LAS VEGAS -- APCO closed its annual meeting with a session featuring FirstNet users who made the case for the new network, being built by AT&T. But the officials conceded that in some cases expanding the network will remain a fight. Many attendees at APCO expressed skepticism about the network (see 1808070037), but presentations at the annual meeting had a mostly pro-FirstNet focus.
Mayors raised “deep concerns” with a 5G small-cells bill pending in Congress. The Streamlining the Rapid Evolution and Modernization of Leading-edge Infrastructure Necessary to Enhance Small Cell Deployment Act (S-3157) aims to ease barriers by implementing a “reasonable process and timeframe guidelines” for state and local consideration of small-cell applications (see 1807250056). The bill would let the federal government take broad swaths of local government land, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for states and cities, the mayors wrote in a Monday letter to Senate Commerce Committee leaders. “Local governments should have the time and flexibility to ensure that small cell wireless infrastructure is deployed, not just quickly, but safely and correctly in our communities.” The letter was signed by 24 mayors including from Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Louisville, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco. In a Tuesday letter to the FCC in docket 17-79, Austin telecom officer Rondella Hawkins urged the agency to rethink pre-empting local authority. “The Commission appears to be on the cusp of a rulemaking that would cripple local government authority to manage valuable public property, protect public safety, preserve the aesthetic appeal of our communities, and protect the interest of other property owners.” Pace of small-cell application approval is quickening as Austin works with industry and other municipalities on best practices, Hawkins said.
Onkyo USA landed exclusive rights to market and distribute Teac home entertainment products in the U.S. and Latin America, said the company Tuesday. Teac-branded products join Onkyo, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, Integra and Esoteric brands in Onkyo's portfolio. The first Teac products under the agreement are the NR-7CD network CD player/integrated amplifier, NT-505 USB digital-to-analog converter network player and CG-10M master clock generator. The network players support Hi-Res Audio formats and premium streaming services including Tidal, Onkyo said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking comments by Oct. 9 on a new information collection related to coming permitting, recordkeeping and ACE filing requirements for imported shrimp and abalone, NOAA said in a notice. Shrimp and abalone will be subject to requirements for high-risk seafood starting Dec. 31 (see 1804230037). As of that date, "importers of shrimp and abalone species will be required to obtain an International Fisheries Trade Permit" and "submit harvest and landing information on those products" into the International Trade Data System through the ACE portal. NOAA estimated the information requirements will require 215,167 annual burden hours and cost a total $805,000 annually due to recordkeeping and reporting costs.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Posted comments on the Trump administration’s proposed third round of Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports surpassed 600 Tuesday in docket USTR-2018-0026. Virtually all were filed by the original July 27 deadline for requests to appear at four days of public hearings beginning Aug. 20.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau is quietly starting to clamp down on what some in the wireless industry see as a growing problem -- distribution of noncompliant Asian radios. The Land Mobile Communications Council was at the FCC earlier this year meetings on the problem, including with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold and other Enforcement staff, LMCC members told us. LMCC in particular drew O'Rielly's attention (see 1806080056). Last week, the bureau issued a citation and order against Amcrest Industries for marketing a handheld radio that allegedly doesn’t comply with rules.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau is quietly starting to clamp down on what some in the wireless industry see as a growing problem -- distribution of noncompliant Asian radios. The Land Mobile Communications Council was at the FCC earlier this year meetings on the problem, including with Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold and other Enforcement staff, LMCC members told us. LMCC in particular drew O'Rielly's attention (see 1806080056). Last week, the bureau issued a citation and order against Amcrest Industries for marketing a handheld radio that allegedly doesn’t comply with rules.
The Fish and Wildlife Service on July 25 issued a proposed rule to remove blanket restrictions on importation and exportation of species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Under the proposal, current regulations extending ESA Section 9 restrictions on import, export and taking of endangered wildlife so that they also apply to threatened species would be amended so that they only affect species already listed as threatened by the effective date of any final rule. Going forward, for species listed as threatened after the change becomes effective, import and export restrictions would not automatically apply and FWS would have to issue a species-specific “Section 4(d)” rule to implement endangered species restrictions on import, export and taking.
Prime Day has passed, but Best Buy was giving customers a chance to hunt deals in a laid-back "Black Friday in July" event. Limited quantities were available of HDTVs, laptops and other products through Saturday, said the landing page from a Thursday email to customers. Apple products headlined the event, with $150 off select MacBook Air models, $125 off select iPad Pros (students save an extra $50), $200 off a 21-inch iMac and $50-$75 off Apple Watch models. An iPhone 8, 8 Plus X deal required a new line on Verizon and an eligible trade-in to get $300 savings, or $100 savings with an upgraded plan, it said. Sprint offered the 64 GB iPhone X to customers opening a new line for $20 per month under an 18-month lease, bringing the phone cost to $360, a savings of $390 over Sprint’s non-deal price and $639 off the phone’s full price. Savings are applied as bill credits, said Sprint. Apple gift cards were nipped by 15 percent, the 4th-generation Apple TV by $10 to $139 and Beats X earphones cut by $55 to $94, Best Buy said. Some Samsung TV prices were hidden until placed in the cart, coming in under the manufacturer’s minimum advertised price. A UN65MU8000 65-inch 4K TV was slashed by $300 to $999. The same model was also cart-priced at Walmart Friday, but for $1,349, down from a list price of $2,199, said the e-commerce site. Elsewhere at Best Buy, a 50-inch Samsung UN50M5300 smart HDTV was selling for $299, a $150 discount, it said, and Sony Blu-ray players were cut $50 each to $199 and $249. The retailer’s Facebook and Twitter accounts were low-key Friday, with Best Buy’s deals page on Twitter showing “Deal of the Day” vs. a Black Friday in July banner. In response to questions on timing of the event after Prime Day, low-key marketing and product selection, a Best Buy spokesperson emailed us the sale is a yearly summer event that’s getting standard marketing coverage “from website home page to emails.”