The Havfrue transatlantic subsea cable system will land at NJFX's New Jersey collocation campus, said a news release Tuesday. The system will link New Jersey and Denmark, with branch connections to Ireland and Norway, and is being built by a consortium including Aqua Comms, Google and Facebook, it said.

With OneWeb seeing more pushback against its plans for additional satellites in its planned Ku- and Ka- and V-band constellations (see 1808080003), those challenges could face a hurdle as some experts see the FCC as likely to OK qualified non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) applications. Though it's inclined to approve the new constellations, the agency is going to be very conservative with handing out waivers and stretching the rules, a satellite lawyer told us. One example is the FCC apparently looking askance at Boeing's attempt to hand off two NGSO applications to SOM1101, which ultimately resulted in Boeing withdrawing that request and the applications (see 1808060005), the lawyer said. OneWeb didn't comment Friday.

Arguing fixed satellite service earth stations in motion in the 29.25-29.3 GHz band pose a significant interference threat to its uplinks, Iridium is pitching other ways of allowing ESIM use of that spectrum, in docket 17-95 postings Thursday recapping meetings with Commissioner Mike O'Rielly and Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Julius Knapp (see here and here). The agency could allow land and marine ESIMs in the band but hold off on aeronautical ESIM approval since those pose particular risk of in-line interference, Iridium said, adding that aeronautical ESIM approval could come when there's better coordination of aeronautical operations. The agency could OK ESIM operations in the band with the requirement they protect Iridium feeder link reception via the routes described in the ESIM draft order on the September agenda (see 1809040058), it said. The company said deferring action on riskier ESIM deployments doesn't hurt FCC spectrum use objectives.

The FCC Wireless Bureau Thursday froze applications for new or expanded use of 900 MHz band frequencies, effective immediately. The bureau noted it sought comment in an August 2017 notice of inquiry on the future of the band (see 1708070043). The NOI looks at whether “any rule changes may be appropriate to improve spectrum efficiency or expand flexibility in the 900 MHz band in order to better serve private land mobile radio users’ current and future communications needs,” the bureau said. “The purpose of this freeze is to preserve the current landscape of authorized operations in the 900 MHz band pending Commission action as part of its ongoing inquiry into potential rule changes to promote next generation technologies and services in the band.” The docket is 17-200.

The House is set to vote under suspension Wednesday night on the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act (HR-4824), said the office of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Monday. The bill would direct the Agriculture and Interior departments to establish voluntary programs allowing state or tribal governments to conduct National Environmental Policy Act-mandated analyses of broadband projects proposed in department- or tribal-owned lands. HR-4824 would also designate a lead federal agency for reviewing the permit application for any broadband project on Agriculture- or tribal-owned lands whether or not analysis authority is delegated out to a state or tribal government.

The FCC overstates broadband availability on tribal lands because it considers service available in a census block if a provider could serve at least one location, GAO reported Friday. "Overstatements of access limit FCC's and tribal stakeholders' abilities to target broadband funding to such areas." GAO recommend the FCC devise ways to collect and report accurate data on tribal broadband access, develop a process for obtaining tribal input on provider data, and obtain feedback from tribal stakeholders on the effectiveness of a 2012 agency statement to providers on tribal engagement. The FCC agreed.

The FCC overstates broadband availability on tribal lands because it considers service available in a census block if a provider could serve at least one location, GAO reported Friday. "Overstatements of access limit FCC's and tribal stakeholders' abilities to target broadband funding to such areas." GAO recommend the FCC devise ways to collect and report accurate data on tribal broadband access, develop a process for obtaining tribal input on provider data, and obtain feedback from tribal stakeholders on the effectiveness of a 2012 agency statement to providers on tribal engagement. The FCC agreed.

The House is set to vote under suspension Wednesday night on the Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act (HR-4824), said the office of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Monday. The bill would direct the Agriculture and Interior departments to establish voluntary programs allowing state or tribal governments to conduct National Environmental Policy Act-mandated analyses of broadband projects proposed in department- or tribal-owned lands. HR-4824 would also designate a lead federal agency for reviewing the permit application for any broadband project on Agriculture- or tribal-owned lands whether or not analysis authority is delegated out to a state or tribal government.

With the FCC set to vote on a major wireless infrastructure item Sept. 26, it saw much activity late in the week, based on filings in docket 17-79. Chairman Ajit Pai Wednesday circulated the draft declaratory ruling and order, crafted by Commissioner Brendan Carr (see 1809050029). CTIA fired back at a NATOA petition for reconsideration of a March infrastructure order (see 1806060039). That order was “a proper, lawful exercise of the Commission’s authority under the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, was consistent with those statutes, and was solidly grounded in the factual record,” CTIA said: The FCC “addressed a serious and growing problem -- the long delays and costs resulting from the Commission’s and Tribal authorities’ prior implementations of NEPA and NHPA.” Sprint agreed, saying the order offers “much-needed relief from the unnecessary and ineffective regulatory burdens created by the prior regime.” NTCA agrees with Crown Castle complaints railroads can slow wireless deployment (see 1807050022). “Unfettered monopoly control of certain tracts of land by railroads may have made sense a century or more ago,” not now, NTCA said. Officials with NATOA, the National League of Cities, the Smart Communities Coalition and the U.S. Conference of Mayors said Carr contacted each before the pending order premiered "to provide the organizations with his understanding and intent of the Item,” the groups said.

SAN DIEGO -- Smart home company Brilliant Home Technology announced availability Thursday of its home automation technology, which controls lights, thermostats, locks, doorbells and Sonos speakers over Wi-Fi from a smart light switch. Brilliant received CTA’s TechHome Mark of Excellence award for product of the year, announced at CES.