WASHINGTON, November 23, 2022 – Amazon on Friday continued its campaign to persuade the Federal Communications Commission to allow near–ground level drones to utilize the 60–64 GigaHertz band, a move the company said would make drone operations safer.

Amazon has long developed Amazon Prime Air, its drone-based delivery service. Then-CEO Jeff Bezos made a dramatic TV reveal in 2013, and limited customer-facing operations are scheduled to begin this year.

Allowing radar applications in this band would improve “a drone’s ability to sense and avoid persons and obstacles in and near its path without causing harmful interference to other spectrum users,” argued Friday’s letter, signed by Jaime Hjort, head of wireless and spectrum policy, and Kristine Hackman, senior manager of public policy.

In an October filing, cited in Friday’s letter, Amazon laid out its case more fully, stating that the proposed drone activity in the band would not clash with the existing operations of earth-exploration satellite services.

The company urged the commission to adopt a new perspective on drones, a novel technology: “A drone package delivery operating near ground level operates much more like a last-mile delivery truck than a cargo plane,” the October filing read.

Spectrum allocation is a top priority for lawmakers and experts, alike. Many believe increased spectrum access is vital to the development of next-generation 5G and 6G technologies as well as general American economic success.

In August, the FCC and National Telecommunications and Information Administration – overseers of non-federal and federal spectrum, respectively – announced an updated memorandum of understanding to better coordinate Washington’s spectrum policy. In September, the FCC announced the winners of the 2.5 GHz auction and approved a notice seeking comment on the 12.7–13.25 GHz band the next month.

A senior NTIA official in October stated his agency would create “spectrum strategy” that will rely heavily on public input.

HOUSTON, May 5, 2022 – The Federal Communications Commission’s decision paving the way for more competition in multi-tenant buildings may inadvertently hamper smart building technology, according to a developer of smart city tools.

The FCC finalized rules in February that prohibit internet service providers from entering exclusive revenue sharing agreements in which landlords get a cut of service provider contracts in order to increase service provider competition.

But the rules will mean managed Wi-Fi will suffer, according to a technologist at a Broadband Breakfast panel on Wednesday. That’s because such smart tools require a core group of subscribers – often done through a “bulk” purchase – to be economically viable. The result is more complicated community networks as competition between providers increases, he said.

“A lot of providers are building networks that only deliver internet to the home,” said Ted Maulucci, president of SmartOne Solutions, a smart tools developer from Canada. “They are not building networks that allow you to segregate networks within the building . . . The biggest problems we face are solved by network. The networks have to be created right.”

Maulucci called for the government to push for network building standards necessary for this technology.

Screenshot of Ted Maulucci, president of SmartOne Solutions, in 2017

Smart devices are becoming increasingly popular in multi-family units. Smart buildings are pre-engineered with this technology to promote sustainability, convenience, and safety in multitenant dwellings.

A shared interface allows residents to control thermostats, let people into the building, and view security camera visuals. Machine learning helps communities modify consumption behavior to promote sustainability and alerts residents of possible security threats through analysis of aggregated data.

Networks supplying broadband internet support these added benefits, making a community network essential for functionality.

Our Broadband Breakfast Live Online events take place on Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. You can also PARTICIPATE in the current Broadband Breakfast Live Online event and REGISTER HERE.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 12 Noon ET – The Future of the Smart Home, and the Future of the Smart Apartment Building

Americans are increasingly integrating smart technology into their homes and digitizing facets of everyday life. Going forward, what aspects of digitization in the home may need to be regulated by government policy? Are there any changes people are making to their homes that the tech industry should be concerned by? With all the issues surrounding broadband access in many multi-dwelling units, is there any hope for the possibility of smart apartment buildings for residents as standards of technology continue to advance? Join us for this Broadband Breakfast Live Online event from the Broadband Communities Summit to look at these questions and more.

Panelists for this Broadband Breakfast Live Online session:

• Kevin Donnelly, Vice President, Government Affairs, Technology and Strategic Initiatives, National Multifamily Housing Council
• Amy Chien, Director of Strategic Innovations, BH
• Kurt Raaflaub, Head of Product Marketing, ADTRAN
• Ted Maulucci, President, SmartONE Solutions – A Smart Community Company
• Guillermo Rivas, Vice President, New Business Development, Cox Communities
• Drew Clark (presenter and host), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

WATCH HERE, or on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

As with all Broadband Breakfast Live Online events, the FREE webcasts will take place at 12 Noon ET on Wednesday.

SUBSCRIBE to the Broadband Breakfast YouTube channel. That way, you will be notified when events go live. Watch on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. 

See a complete list of upcoming and past Broadband Breakfast Live Online events.

LAS VEGAS, January 5, 2022 – Public-private partnerships are the key to realizing the future of smart cities, a transportation expert said at the CES2022 technology trade show here on Wednesday.

To make cities and transportation truly “smart,” industry stakeholders must ensure that technologies enabling autonomous vehicles are fast and ubiquitously deployed.

Blaine Leonard, transportation technology engineer for Utah’s department of transportation, said at a session on “Smart Cities and Transportation” that public safety was his office’s top priority when working to connect autonomous vehicles to physical infrastructure.

“As a state agency, people often ask us why we are interested in automated vehicles, and the bottom line is safety,” he said.

“We lost 40,000 people to car crashes in 2020,” noting how 97% of all crashes are caused in part by human error.  “As an agency, our focus is zero –– we want to get to zero fatalities.”

Leonard discussed how low latency and data speeds are critical to connecting vehicles to traffic systems. “From a state agency perspective, if we’re going to prevent crashes, we need that millisecond advantage.”

However, he stressed that harder-to-reach places may have to wait longer for these services. “That technology is important,” he said. “How quickly it’ll be here depends on where you are.”

While industry leaders push for faster deployment, Leonard says “It’ll take a number of years, maybe even a decade or two, to update all traffic systems” across the country.