The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Tuesday on a request by Breitling USA for a waiver of commission rules for its dual band emergency Watch called Emergency2. The device, intended for use on land, can be used to transmit a distress signal on 406.0-406.1 MHz for communication with the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system and a lower-powered homing signal on frequency 121.5 MHz, the bureau said. Absent a waiver, the device could not be certified under Part 95 of FCC rules, the bureau said. Breitling requests waiver of manual control, battery and labeling requirements in the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) standard for such personal locator beacon (PLB) devices. “Breitling states that incorporation of a PLB into a wristwatch casing as opposed to a conventional hand-held device renders certain requirements in the RTCM standard irrelevant or infeasible, but argues that the Emergency2 provides the offsetting advantage that it is always immediately at hand and ready to operate, with no added risk of harmful interference to others,” the bureau said. Comments are due Dec. 4, replies Dec. 19.
The FCC Wireless Bureau sought comment Tuesday on a request by Breitling USA for a waiver of commission rules for its dual band emergency Watch called Emergency2. The device, intended for use on land, can be used to transmit a distress signal on 406.0-406.1 MHz for communication with the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system and a lower-powered homing signal on frequency 121.5 MHz, the bureau said. Absent a waiver, the device could not be certified under Part 95 of FCC rules, the bureau said. Breitling requests waiver of manual control, battery and labeling requirements in the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) standard for such personal locator beacon (PLB) devices. “Breitling states that incorporation of a PLB into a wristwatch casing as opposed to a conventional hand-held device renders certain requirements in the RTCM standard irrelevant or infeasible, but argues that the Emergency2 provides the offsetting advantage that it is always immediately at hand and ready to operate, with no added risk of harmful interference to others,” the bureau said. Comments are due Dec. 4, replies Dec. 19.
The FCC Wireless Bureau dismissed a petition to deny by Waimana, which opposed Verizon’s buy of seven personal communication service (PCS) licenses for Hawaii from Coral Wireless. Waimana is a Native Hawaiian corporation with an exclusive license to build and operate a broadband telecommunications network in Hawaii. “Waimana asserts in its Petition that Coral’s apparent failure to deploy wireless infrastructure or significant wireless services in the Home Lands despite having received $131.2 million of federal high-cost support possibly constitutes a violation of section 254(e) of the Communications Act,” the bureau said Monday in an order. But the bureau said Waimana lacked standing to file the petition. “The Petition’s explanation as to how Waimana might be directly injured by an assignment of spectrum to Verizon Wireless is speculative and vague,” the bureau said.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued the following name and address change notifications between Oct. 14-20:
All U.S. flights carrying people who have recently traveled to, from or through West African countries that are dealing with the Ebola epidemic must land at one of five airports, said CBP in a notice. "I hereby direct all operators of aircraft carrying persons to the U.S. whose recent travel included Liberia, Guinea, or Sierra Leone to land at one of the following five airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York; Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey; Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia; Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois; and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Georgia," said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske in the notice. CBP and other agencies are adding enhanced screening protocols at the five airports, it said.
CBP began accepting donation proposals as part of its Donation Acceptance Program, under which the agency may accept donations from the private sector and other government agencies to develop its port infrastructure (see 14100216). Donated money, property, and services may be used for activities related to the construction, alteration, operations, and maintenance of an existing CBP or GSA port of entry, including land acquisition, design, and the deployment of new equipment and technology. The program was authorized by the Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2014 (see 14011423).
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands -- Philips is moving to put clear differentiation between Dolby Vision and its own high dynamic range (HDR) TV system, Philips engineers told us in a visit to the company’s research lab where its HDR system has been under development since 2004. From the Philips perspective, the need for clear distinction has grown more urgent as Dolby Labs has moved more aggressively to promote Dolby Vision, including landing a prototype showcase demonstration at the Philips stand at IFA through a deal with TPVision that TPVision later said it never signed (see 1409040067). TPVision, majority-owned by TPV Technology of China, markets Philips-brand TVs in most markets outside North America.
The FCC approved on a 5-0 vote Friday an order designed to speed deployment of distributed antenna systems, small cells and other wireless facilities. In a late change negotiated by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the FCC reduced from 90 to 60 days the period of review before a collocation application can be deemed granted. In return, CTIA and PCIA agreed to work with local jurisdictions on streamlining the approval process. Commissioners noted that infrastructure buildout is as important to deployment as spectrum for robust wireless networks. The FCC also approved, 5-0, a notice of inquiry examining new developments in technology that could increase the viability of operations in bands above 24 GHz.
PCIA President Jonathan Adelstein urged improved access to federal lands for companies that build wireless infrastructure, in a speech to a federal lands workshop at the HetNet Expo Thursday. Adelstein said progress has been slow and the workshop is intended to “jumpstart” the process, in prepared remarks. More than 30 percent of America’s landmass is owned, or controlled, by the federal government, he said. “These are some of the hardest lands to site wireless infrastructure,” he said. “Yet they are also some of the most remote, where broadband is especially critical for public safety and economic development. If our industry confronts heavy obstacles to deployment in areas where the business case is already most difficult, the result is that investment goes elsewhere.” The federal government wins if rules for facility deployment are relaxed, he said. More broadband means military families on remote bases have the same Internet access “they would expect off-base so that they can remain connected to their loved ones,” he said. War fighters gain access “to training opportunities on the most advanced technologies,” he said. Public safety agencies also need better access to broadband, he said: “Our executive agencies throughout the federal government, like the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service, need broadband to more efficiently meet their missions and protect their personnel.”
PCIA President Jonathan Adelstein urged improved access to federal lands for companies that build wireless infrastructure, in a speech to a federal lands workshop at the HetNet Expo Thursday. Adelstein said progress has been slow and the workshop is intended to “jumpstart” the process, in prepared remarks. More than 30 percent of America’s landmass is owned, or controlled, by the federal government, he said. “These are some of the hardest lands to site wireless infrastructure,” he said. “Yet they are also some of the most remote, where broadband is especially critical for public safety and economic development. If our industry confronts heavy obstacles to deployment in areas where the business case is already most difficult, the result is that investment goes elsewhere.” The federal government wins if rules for facility deployment are relaxed, he said. More broadband means military families on remote bases have the same Internet access “they would expect off-base so that they can remain connected to their loved ones,” he said. War fighters gain access “to training opportunities on the most advanced technologies,” he said. Public safety agencies also need better access to broadband, he said: “Our executive agencies throughout the federal government, like the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service, need broadband to more efficiently meet their missions and protect their personnel.”