it's folding into AT&T Advertising and Analytics led by CEO Brian Lesser, the buyer said. “AT&T will continue to invest in and build on AppNexus’ technology globally as it integrates with AT&T’s first-party data, premium video content and distribution."

Representatives of the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments told the FCC the group is making progress on registering hearing aid compatible-compliant equipment in ACTA's database. “ACTA has made significant progress in modifying its procedures,” the group said. It “will request the same information and use the same processes for the registration of HAC-compliant” equipment as it has in place for other equipment, ATIS filed in docket 13-46.

Video relay service providers urged expedited FCC approval of their waiver petition to serve new users or those ported from other providers while verification is pending through a telecom relay service user registration database. "Such rapid action is particularly justified in this proceeding given the unanimous views of the VRS Providers [petition] and the Consumer Groups [here], as well as the absence of any opposition," replied ASL Services (Global VRS), Convo Communications, Purple Communications, Sorenson Communications and CSDVRS (ZVRS), posted Monday in docket 03-123. Enterprise Users criticized AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink arguments backing an ITTA petition seeking a ruling that confirms carriers can recover TRS Fund contributions in line-item charges to customers. The telcos ask the FCC "to rewrite history -- to retroactively reverse the Commission's long standing prohibition against the use of line items to recover TRS Fund contributions -- in order to insulate them from the consequences of their current and past unlawful actions," said 3M, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Office Depot, Sears and a dozen others. They recognized the FCC has the authority to change the rule prospectively.

Comments are due Sept. 24, replies Oct. 8 on how to help voice service providers block unlawful robocalls, as robocalls reportedly edged down in July. The FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau noted a March 2017 NPRM and notice of inquiry into provider-initiated call blocking (see 1703230035), and a November order and Further NPRM authorizing providers to block categories of calls deemed highly likely to be illegal and seeking comment on ways to unblock erroneously blocked calls (see Notebook at end of 1711160054). CGB sought to refresh the record from the "Call Blocking NPRM and NOI on additional criteria voice providers could use to identify and block illegal calls," said a public notice in docket 17-59 and Monday's Daily Digest. It said the goal is "to identify specific, enforceable criteria for targeting illegal calls that cannot be abused while ensuring providers have sufficient flexibility available to adapt to dynamic calling patterns." U.S. robocalls totaled an estimated 3.99 billion in July, a 3 percent drop from June, the first such decline since February, but a 54 percent increase over July 2017, YouMail reported Monday. It said the first seven months of this year had 24.3 billion robocalls, a 41 percent increase over the same period last year.

The FCC gave Sprint and Hamilton Relay an extension of previously granted waivers of mandatory minimum standards for certain telecom relay services offered under state TRS programs. "The waived standards require providers of traditional TRS, speech-to-speech relay service (STS), and non-Internet Protocol (IP) forms of captioned telephone service (CTS) to offer consumers (1) their choice of long distance carrier (equal access rule) and (2) multiple billing options for long distance calls," said the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Wednesday in docket 03-123. The waivers now extend "until the earlier of August 24, 2019, or the effective date of a Commission decision" on the continuing application of the related standards.

Communication service providers are at a “crucial stage” and need to accelerate their “UnTelco strategies” to take back ownership of the home or “or risk being relegated as marginal players,” said an ABI report. Providers including AT&T, Orange and Verizon should step up activities beyond their traditional offerings to generate revenue growth and take advantage of what ABI sees as an $11.2 billion market opportunity in the smart home by 2022. CSPs are being threatened in a market increasingly driven by Google and Amazon with their smart speakers and security solutions, said ABI analyst Pablo Tomasi, who cited a few CSPs -- Telefonica with Aura, Orange with Djingo, and SK Telecom with Nugu -- that are developing artificial intelligence assistants to support their smart home plays. “To win the smart home, CSPs must take a platform approach,” said Tomasi, crediting Deutsche Telekom and Comcast as market leaders in the CSP space with a platform strategy and ecosystems favoring “freemium” services over traditional bundles. “CSPs should use this mix of essential (e.g., broadband connectivity) and value-added services (e.g., monitored security) to tailor a strategy fine-tuned to customers’ needs and regional dynamic” and not impose their fixed-line business model to the smart home, said Tomasi.

ATIS said its testing validated the ability to mitigate unwanted robocalling through the Internet Engineering Task Force's Stir (Secure Telephone Identify Revisited) protocol combined with the Shaken (Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs) framework developed in an ATIS/SIP Forum joint task force, in a release Tuesday. Shaken and Stir "provide the ability to authenticate, digitally sign and verify calling party numbers to help stop suspicious calls before they reach subscribers." FCC Chairman Ajit Pai accepted the North American Numbering Council recommendations to establish a governance authority overseeing Shaken/Stir use by next May (see 1805140028), and various large telecom providers are adopting the procedures, which target VoIP calls.

The North American Numbering Council will meet Sept. 13 at 9:30 a.m. at the FCC, said a public notice Monday in docket 92-237. "NANC will consider a report from its Numbering Administration Oversight Working Group on the technical requirements to consolidate the services of the North American Numbering Plan Administrator and the Pooling Administrator," said the PN. (The FCC asked NANC to report on combining the contracts for the two administrators). "In addition, the FCC will provide more information on the new Interoperable Video Calling Working Group," said the PN. "The NANC will also continue its discussions on how to modernize and foster more efficient number administration in the United States."