Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter recommended in a letter to President Barack Obama (http://xrl.us/bnmixz) a long list of actions the administration can take to address the growing demand for more spectrum for wireless broadband. “The wireless innovation community is increasingly indispensable to the U.S. economy and employment, supporting today nearly 3.8 million American jobs,” Spalter wrote. “Even in today’s challenging economic climate, direct U.S. employment by wireless carriers has grown almost 6 percent annually over the past four years. These jobs extend beyond the technology world, powering small business growth, as well as expansion and innovation in manufacturing, healthcare and most other leading sectors of our economy -- progress that makes U.S. workers and companies more competitive around the world.” Among Spalter’s recommendations are addressing Channel 51 interference concerns, further streamlining tower siting and finishing up FCC work on orders addressing the Wireless Communications Service, 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Service and the 1675-1710 MHz and 1755-1850 MHz bands.

The effective date for FCC rules on more efficient use of the 76-77 GHz band is Sept. 12. In early July, acting on a request from Toyota, the FCC agreed to change the limits for radiated emissions in the band to allow more use of “stop and go” adaptive cruise control and rear pre-collision systems in the cars it manufactures for sale in the U.S. (CD July 6 p3). The FCC also amended its rules to allow the operation of fixed radars at airports for detecting foreign object debris on runways and monitoring aircraft and service vehicles on taxiways. The notice was published in the Federal Register (http://xrl.us/bnkj6b).

MetroPCS launched sales of the first Dyle mobile DTV-compatible Samsung smartphone to prepay customers at $459. The Lightray 4G LTE, available in MetroPCS’s 15 metro markets, is being marketed as part of the carrier’s four 4G LTE rate plans, starting at a $40 monthly fee for 250 MB of data and including 2.5 GB ($50), 5 GB ($60) and unlimited ($70) plans. MetroPCS will sell the phone through its 162 company-owned stores and more than 6,000 corporate and authorized resellers in 11,000 cities and 15 metro areas, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami and New York, the company said. MetroPCS had 9.1 million customers June 30, having lost a net 186,062 in Q2, the company said. The Lightray features a 4.3-inch active matrix OLED with 480x800 resolution, 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1,600-milliampere lithium-ion battery with 3.3 hours talk time and 8.3 days standby, 8-megapixel camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and 1.37 GB internal memory. It’s to be packaged with a 16 GB microSD card. It weighs 4.9 ounces and measures 5.1x2.6x0.5 inches. MetroPCS chose to launch the first Dyle-branded smartphone because it “meets the needs and wants” of the carrier’s customers, which “over-index” in multimedia and mobile entertainment, a MetroPCS spokesman said. Dyle mobile DTV, which provides free-to-air channels, also “complements” the Rhapsody Unlimited Music and MetroStudio video-on-demand services the carrier offers, the spokesman said. MetroPCS will “put sufficient effort” behind marketing the Lightray to “ensure the phone is visible” online and in stores, said the spokesman, who declined to say whether this will include TV and radio ads. Dyle, which has the backing of Fox, Ion, NBC and Telemundo, is available in 35 U.S. markets.

AT&T moved another step toward closing its spectrum gap with Verizon Wireless Thursday, announcing it was buying NextWave Wireless in a deal which will strengthen AT&T’s position in the Wireless Communications Service (WCS) band. In June, AT&T and Sirius XM reached an agreement, which will allow part of the 2.3 GHz WCS band to be used for LTE (CD June 19 p1). However, the transaction must be approved by federal regulators. Early signs are it will face opposition from small carriers and other industry players concerned about AT&T expanding its spectrum holdings.

Sprint Nextel became the first wireless carrier to plunge into the Ultrabook market, bundling Lenovo’s IdeaPad U310 with either Novatel’s MiFi 3G/4G mobile hot spot or Sierra Wireless’ Overdrive Pro in a $799 package. The offer is available through Sprint Telesales, Web sales, Sprint Business Sales and Sprint Business Solutions Partners, the carrier said. Data plans available start at a $34.99 monthly fee for 3 GB of combined 3G/4G and range to $49.99 for 6 GB. The Lenovo U310 features a 13.3 inch LCD, 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 3000 HD graphic chip and stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theatre V4 audio enhancement.

The U.S. faces huge challenges trying to stay ahead of growth in wireless broadband use, and putting the right band plans in place is critical, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Monday at the start of an all-day agency workshop conducted by the commission’s Technological Advisory Council (TAC). “We are going to be listening very closely to what happens at this workshop and what comes out of the TAC process in terms of directions and recommendations for the FCC."

The FCC Wireless Bureau set a pleading cycle on Actel’s proposal to sell seven lower 700 MHz A-block licenses to U.S. Cellular Corp. “Applicants state that the additional spectrum will allow USCC to offer innovative services and improve its voice and data service offerings to the public in 35 Cellular Market Areas in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin,” the public notice said (http://xrl.us/bngn3y). It said that if the transfer is approved, U.S. Cellular would have 61 MHz of spectrum below 1 GHz in 12 counties across three CMAs in Nebraska. Petitions to deny are due July 26, oppositions Aug. 6 and replies Aug. 13.

GENEVA -- Time is limited and study schedules tight to prepare for additional mobile service allocations at the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) that would spur broadband applications, speakers said at an ITU-R workshop Wednesday. Meeting participants were from several of the ITU-R working parties that deal with terrestrial services. Conference preparatory schedules are “tighter” than in the past, said Akira Hashimoto, chairman of the ITU-R study group on terrestrial services. A webcast of the workshop was available without the usual need for ITU credentials; but no archive has been posted on the organization’s website.

BRUSSELS -- Preliminary results of a European Commission study to boost efficiency of spectrum use to spur mobile broadband and other applications is focusing on bands used for satellite, terrestrial, aeronautical and defense applications, speakers told a European Commission workshop. The EC-funded study is a pilot program, or prototype, for the EU spectrum inventory, said Scott Marcus of WIK Consult. The inventory should identify candidate bands for improvement in use and assist in determining what might be done, the cost and expected benefits, said Marcus, who is project manager.

The FCC proposed Wednesday to require Dish Network to build out to at least 70 percent of the population in each of the geographic areas it’s licensed to provide terrestrial service in within seven years. The proposal is part of the agency’s notice of proposed rulemaking that would convert the 2 GHz band from satellite-only spectrum to combined satellite and wireless spectrum. The agency also asked for input on a possible alternative band plan for the spectrum, which would be renamed as AWS-4, making use of nearby spectrum (http://xrl.us/bmy2oj).