Congress Eyeing StingRay Cell Devices, New Regulations

Congress is now giving a closer look at a device that mimics a cell tower to spy on cell phones after two federal agencies said they will require a warrant to used the tool called a StingRay. The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security have both recently said they will require warrants to use the devices and on Oct. 21, the House Oversight subcommittee heard testimony from Seth Stodder, an assistant secretary at Homeland Security. The day before the hearing, Homeland Security issued a detailed memo outlining guidelines for using StingRays but critics are still pushing for tighter control over the devices.
 
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who has previously pressed for answers on the technology, said the legal memo was a positive first step, but pointed to “problematic” exceptions, according to TheHill newspaper.

“I am disappointed that DHS..." Continue reading here.

FCC Proposes New Wireless Broadband Rules

Hoping to create fertile ground to spawn 5G mobile service, the FCC yesterday proposed new rules for the wireless broadband in the wireless frequencies above 24Ghz.

The FCC wants to create “new flexible use service rules in the 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 64-71 GHz bands” and to make these bands available using “a variety of authorization schemes, including traditional wide area licensing, unlicensed, and a shared approach that provides access for both local area and wide area networks.”

“The FCC is taking steps to unlock the mobile broadband and unlicensed potential of spectrum at the frontier above 24 GHz,” the agency said in a statement announcing the proposal. “It was previously assumed physical and tech limitations could not support mobile service in these bands. New tech developments may allow the use of these high frequencies for mobile applications – like 5G service – with significantly more capacity and faster speeds for next generation mobile service.”
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Unregistered, Unlit Towers Get $620,000 FCC Fine

The FCC has fined Anchorage, Alaska-based General Communications, Inc. $620,000 for failing to register 118-towers and for failing to properly light three of them to comply with flight safety rules. A settlement was reached and announced late Tuesday (October 20) by the FCC in Washington.

The wireless, Internet and phone company’s wholly-owned tower subsidiary, The Alaska Wireless Network, reported to the FCC in early 2014 that it discovered numerous apparent violations of the tower registration requirements, including for many towers that it had recently acquired. A subsequent investigation by the FCC’s Wireless Bureau showed that about 118 communications towers had not been registered in the Antenna Structure Registration system and that three towers did not meet lighting requirements.

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Sprint’s Biggest Mistake?

Some are calling Sprint’s decision to sit out the 2016 incentive auction its biggest mistake since trying to buy T-Mobile. The company cited its reasoning as prioritizing financial resources to improve network coverage, capacity, speed and reliability in the near future. TheStreet reported that Sprint’s stock dropped after the announcement because investors believe the company will be deprived of future network upgrades without this spectrum. On Monday when the market opened, Sprint shares fell 7.3% to $3.98.

Brian Fung of The Washington Post explained that this spectrum which operates at frequencies of 600 MHz should make our cellular data faster and better able to handle intensive applications like streaming music and video. Many have called these frequencies “beach-front property,” and the auction has been dubbed a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. Continue reading here. 

Let’s EVOLVE

EVOLVE is a new coalition that was announced earlier this week, whose goal is to promote the consumer benefits of unlicensed spectrum and new technologies for unlicensed spectrum like LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) and Licensed Assisted Access (LAA). LTE-U and LAA are new technologies that will substantially increase data speeds and improve coverage for millions of Americans.  Founding members include the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA—The Wireless Association, Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Qualcomm Incorporated, T-Mobile, and Verizon.  The EVOLVE coalition believes regulators should reject calls to preemptively interfere with new technologies like LTE-U and LAA that enhance utilization of unlicensed spectrum. Continue reading here. 

Sprinting for #1

By 2017, Sprint’s network will perform better than Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile. That’s the bold statement Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure made to CNNMoney reporters David Goldman and Hope King. This reiterates the statements that Claure made over the summer, stating Sprint would be among the top two in overall network performance in the U.S. While Sprint has shared plans to build out its macro sites and densify its networks in metropolitan areas, two years is not a lot of time to achieve this goal. Goldman and King explained, “Sprint has the tools to do it — it’s always just been a question of using them the right way. After its 2013 purchase of mobile network Clearwire, Sprint is sitting on a boatload of unused wireless spectrum . In fact, Sprint has more spectrum than any of its competitors.” Claure agreed noting that the company has a big advantage over Verizon.  “We have half their customers and twice the amount of spectrum,” Claure told CNNMoney. Sprint’s spectrum is in the higher frequency range, though lower bandwidth is preferred. Claure told the news outlet that to take advantage of the spectrum they own, they need to deploy three times the number of towers as Verizon utilizes. Continue reading here. 

Man Stable After Tower Fall

A man fell from a cell tower in Summit Park located in Harrison County, WV, Friday afternoon. Currently in stable condition, he fell from the tower and was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital with a head injury, according to WDTV-TV. This accident comes just 18 months after two tower workers and a local firefighter were killed while working on a tower when it collapsed in the Summit Park area near Clarksburg. WDTV-TV reported that there is no word on the man’s name, or whether or not he works with the company involved in the previous tower collapse accident. Continue reading here.