Aviation associations updated the FCC on their look at potential interference to flight operations in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band by expanded use of the nearby C band for 5G. The commercial aviation industry continues testing “to better evaluate the impact of unwanted emissions into radio altimeters,” the groups said. “As radio altimeters provide essential safety of flight information during the most critical phases of flight, it is vital that the testing accurately reflect any potential impact the aircraft will experience during take-off and landing, or when conducting extended low altitude operations, as are common with helicopters,” said the filing in docket 18-122. “This has added complexity to the assessment with the various proposed 5G and other new entrant services, and it is anticipated that the results from this effort will be shared with the Commission in the coming months as the work develops.” The Air Line Pilots Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Aerospace Industries Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association and International Air Transport Association were among those signing the filing, posted Thursday.

The FCC is taking nominations for a new Precision Agricultural Connectivity Task Force through July 17. Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday the agency will work with the Agriculture Department to develop policies to speed broadband deployment for unserved agricultural lands. The task force will prepare a report due within a year on the status of fixed and mobile broadband access for agricultural lands; projections for future connectivity needs of agricultural operations; and ways to measure availability of broadband on agricultural lands. The FCC seeks representatives from diverse demographic regions, including small farmers and tribal agriculture producers; state and local government, data collection and mapping experts; and industry representatives, including from fixed and mobile broadband service providers, satellite broadband and telecom equipment manufacturers. Requirements and duties are in Monday's public notice. Congress sought ways to ensure federal spending on broadband deployment in rural areas is better coordinated across agencies (see 1905020058).

The FCC is taking nominations for a new Precision Agricultural Connectivity Task Force through July 17. Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday the agency will work with the Agriculture Department to develop policies to speed broadband deployment for unserved agricultural lands. The task force will prepare a report due within a year on the status of fixed and mobile broadband access for agricultural lands; projections for future connectivity needs of agricultural operations; and ways to measure availability of broadband on agricultural lands. The FCC seeks representatives from diverse demographic regions, including small farmers and tribal agriculture producers; state and local government, data collection and mapping experts; and industry representatives, including from fixed and mobile broadband service providers, satellite broadband and telecom equipment manufacturers. Requirements and duties are in Monday's public notice. Congress sought ways to ensure federal spending on broadband deployment in rural areas is better coordinated across agencies (see 1905020058).

AT&T said it’s exploring with Uber how LTE and “eventually” 5G can enhance electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles and cargo drones. “Multi-phase collaboration plans to bring together AT&T’s outstanding 4G and industry-leading 5G expertise with Elevate, Uber’s air mobility business unit, to support advanced technologies eventually enabling aerial ridesharing and cargo delivery applications,” AT&T said Tuesday.

AT&T said it’s exploring with Uber how LTE and “eventually” 5G can enhance electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles and cargo drones. “Multi-phase collaboration plans to bring together AT&T’s outstanding 4G and industry-leading 5G expertise with Elevate, Uber’s air mobility business unit, to support advanced technologies eventually enabling aerial ridesharing and cargo delivery applications,” AT&T said Tuesday.

AT&T said it’s exploring with Uber how LTE and “eventually” 5G can enhance electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles and cargo drones. “Multi-phase collaboration plans to bring together AT&T’s outstanding 4G and industry-leading 5G expertise with Elevate, Uber’s air mobility business unit, to support advanced technologies eventually enabling aerial ridesharing and cargo delivery applications,” AT&T said Tuesday.

Plaintiffs made initial arguments at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear challenges to the FCC’s wireless infrastructure changes that were aimed at speeding build out of small cells and 5G. Court watchers said what the 9th Circuit will do is difficult to predict, though it may prove unfriendly to President Donald Trump’s FCC.

Treasury’s Office of Foreign assets Control sanctioned 16 people and entities, including Syrian oligarch Samer Foz, to cut off “critical supplies and financiers” for Syria's “luxury reconstruction and investment efforts," Treasury said in a June 11 press release. Treasury said Foz has “been profiting heavily front reconstruction efforts” in Syria by building luxury developments on land seized by Syria.

Microsoft got support for its proposal for a Further NPRM on TV white spaces (see 1905030050). NAB earlier said it supports some changes. Comments were posted Monday in docket 14-165 and due that night. The Wireless ISP Association supported a Microsoft proposal to allow use of the 6 MHz of spectrum first-adjacent to TV channels at power levels higher than 40 MW. “With access to spectrum adjacent to TV broadcast channels -- with appropriate interference protection -- WISPs can aggregate more spectrum and more contiguous spectrum to increase capacity,” the group said. WISPA said the FCC should seek comment on a proposal to allow TV white spaces devices to transmit from a height above average terrain (HAAT) up to 500 meters, subject to coordination above 250 meters. Giving white space users “additional deployment flexibility will increase the utility of the band, especially in rural areas where towers may be taller but the number of towers may be limited, or where towers are located on mountains or plateaus that exceed the current HAAT limit,” WISPA said. New America’s Open Technology Institute, Next Century Cities and the Gigabit Libraries Network endorsed the petition, in comments not yet posted. “The Petition proposes ‘pragmatic and long-overdue changes’ to the TV White Space rules in Part 15 that present the Commission with an opportunity to take important steps to bridge the rural-urban digital divide.” The groups “strongly concur that the modest improvements proposed in the Petition can empower providers to extend higher-speed internet access to more unserved areas where wireline or even fixed wireless broadband relying on higher-frequency spectrum has proven to be unavailing.” Sacred Winds, a carrier on Navaho tribal lands, said it’s working with Microsoft here. “Using a mix of telecommunications technologies, Sacred Wind has succeeded since its inception in increasing voice service from 26 percent coverage of total locations within its study area to over 90 percent and broadband service from zero in 2006 to over 90 percent,” the carrier said: “Yet, there remain areas within Sacred Wind’s service territory, and in areas in other surrounding rural communities, where customers that live near dense foliage or not clearly within Line of Sight of Sacred Wind’s communications towers, are unable to receive service.” Evolve Cellular and Skylark Wireless said OK'ing the petition "would substantially improve access to broadband in rural areas and thereby advance the Commission’s goal of extending broadband connectivity to all Americans.” Nominet also supported the petition.

Microsoft got support for its proposal for a Further NPRM on TV white spaces (see 1905030050). NAB earlier said it supports some changes. Comments were posted Monday in docket 14-165 and due that night. The Wireless ISP Association supported a Microsoft proposal to allow use of the 6 MHz of spectrum first-adjacent to TV channels at power levels higher than 40 MW. “With access to spectrum adjacent to TV broadcast channels -- with appropriate interference protection -- WISPs can aggregate more spectrum and more contiguous spectrum to increase capacity,” the group said. WISPA said the FCC should seek comment on a proposal to allow TV white spaces devices to transmit from a height above average terrain (HAAT) up to 500 meters, subject to coordination above 250 meters. Giving white space users “additional deployment flexibility will increase the utility of the band, especially in rural areas where towers may be taller but the number of towers may be limited, or where towers are located on mountains or plateaus that exceed the current HAAT limit,” WISPA said. New America’s Open Technology Institute, Next Century Cities and the Gigabit Libraries Network endorsed the petition, in comments not yet posted. “The Petition proposes ‘pragmatic and long-overdue changes’ to the TV White Space rules in Part 15 that present the Commission with an opportunity to take important steps to bridge the rural-urban digital divide.” The groups “strongly concur that the modest improvements proposed in the Petition can empower providers to extend higher-speed internet access to more unserved areas where wireline or even fixed wireless broadband relying on higher-frequency spectrum has proven to be unavailing.” Sacred Winds, a carrier on Navaho tribal lands, said it’s working with Microsoft here. “Using a mix of telecommunications technologies, Sacred Wind has succeeded since its inception in increasing voice service from 26 percent coverage of total locations within its study area to over 90 percent and broadband service from zero in 2006 to over 90 percent,” the carrier said: “Yet, there remain areas within Sacred Wind’s service territory, and in areas in other surrounding rural communities, where customers that live near dense foliage or not clearly within Line of Sight of Sacred Wind’s communications towers, are unable to receive service.” Evolve Cellular and Skylark Wireless said OK'ing the petition "would substantially improve access to broadband in rural areas and thereby advance the Commission’s goal of extending broadband connectivity to all Americans.” Nominet also supported the petition.