The 5G Automotive Association called for expeditious FCC approval of a long-awaited order finalizing rules for cellular vehicle-to-everything use of the 5.9 GHz band. Representatives of the group met with aides to Commissioners Anna Gomez, Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr, said a filing posted Thursday in docket 19-138. 5GAA said that based on Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's statements (see 2407170042), the order “appears to be generally consistent with 5GAA’s most recent advocacy” on C-V2X use of the band. Fremont, California, meanwhile, became the latest city to seek a waiver of the current rules for deploying C-V2X for roadside and on-board units for “a wide range of applications to enhance public safety, efficiency, and overall traffic management.”

Representatives of Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Institute met with FCC Wireless and Public Safety bureau staff on the groups' concerns about giving FirstNet, and AT&T, control of the 4.9 GHz band (see 2407230045). The groups pointed to AT&T’s February wireless outage, the topic of a recent FCC report (see 2407220034). “The network configuration error that shut down the AT&T Network simultaneously shut down access by first responders to FirstNet because FirstNet operates on the same AT&T network and relies on the same device certifications as all other devices connecting to the AT&T mobility network,” a filing posted Thursday in docket 07-100 said. There should be “no doubt that giving FirstNet an overlay license to the 4.9 GHz spectrum means that the 4.9 GHz band will be fully integrated into AT&T’s network, primarily for use by AT&T,” the groups said. The Lincoln, Nebraska, Fire & Rescue Department, meanwhile, said the band should be given to FirstNet. Giving FirstNet control “will enable the deployment of next-generation technologies such as 5G, AI, and IoT, which are crucial for effective emergency response,” the department said.

CTIA representatives met with Chief Alejandro Roark and other officials from the FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau on a February Further NPRM on whether the Telephone Consumer Protection Act applies to robocalls and robotexts from wireless service providers to subscribers (see 2404220029). CTIA discussed how the current framework for communications by wireless service providers to their subscribers "at no charge facilitates the sending of service-related communications that help ensure consumers’ safety and connectivity and protect consumers against fraud and scams, among other benefits,” a filing posted Thursday in docket 02-278 said. CTIA raised concerns about proposals in the FNPRM “to change or limit the existing framework, including proposals to carve out certain types of communications or require wireless providers to honor opt-out requests for any type of call or text to any wireless subscriber -- prepaid or postpaid alike,” the filing said.

AT&T agreed it will drop claims that supplemental coverage from space is currently available to its consumers following a challenge from T-Mobile. A National Advertising Review Board panel agreed with the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division that AT&T should discontinue the claim, NARB said Thursday: “It was not disputed that AT&T does not currently offer SCS coverage to its cellular customers.” AT&T said while it disagrees with “NARB’s conclusion recommending that the commercial be discontinued or modified,” it “supports NARB’s self-regulatory process and will comply with NARB’s decision,” NARB said.

The move to open radio access networks continues to see mixed results, Dell’Oro Group said Thursday. North America is expected to lead the shift to ORAN and deployment is picking up in Europe after a slow start, it said in a report. “Despite ongoing challenges, most operators will gradually incorporate more openness, virtualization, intelligence, and automation into their RAN roadmaps,” Dell’Oro said. “Open RAN is happening, but this vision that Open RAN will significantly change the vendor dynamics is fading,” said Stefan Pongratz, Dell’Oro vice president-RAN market research: With most of the leading RAN suppliers “committed to the latest O-RAN fronthaul interfaces, the question now is more about the timing and the adoption curve for the various RAN segments.”

Test solutions company Keysight Technologies spoke with FCC Public Safety Bureau staff about the company’s perspective on the agency’s cyber trust mark program (see 2403140034), including ways to make the program “more successful,” a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-239 said. Among the topics discussed were “the role of security test automation to the program,” the importance of “standardized data interchange” and “keeping the cost of the program reasonable," Keysight said.

The neutral host market is likely to hit $8.7 billion in 2028, offering an opportunity “for those who can make both the technology and economics work,” 5G Americas said in a report released Wednesday. 5G Americas defines neutral hosts as “shared wireless infrastructures that allow multiple network providers to offer connectivity and coverage to different sectors and customers.” Potential “headwinds” include the decline of distributed antenna system equipment sales, security risks, energy costs and consumption, and potential regulatory barriers, the report said. “Tailwinds include the growth of private networks, the availability of shared spectrum, the demand for Bring Your Own Device and innovative partnership models.”

Representatives of the Edison Electric Institute discussed electric utilities' need for licensed spectrum to support uncrewed aerial systems. Accordingly, they urged that the FCC examine the 4.9 and 5 GHz bands. “Access to licensed spectrum would enable networked operations, expanding drone range and facilitating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights,” a filing Tuesday in docket 22-323 said: “This would significantly improve inspection efficiency and enhance security.” EEI representatives met with an aide to Commissioner Nathan Simington, after an earlier session with staff for Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioner Geoffrey Starks (see 2407250020).

Comments are due Sept. 9, replies Sept. 23, on an FCC NPRM that proposes industry-wide handset unlocking rules, a notice for Thursday’s Federal Register said. Commissioners approved the NPRM 5-0 last month (see 2407180037). It proposes a requirement that all mobile wireless providers unlock handsets 60 days after they’re activated, unless a carrier determines the handset “was purchased through fraud.”

Telit Communications' ME310M1 is the first module based on Sony’s Altair ALT1350 chipset to receive AT&T approval, the company said Wednesday. The chipset is “the first in the world to support both unlicensed spectrum and satellite connectivity, enhancing IoT device functionality and application,” it noted. The module is energy efficient, allowing for smaller device sizes and reducing the frequency of battery replacements, “a critical advantage in many IoT applications,” Telit said.