The FCC released best practices for the disposal of Huawei and ZTE gear removed as part of the rip and replace program, in a notice listed in Friday’s Daily Digest. These include "procedures to effectuate equipment removal, data destruction, media sanitization, storage, transportation, physical destruction and recycling, and also cover the selection of certified data sanitization services, equipment destruction services, and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling services,” the Wireline Bureau public notice said: While voluntary, these practices will help companies meet their disposal obligations efficiently, while also ensuring the safe and secure removal and disposal of covered communications equipment and services that pose a national security threat.” Carriers “can employ alternative compliance measures, but risk the Commission subsequently finding that such measures are not in compliance with section 1.50004(j) of its rules,” the PN said. The Rural Wireless Association raised concerns some of its members are already in the process of disposing of gear, staff said. The FCC will keep in mind these providers “could not have known the best practices” in the PN and will “take this into account when evaluating compliance,” the bureau said. Choice of vendor is optional, but the notice recommends using a “U.S. disposal company” registered with the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

The International Bureau sought comment on Thursday by Oct. 14 on draft recommendations approved this week by the FCC 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (see 2109280063), in docket 16-185.

China slammed the FCC Wednesday for moving on the rip-and-replace program for Chinese gear (see 2109270023). “Considering the grave pandemic and economic situations in the U.S., the $1.9 billion could be used better in areas in urgent need,” said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson. “The U.S. has kept smearing and slandering Huawei and other Chinese companies, but is unable to present any solid evidence to support its accusations. The so-called ‘national security’ is only a clumsy excuse of the U.S. to impose ‘national bullying’ and practice trade protectionism.”

The U.S. semiconductor industry maintained global leadership, with 47% revenue share, and “kept steady” its high R&D investment at $44 billion spent through 2020, reported the Semiconductor Industry Association Monday. But the industry “and its position as a global innovation leader face myriad challenges,” it said. “The industry continues to grapple with a widespread global semiconductor shortage brought on by unpredictable and increased demand resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said SIA. It suffers from “decreasing share of global front-end fab capacity fueled by incentives and subsidies provided by foreign governments that far outstrip similar incentives in the U.S.,” it said. “America’s economy, national security, tech leadership, and response to COVID-19 are built on semiconductors,” said SIA CEO John Neuffer. “To remain competitive on the global economic stage” and promote more R&D and production “on U.S. shores,” Congress and the White House should “act swiftly” to fund the semiconductor provisions in the Chips Act, he said. The Senate has passed legislation that provides $52 billion in funding, and the House needs to “follow suit,” said SIA.

Leaders of Quad countries Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. ended their summit in Washington with the commitment to “fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem, based on mutual trust and confidence,” said the White House Friday. Design, development, governance and use of technology “should be an equitable and inclusive process that neither involves nor results in unfair discriminatory action,” it said. “Technology should not be misused or abused for malicious activities such as authoritarian surveillance and oppression, for terrorist purposes, or to disseminate disinformation.” The countries agree that “resilient, diverse, and secure technology supply chains” for hardware, software and services “are vital to our shared national interests,” it said. “Close cooperation on supply chains with allies and partners who share our values will enhance our security and prosperity, and strengthen our capacity to respond to international disasters and emergencies,” said the statement. “We welcome all nations to join us in pursuit of this shared vision for technologies.” China gave strong indications Monday it won't accept the invitation anytime soon. "Relevant countries should abandon the outdated Cold War zero-sum mentality and ideological bias, stop forming closed and exclusive cliques and do more to promote solidarity and cooperation," said a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson.

FCC-proposed questions on whether foreign entities seeking to buy a U.S. FCC licensee have ever been subject to legal penalties are overbroad, said USTelecom in a call Thursday with an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, per a filing in docket 16-155. Queries should be limited to a “timeframe of relevance,” USTelecom said. “Some USTelecom members are amalgamations of companies that date back 100 years, working with many different state and local regulatory entities.” That makes it difficult to report on penalties with certainty, and it isn’t clear why older information would be useful, the filing said. USTelecom wants a 10-year time frame. The draft order sided with the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecom Services Sectors stance that the information was relevant when considering whether prospective buyers are security threats to the U.S. (see 2109200059)

Use of aggregate collision probability limits on non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems and requiring satellite operators to demonstrate orbital tolerances that ensure adequate access to orbits by multiple parties were among Europe, Middle East and Africa Satellite Operators Association recommendations on orbital debris and space situational awareness. ESOA Wednesday urged operators be required to be able to maneuver above "a reasonable altitude" such as 400 km to avoid collisions, and that they do frequent health checks ensuring NGSOs are working properly and address root causes of any problems before launches. It recommended the low earth orbit pods mission disposal time frame be less than 25 years and that operators show they have access to an up-to-date space object catalog and an efficient service for collision warning.

It's "shameful" that "nearly half of all humanity" lacks internet access, said ITU Telecom Development Bureau Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin Wednesday in prerecorded remarks during a TPRC virtual conference. Getting people connected "requires a laser focus" on "innovative, responsive, [and] adaptive regulation, innovative financing models, and innovative people-centric multistakeholder partnerships," Bogdan-Martin said: "Business as usual isn't going to cut it this time around, and we cannot sit back and hope that market forces alone will bridge the connectivity chasm." Giga, an initiative led by ITU and UNICEF, expects to complete connectivity mapping of 1 million schools in 36 countries to "connect at least 1,000 schools in each of our first 17 priority countries" by Dec. 31, Bogdan-Martin said.

Dish Network is suing an Iraqi streaming service and set-top box maker and a Michigan reseller, claiming the iStar service is infringing on copyright by carrying a variety of international broadcast channels in the U.S. that are exclusively licensed to Dish. In a complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit (docket 2:21-cv-12219), Dish said it and the networks sent nearly 70 notices to iStar between March 2016 and the filing of the complaint, and iStar stopped responding in 2019. Defendant reseller Atlas Satellite didn't comment.

More than 7 billion antennas for IoT devices will ship globally by 2025, nearly three times the current volume, reported ABI Research Wednesday. “With new product launches and evolution of existing devices requiring multiple radios, smaller form factors, and greater device breadth, OEMs are increasingly challenged both at the design phase and when getting their products to market,” it said. “If the antenna is not designed and integrated properly at the beginning of the process, an OEM is very likely to encounter higher costs, delays, and even product failure at the certification stage,” said analyst Tancred Taylor.