Stakeholders favor the FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy encouraging broadband deployment. Smith Bagley Inc. sought to enhance ONAP's role to encourage engagement between eligible telecom carriers and tribal governments, among comments posted Tuesday in docket 10-90. SBI said some tribal governments "have limited economic resources and lack the internal expertise in telecommunications necessary to conduct an assessment and provide feedback in a Tribal engagement process." MuralNet said ONAP must have a budget large enough "to hire sufficient staff to perform Tribal consultation activities, organize workshops, and attend meetings with Tribal leaders in their communities across Indian Country and at conferences." MuralNet supported a recommendation the tribal engagement requirement include Alaska native villages and Alaska tribal health organizations. ETCs need flexibility to meet the agency's tribal engagement obligations, said the Alaska Telecom Association. Clarify what constitutes good documentation and record-keeping on tribal engagement, urged the Montana Telecommunications Association. It wants to avoid appeals or penalties when "a provider believes it has complied with the guidance only to find out after the fact that the provider's documentation does not meet the [Universal Service Administrative Co.'s] interpretation of the guidelines." The Oceti Sakowin Tribal Utility Authority said lack of tribal government comments last month (see 1912060008) shows engagement isn't uniformly effective. OSTUA wants changes including that all carriers serving tribal lands, not just ETCs, engage with tribes. The FCC said Commissioner Brendan Carr plans to visit with Mescalero Apache Telecom and Mescalero Apache Reservation leaders in New Mexico this week.

Stakeholders favor the FCC Office of Native Affairs and Policy encouraging broadband deployment. Smith Bagley Inc. sought to enhance ONAP's role to encourage engagement between eligible telecom carriers and tribal governments, among comments posted Tuesday in docket 10-90. SBI said some tribal governments "have limited economic resources and lack the internal expertise in telecommunications necessary to conduct an assessment and provide feedback in a Tribal engagement process." MuralNet said ONAP must have a budget large enough "to hire sufficient staff to perform Tribal consultation activities, organize workshops, and attend meetings with Tribal leaders in their communities across Indian Country and at conferences." MuralNet supported a recommendation the tribal engagement requirement include Alaska native villages and Alaska tribal health organizations. ETCs need flexibility to meet the agency's tribal engagement obligations, said the Alaska Telecom Association. Clarify what constitutes good documentation and record-keeping on tribal engagement, urged the Montana Telecommunications Association. It wants to avoid appeals or penalties when "a provider believes it has complied with the guidance only to find out after the fact that the provider's documentation does not meet the [Universal Service Administrative Co.'s] interpretation of the guidelines." The Oceti Sakowin Tribal Utility Authority said lack of tribal government comments last month (see 1912060008) shows engagement isn't uniformly effective. OSTUA wants changes including that all carriers serving tribal lands, not just ETCs, engage with tribes. The FCC said Commissioner Brendan Carr plans to visit with Mescalero Apache Telecom and Mescalero Apache Reservation leaders in New Mexico this week.

The UHD Alliance scored coups for its Filmmaker Mode initiative Monday at CES when it announced Samsung and TP Vision as new TV-maker adopters. Kaleidescape also signed on as a supporter. Filmmaker Mode is the ease-of-access TV picture setting free of the image processing that creators disdain for rendering their content in the living room as if it were shot on high-speed video rather than film (see 1908270001). TP Vision makes and markets Philips-brand TVs in most world markets outside North America. IHS Markit pegs Philips among the top five TV brands in Europe where its presence is strongest. Adding “global powerhouse” Samsung and “European market leader” Philips to the roster that previously included LG, Panasonic and Vizio “brings much greater impact” to the global effort to boost Filmmaker Mode adoption and awareness, UHDA President Mike Fidler told a Mandalay Bay news conference. “We now really do have that broad, strong worldwide presence,” said Fidler. LG is committed to including Filmmaker Mode in every new model of 4K and 8K TVs it introduces in 2020, said Tim Alessi, head-home entertainment product marketing. “We intend to aggressively promote Filmmaker Mode at retail as these products come to market.” Filmmaker Mode got “official endorsements" from the Directors Guild of America, the Film Foundation, the National Cinematographers Guild and the American Society of Cinematographers as "the preferred way for watching movies and episodic television," said UHDA Chairman Michael Zink. It’s the only picture setting "that has received such endorsements to date" from "such a broad variety of the creative community," said Zink.

The PowerPic wireless-charging picture frame for mobile phones imported from China under the 8504.40.85.00 subheading was one of 68 exclusions the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative granted from the List 3 Section 301 tariffs, said Monday’s Federal Register. The exclusions are retroactive to Sept. 24, 2018, when the tariffs took effect at 10 percent before being raised to 25 percent months later. “After a great deal of time, effort and expense by our small company, we are 100% convinced that there are no manufacturers anywhere in the world but in China which can produce our products at prices and in quantities needed to allow us to succeed in selling to consumers,” said importer Twelve South in its PowerPic exclusion request.

The PowerPic wireless-charging picture frame for mobile phones imported from China under the 8504.40.85.00 subheading was one of 68 exclusions the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative granted from the List 3 Section 301 tariffs, said Monday’s Federal Register. The exclusions are retroactive to Sept. 24, 2018, when the tariffs took effect at 10 percent before being raised to 25 percent months later. “After a great deal of time, effort and expense by our small company, we are 100% convinced that there are no manufacturers anywhere in the world but in China which can produce our products at prices and in quantities needed to allow us to succeed in selling to consumers,” said importer Twelve South in its PowerPic exclusion request.

The PowerPic wireless-charging picture frame for mobile phones imported from China under the 8504.40.85.00 subheading was one of 68 exclusions the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative granted from the List 3 Section 301 tariffs, said Monday’s Federal Register. The exclusions are retroactive to Sept. 24, 2018, when the tariffs took effect at 10 percent before being raised to 25 percent months later. “After a great deal of time, effort and expense by our small company, we are 100% convinced that there are no manufacturers anywhere in the world but in China which can produce our products at prices and in quantities needed to allow us to succeed in selling to consumers,” said importer Twelve South in its PowerPic exclusion request.

The FCC Wireless Bureau and the Office of Native Affairs and Policy are "ready to provide assistance" to potential applicants in the 2.5 GHz rural tribal priority window as they apply for unassigned frequencies on eligible rural tribal lands, said a public notice Monday on docket 18-120. The window is Feb. 4-Aug. 3 (see 1910180068). The staff will provide individualized guidance via RuralTribalWindow@fcc.gov or by phone. Information is at www.fcc.gov/RuralTribalWindow. The FCC has a mapping tool at www.fcc.gov/25-ghz-rural-tribal-maps. Applications and associated shapefiles will be placed on PN for review and comment after the filing window.

LAS VEGAS -- Enthusiasm for smart cities has been scaled down at recent CESs as cities encounter hurdles, said Brian Collie, Boston Consulting Group senior partner, on a panel Monday. Enthusiasm has also waned for autonomous vehicles, he said. Speakers agreed that to be a success, smart cities need a push, starting at the federal level.

LAS VEGAS -- Enthusiasm for smart cities has been scaled down at recent CESs as cities encounter hurdles, said Brian Collie, Boston Consulting Group senior partner, on a panel Monday. Enthusiasm has also waned for autonomous vehicles, he said. Speakers agreed that to be a success, smart cities need a push, starting at the federal level.

LAS VEGAS -- Enthusiasm for smart cities has been scaled down at recent CESs as cities encounter hurdles, said Brian Collie, Boston Consulting Group senior partner, on a panel Monday. Enthusiasm has also waned for autonomous vehicles, he said. Speakers agreed that to be a success, smart cities need a push, starting at the federal level.